Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1899-09-15
PLENTY OF MONEY?
PROSPERITY DEPENDS UPON
THE SUPPLY OF CURRENCY.
The Volume of Currency In Proportion
to the Amount of Business Is So
Around.


Small That 1t Falls to Reach
Around.
We are told by the republican mob
that there is plenty of money in circu-
lation; we are told it by both preacher
and layman. Those whom we class
as laymen, and who comprise the
common herd, are honest in making
the assertion; inasmuch as they are
innocent in their ignorance and mar
row-mindedness, not being permitted,
for as they are the faithful, to think
or speak for themselves or to take any
thing as a criterion of faith, except
what emanates from the preacher OF
the gold standard.
Those who comprise the latter class
are wanting the one redeeming quail
ty found in the other, honesty. Those
statements which they hand out as
statistics and upon which the common
herd base their assertions as princi-
pies or supposed truths. are in fact
a compound of lies, damning and mis-
leading. Their official reports to con-
gress at stated times are fine illustra-
tions of deception, being truthful in
so far as they go, but leaving untold
the better half, thereby acting lie in
the omission.
For instance, the messages of the
president and secretary OF treasury,
showing that there is more money in
circulation, per capita, at present than
ever before during our history as
nation, are allowed to stop before they
explain that under the present policy
only a portion of this circulation Is
real money; that is to say, over one
half of it is merely exchange at home,
to all purposes and all intents for use
in times of panic when balance of for
elgn trade is against us or for the
purpose of paying interest on our for
eign debt. public and national. (By the
way, these debts were contracted at
tiIuc Wueu VIC udu III iCuCOhhopiS
money! And. further, in their at
tempts to lead the ursophisticated
public into the belief that the lack of
prosperity was not due to shortage
of money, they tried to show there was
more money in circulation than ever
before Gas heretofore stated; and,
therefore, II money had anything to
do with prosperity we ought to be hay
ing it in great chunks.
But alas They are here again mis-
leading in emitting to compare the
business done today, with the present
money, with that done at any other
known date. To speak more plainly,
there is more work for a dollar to do
than ever before; there is more wheat,
corn and cotton to be sold; there is
more coal. iron, lead and other prod
ucts OF the mines to be disposed of:
more manufacturing done; more con-
sumption of clothes; more food is eat
en-; a continual and larger growth in
our population. In fact, there has been
continuous increase throughout the
whole United States for thirty years
past, and in the face Of a non-increas-
ing, depreciating currency. In this
lies the secret of hard times.
We may have an almost total fail
ure of wheat, and by governing our ex-
pectations by what we suppose to be
the immutable law of supply ana de-
mand, we think wheat ought to bring
a good price. Yet it is not so. The
price does not advance materially.
We are at fault in not having taken
into account the full subject of supply
and demand. If the stomachs of the
hungry governed the demand for wheat
the supply would forever be inadequate
until the hungry were all fed and
enough in the graineries to last until
the harvest.
To sum the matter in a nutshell,
the supply or money is SO small III
proportion to the amount OF business
to be done that it fails to reach
around and do justice to all trade,
consequently internal Improvement
has ceased and idle, hungry men are
plentiful.
As to whether the money question
has anything to do with prosperity,
we must admit that the natural effect
of the laws of supply and demand as
they effect the price of products are
over-b balanced by the imperfect supply
of money furnished to satisfy the de-
mands of the public in business tran.
sactions.
Some, in their frantic efforts to
maintain a grasp on whatever enter
prise they may be engaged in, and
oftentimes to purchase the necessaries
of life, are forced to pay the knights
of usury from to per cent month.
In the west stealing by such unjust
assessments of interest Is the regular
method by which the money loaner