Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1899-01-27


and stimulus that would be afforded
by the free coinage of silver, and in a
time when revenues are insufficient
the money power refuses to permit the
| government to float its own credit un-
| less tribute is paid TO usury.
Government Is in terrible distress
for money. Enough revenue is need
ed to carry on government. But that
simple device which has been tried
with success, device suggested by
common sense. and which any bust
ness firm dealing among numbers Of
its debtors would adopt, and which
would afford perfect relief, will never
be adopted. Why? Simply because Of
the greed of the money lenders and
the miserable ignorance of the masses.
What spectacle it is to see men
afraid to utter an independent
thought, and to call their souls their
own, because of fashion or opinion,
set for them by cunning combine of
sharpers! We wear opinions, says
Holt, as we do clothes. A fashion is set
for us by others, who employ that
mighty instrument-ridicule force
everybody into the adoption of the
fashion. And we are made to doubt
the evidence of our own senses. and to
forget the teachings of all past expert
ence, whenever few top-lofty fash
ion-setters begin to mock, laugh and
bo1iftIo o,,. ipdopapdopoa
Q
A landlord dealing with thousands
Of his tenants would put his own cred
it to circulating among them by his
due bills any time it became necessary.
But here in this great big govern
ment, with an income from its people
Of several hundred million dollars per
year, and several dozen states, each
having incomes in proportion, yet we
will suffer any extremity rather than
to revert to the issue of government
bills. Some five hundred millions could
be issued by government every year,
and they would return to the govern
ment treasury in payment of custom
dues and internal revenue taxes, never
costing one dollar of interest. Year
after year, if common sense governed
our affairs, this would be done. But
the moment such proposal is made
all that mighty combination Of men
known as Wall street, the Standard Oil
trust and a dozen others-all the
money brokers and bankers-set up
howl of indignation and scorn. A
Greenbacker is as contemplate now
as once was an Abolitionist. The writ
err of this has lived to see both terms
used to cover people with disgrace and
obloquy. And he has seen all the poor
people cover down. ashamed to ac-
they might be tainted with
opinions of Abolitionists, Free-Soilers
or Greenbackers.
Every fool, even, must know that il
these same bankers had the power to
tax the people few hundred millions,
as the government has, they would is
sue their own checks and orders to the
people, and never ask even consent.
Not much would they bother about a
deficiency of revenue. Why, in the
name of God, then, does not this gov
eminent, having such a great power
and such mighty revenue, issue its
bills at once? Because 1t belongs to-
day to the money power, just as much
as in 1860 1t belonged to the slave
power-and in each case has played |
such tricks before high heaven, at the
beck and nod Of the powers, as make
angels weep.
Many years ago, speaking on this
very subject from his place in the
United States senate, the ablest, wis
,st, deepest-read statesman this ma
ion ever had-July 10, 1S41-on the
oan bill, used these words: with all
hese advantages and the great saw
ng. in favor of treasury notes Ii. e.,
why not use them in
preference to loans? But one objec-
ion is urged-government will be
empted to plunge deeply in debt by
heir use. And from whom comes this
objection? From the party which re-
cards public debt as, if not bless
ng, no evil. The banks are
hostile to such issues. They regard
hem as rivals. = Break all
with banks. " Were
t not for them government could at
III times use it's own credit to supply
I'll deficits. What did the
enator (Henry Clay tell us in his
peech on the sub-treasury? He said
ruly that If we had no banks or any
with them the credit of the
government alone, with our limited
evenue, could keep in circulation for
y million dollars of treasury notes at
'ar all over the Union, without one
ent of interest. But this
reat revenue, which would prove a
ubstitute for loans in the hour of diff
culty, is given up to banks without
barge, and is all lost to the communi
y. This brings me to an
ther point. We talk of loans as If
We borrowed gold and silver. This is
II mistake. Under our bank dynas-
"a t., L,,4 |