Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1899-05-05
SOUND MONEY LUNACY
'NorslINo IMPOSSIBLE TO GOLD
BUG LOGIC
Oay Present Absurd Situation-As III In
Misunderstanding We Had an Infinite
1upply OF Power but Confined Our
selves to q Scarce Gas.

w udl plOW IL is tuC inv sSAS
fundamental instrument of agriculture
(for breaking and turning up the
ground. True, the spade may be
used, but its employment would be
more costly and limited. Suppose the
law, among its ten thousand absurd
tiles, should declare that only the
spade of special kind of pillow would
become something more than the In
strument Of agriculture? 1t would be
come tremendous power over all the
business of the world, says Hart Do
not wonder and laugh at the sugges-
ton of such law. Things much more
ridiculous and awfully wrong have
been created by law. Ten thousand
tyrannies, wrongs, outrages, and abb
surdities have been created by law
and upheld by mankind. So do not be
SURPRISED at this suggestion.
What Is a deed? 1t is the instru-
ment for conveying titles to lands.
But if the law declares that no con-
veyance shall be legal except 1t be
made upon some peculiar vellum or
parchment, very rare and costly, and
procurable only from certain few per-
sons, do you not see that your deed
has been made much more than
mere instrument as above dehned? >.
has become a most formidable power,
and the few men who control 1t are
worldwide rulers-"monarchs OK all
they survey" You, oh people!
would not submit to such tyranny
So you say and think. But you do sub
NIT to things fully as bad, or worse.
You do so because you are used to 1t
and refuse to employ the reason that
God Almighty has given to you. Ana
what is worse, the best among you, as
you call yourselves, all the proud
rich, powerful and educated ones; all
Society" as it terms itself; all direc-
tors of great institutions crouch down
and submit boasting; and your cowed
souls. who tremble lest you be In
cluded with the low herd Of calamity
howlers," submit to what is, even TO
the greatest business men among you'
a terrible oppression.
For example: What is money? All
science, every authority on the subject,
all persons everywhere define 1t as
merely the instrument to facilitate
exchanges" But can you not see that
the moment the law declares that gold
or gold and silver shall be the sole
legal tender-that is, the sole lawful
money-it has become more than an
instrument for exchanging? For those
metals are so rare and costly that 1t
requires all their value to produce
them in a state fit for coming. The
instrument has become the most pre-
cious Of all commodities and most de-
sirable for boarding up instead Of for
use.
All exchanging is embarrassed by
this law. People starve amid plenty.
Labor dies for lack of employment IN
sight of infinite demands for Its en-
ployment. You had two strong hands
and arms wherewith to live, and you
have Topped off one and palsied the
other! 1t is as If in manufacturing
Won had infinite store of power, but de-
liberately confined yourself to some
scarce natural gas costing more than
it is worth.
But we have paper substitutes"
you say, land they do the real work OF
exchanging" Yes, and very soon dis
trust comes in the very height Of your
business, when all your paper must
be paid in gold, and, then your prop
erty is at the gold owners mercy. And
do you know that one house owns all
the gold in the world, bullion and coin,
through it's hold on the bonded debt
of Great Britain? Don't you know that
debt equals all the gold. is all of 1t
payable in gold, and being the Oldest
of all debts, holds the gold like
first mortgage. What does that
mean? Il means that all OF
the other bonds, shares, stocks
and bills payable in gold are really
bankrupt, because there is no gold to
nav them. 1t means that you can new
er get even a few millions of gold
save by permission Of the one house
that owns the bonds of the British
debt. Monometallism means that all
said debts are bankrupt What are
these bonds and shares good for, them
Good only to collect the interest and
profits, but as to principal not worth,
under the legal tender gold law, one
cent. All the gold now in the world
will not pay two per cent on the debts
Of the world. And yet the simpletons
whose sole wealth consists of such pa
nor bonds and shares boast that they
are for the gold standard. Such paper
can never be legally made payable in
ANYTHING else but gold, for that would
be to alter the obligation OF the
contract.
The Money-Loaners' Interest.
The editor of the Tribune does not