Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1899-12-28
one weekday IL which to prepare Coz

battle on a bill which rev0lutionizes
our entire financial system.
II it had been simply an antisilver
bill, little preparation would have been
needed, but this bill goes much further.
1t makes token money Of silver, con-
verts $500 100000 of silver coin from an
asset into a debt of the government to
be redeemed in gold, practically retires
the greenbacks and multiplies the
power of the national banks, placing
the prosperity of 100000 persons
within their keeping. 1t broadens the
financial question and lifts 1t to the
high plane on which Andrew Jackson
and the old Bank of the United States
fought it out more than half CEN
fury ago. and for the discussion of this
momentous question, which affects the
welfare and happiness of every man,
woman and child In the republic and
of all the teeming millions yet to be,
about 81 hours of daylight has been
permitted. that, too, without the bill
ever having been referred to or consid-
cred by any committee Of the house.
Parliamentary tyranny can go little
further and do little worse but it's an
old saying that ITS long lane that
has no turn" and history shows that
majorities frequently dwindle into
minorities, and our turn will come at
last
Do the people want silver coin con-
verted into mere token money? They
are not such idiots as to desire such
wanton waste, for if it is to be mere
token money, redeemed in gold. why
waste fifty odd cents in silver to make
token dollar when one cents worth
of paper would do as well?
Do the people desire to convert 500,-
100000 silver dollars. now an asset of
the government, good for the payment
of all obligations, public and private,
into debt of that amount, thereby re-
ally diminishing their wealth by twice
the amount of silver coin now out
standing? Surely they are not so in
ss9el
Is there any popular demand for the
retirement of the $346.000,000 of green
backs, thereby contracting the curren-
cy to that amount? Who says that we
have too much money now? Let it
never be forgotten that this bill prac-
tieally retires the greenbacks, that that
is it's prime object, for nobody but a
natural born fool will be deceived by
the euphemistic term ''impounding. :"
The fondest dream of the national
bankers for years has been to retire
the greenbacks, and at last their dream
is to be realized. / make this predic-
ton now, without fear of successful
contradiction-that after this bill be-
comes a law greenbacks in the hands
of the people will be as scarce as hens
teeth; like angels visits, few and far
between. A few of the 81 greenbacks,
for the sake of auld lang syne, will be
retained, framed and displayed as curl
OSities to be shown to our children as
samples of the money that saved the
life Of the republic in the awful crisis
of the civil war, but nearly all the
greenbacks will remain forever in their
long home, the newly created division
of issue and redemption"
Do the great body of the people wish
the government to abdicate it's para
mount function and to deliver the ma
tons prosperity, perhaps its life, I'M
reservedly and absolutely into the
hands of the National Bankers asso-
citation? There has never been day
since Washington was first inaugu-
rated when they so desired. They do
not now so desire, and warn gentle
men who are pampering these banks
now and surrendering' to them the
rights which we temporarily hold in
trust for the people that they will
some day rue this unwise action. | re-
call to their memories the startling fact
that in 1895. when Great Britain was
engaged in a death struggle with Ma
poleon, the governors of the Bank of
England alphabetically. reasonably
and CURLY in a three line letter in
formed the younger Pitt that he could
have no more money from that institu-
ton with which to fight the wonderful
warrior whose towering ambition was
universal dominion. Give to our ma
tional banks all power over our curren-
cy, as this bad bill proposes to do, and
perhaps, indeed most likely. in some
crisis of our country's fate. when we
are engaged in death struggle with
some great power-it may be with all
the great powers of the world-they.
too, will play the traitors part. with
hold from the government the sinews
of war and thereby imperil our liberty.
our happiness and our prosperity.