Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-01-20
TW ELVE PAGES
FRIDAY. JANUARY 20. 1889.
"ONLY A FEW LINES"

That is all that Secretary Gage de-
slres. THE whole reform sought by
the Secretary" says his latest inter
viewer. could be accomplished by
few lines of new laws" The great re-
form of 1873 was accomplished by less
by striking out only few lines of
law that had given us prosperity from
1892. What Il sea of trouble and mis-
cry have we been struggling in ever
since! Even the conspirators, whose
fraud betrayed us into this woful con-
dition, are now masQuerading as IRE
formers!" God save the mark.
Our danger lies in the fact that only
"a few lines" interpolated, or eliminat-
ed. may SO change our laws as to make
us Disguised with government, and
cause us to yearn for the untrammeled
freedom of anarchy. Secretary Gage
is an enemy, or a traitor, in our chief
citadel,-put there to play his part in
surrenderinE government and people to
the Money-Trust. God pity the people
that have, in their own blindness, fall
len into such hands: their own pro-
fessed and sworn trustees and servants
Jealous accompices of the rapacious
band of robbers and burglars without.
Are there any real friends and repre-
eentatives of government and people.
and their rights and interests, at Wash
ington? Are there any in the press,
which should be the bulwarks of lib
erty?" If so. let them keep eternal Wig
lance against the few lines" that NAV
deliver us. bound hand and foot, to the
cannibals, hungry to pick us to our
bones! 1t will take but few lines"
for Congress to abandon it's powers and
duties in respect to our money and
currency. and turn them over to
private hands. a sovereign monopoly
and prerogmtive. 1t Will take but a
FEW lines" to leave us all to the banks
for every dollar of our currency, to
consist of wholly unsecured credit
money" pretending to be based on gold.
but really based on NOTTINGHAM empty
promise. protected by the privilege of
the suspension of specie payment"
and suspension already operating and
which may be rendered perpetual by n
few lines" making the banks them
SNA'So - dud llOeptllutlJ, out mas
ters and irresponsible masters. of gov
eminent. people and all their affairs.
Did ever any other business" men
reflect. merchants, manufacturers.
transporters and others.-that the mo-
ment the government retires from bus
iness" and turns II over to private con-
troll, they and their business are at the
mercy of this private control in all
their essential freedom, independence
and interests? The government. in bus
iness. in Its constitutional exercise of
powers of sovereignty in coinage. mon
ey lega1-tender and currency, and in
performing It's constitutional duties for
all, is the protector and helper OF every
business against those individuals or
combinations that would otherwise take
Illegal and unjust advantage OF all
trade and enterprise. These are the
trusts-the worst enemies conceivable
of all free domestic business: what hope
have business men against their mach
nations. If government retire from the
struggle with these conspiracies, on the
ground that it is all private business.
beyond governmental jurisdiction and
Interference? AS Mr.. Bryan has well
said, OF all the trusts, the money trust
is the worst. Have not business men
the sagacity to see all this. and that
substantially and permanently. they
and the public. OF the people, and their
common fortunes, are all in the same
boat?
Only few lines" will surrender the
purse-strings of the nation and the
public to the banks: and 1t Is said by
Secretary Gage that we must do this.