The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1899-12-15
The Bond Holders VS.. the Interest
PAYERS.

this sum at. per cent IS So0O, 1000, 600.
Short time obligations are probably as
much more, which at the same rate Of
interest will aggregate an annual interest
of 81, 700, 900, 600. This vast sum is trans
ferred from the hand Of productive labor
to the pockets of what is Familiarity known
as the money class. Not content with
this spoil of the people who produce all
wealth, this greedy creditor class are I'M
ceasingly planning TO increase their gains
and further fleece the wealth producers.
The bill now before Congress to FIX the
gold standard more permanently" is one
of those schemes. Its object is to enablethe
creditor class to more effectually corner the
money of the country, make it scarce and
dear at their pleasure, thus reducing the
price Of every product not protected by
monopoly, and cause their bonded obliga-
tons TO increase in value by diminishing
the price of property, more of which their
interest viii buy. thus steadily increasing
their wealth as the producers Of all wealth
grow poorer.
The characterization Of silver i'll 1873
was their gieatest move in this conspiracy.
Every producer and debtor knows how
property has fallen in price since that
time, and how hard it is to pay debts and
| interest.
This last movement to more firmly
establish the gold standard is another
grand coup of the conspirators. The bill
before Congress demonetizes the silver
dollars, the greenbacks and Sherman
legal tenders, making them money Only
at the option of the creditors, who are
under no obligation to accept anything
| but gold for their interest and principal,
and the gold they control and corner at
pleasure, having all the money in their
banks and vaults.
| The national hank notes never were
legal tender, that is they never were legal
money. No person need receive them in
payment of debt unless he chose. The
government receives them for taxes and
pays them out and that act alone makes
| them go.
The meaning of this new goldbug bill
| in Congress should read in its title, all act
10 reduce the price of the products of
| labor and increase the price of trust pro-
ducts, by destroying the legal tenders,
greenbacks. and silver certificates and
silver dollars by impounding them, ex-
| changeable at the Treasury for gold, and
not receivable as money only at the option
of the craditor.
The purpose of all such legislation is 10
put the circulating medium ofthe country
entirely in the power of the class whose
business is TO trade in money, and deprive
the government of its constitutional pre-
rogative, which invests it with power to
protect the people from the rapacity of
money sharks.
After the passage of this infamous bill
there will not be legal dollar i'll exist
ence except gold coin. Every other dollar,
silver and paper, will pass only by suf-
france and not by law. The controllers
of gold can hold up both government and
people at their option and rob them to
the extent they deem it safe to so without
| provoking a revolution.
This money legislation now on the
carpet will bear heaviest OH the agricul-
tural class and all business depending on
the farm for its support. The farmers are
scattered far and wide, like sheep without
shepherd, a constant prey OF the usurers
The price is fixed every morning on his
grain by half dozen men in the grain
market centers. The price of wheat at
Liverpool is the price in the United States.
There all the surplus grain of India and
European countries is marketed, and BY
the gold standard the price is kept on the
starvation line. Every farmer in the
United States must inevitably grow poorer
raising. wheat at the price he has been
getting since 1873, when silver was de-
monetized in this country, and it will
never rise to paying figure again till silver
is restored to free coinage, the volume of
money throughout the world is increased
aud the level of prices of agricultural
products is raised.
This goldbug legislation now taking
precedence of all else in Congress is des-
tined 10 be harder on the farmers than
any other class. The commercial, the
manufacturing, mining, transportation
and commission business are all protected
by trusts and combinations. All but the
farmer have some shelter and protection,
and he alone continues to vote patiently
for every interest but his own. He built
up the manufacturing interest of the
country by paying them high duties on
all the goods they made till they grew
into colossal power and formed them
selves into trusts to fleece him by destroy
ing home competition. He encouraged
the building of railroads by giving The
right of way, subscribing for stock and
gave it all away to the transportation
rings. The last fleeing scheme is the
gold standard, which if he allows to stand,
will i'll one generation take every acre OF
land from the farmer. who labors in the
fields
c. ]. Hillyer. of Washington, states the
case in this way "What the bondholders
will gain by gold standard the produc.
ing classes must lose, or to state the same
thing differently, what the interest gath
erers will lose by silver demonstration
| the interest payers will gain. No one
class can make nv LEGISLATION nc ~