Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-02-08

| =
trustee. But the steward had grown
OLD In long service, and had become
tired, weary and careless in office, long
ing for rest. yet desiring to retain his
place and its power. salary and per-
quisites. He therefore lent a willing
ear to these men who volunteered to
share his labors and responsibilities so
generously: and he made them his fis-
cal agents with the people, who did not
demur, as they relied on his integrity,
wisdom and experience in affairs. Be
SIDES. he required security of these
agents; but the people failed to see that
he made them sureties for these agents
by supplying them with n preferred In
vestment in their untaxed and gold
| interest bearing bonds. which still paid
interest in undated measure to the
agents though deposited with the stew
ard as securities.
! Nor did the easily deluded people see
at first that they really supplied the
currency which the agents SO kindly
lent them, on good security, at from G
to IL per cent. year. But they finally
| discovered that the steward had enter
ed into contracts with these men
whereby he not only paid them fun
| gold interest on their securities, but
issued them without charge 90 per cent
| OF the amount of these securities in
guaranteed notes, to be lent to the peo-
| pie (thcir own currencyD on the best
security, at heavy rates of interest. The
steward had heretofore issued a cur
rency OF the peoples, called grecnbacks
legal-tenders and other paper obliga-
tons of the people. signed by the stew
ard; and the people had also enjoyed
the free and unlimited coinage of their
own gold and silver. supplemented with
the bills of their own local banks. But
the steward, under the Establishments
and representations of his fiscal agents
agreed 10 withdraw all the notes he had
| issued to and for the people (the green
backs. &c). to allow the local banks
to issue no bills. to stop the free coin
| age of silver, withdraw all silver coin
| or discredit ii, so as to leave no COM
petitor with the currency he had fur
nished his agents. Gold was left; but
only because it never circulated, and
could be used as delusion and n snare
as a bit cheese is used as bait to
! catch rats and mice.
This insidious scheme-to make the
people furnish an exclusive currency
free. to these fiscal agents, on bonds
of the people as securities. the agents
still to draw full interest in gold on the
bonds from the people. and lend the
! people their own notes guaranteed by
! themselves, at heavy rates of interest
| on the best Security-was not divulged
! at fist to general knowledge; and its
| egressions and preposterous terms were
so incredibly unjust TO the people and
SO enormously in favor of the agents.
! or Intermediates, that 1t was difficult
to make the people believe that their
trusted steward had so betrayed them
and their interests. But, alas, it was
too true; and when efforts were made
for popular relief, 1t was found that
the steward had so committed himself
and the people to the snares and tolls
| of the AIammon of unrghteousncss
| that there was no breaking loose with-
out revolution. The steward. it was
disclosed, could neither obtain nor keep
any gold without the consent of his
agents. though obliged to have it. in
default of silver; nor could the people
obtain any currency, though compelled
TO have 1t, except from these agents
in default of all other currency with
drawn or destroyed. to give these
agents and their free notes the mo-
nopoly of our medium of circulation
and exchange.
So the unjust steward and his agents
robbed the people. right and left, unth
the people, tired of being SKINNED
ALIVE AT THEIR OWN EXPENSE.
kicked. went on strike and great was
the tribulation of those days.
A PATRIOTIC REVIVAL NEEDED.