Willmar tribune., 1900-09-12
The Currency Question.


fund in which to deposit the price
Inc British system of money does not
mt our affairs and the act of 1900,
which foists that system upon us,
can only end in disaster.
AS banking scheme it has been
promoted largely through the influ-
ence OF our secretary of the treasury.
Next to the Office of sovereign-pontiff,
or the Augustus Caesar of the Roman
empire, the secretaryship of the
American treasury is the most pow
ertul and important public Office ever
created by man. Mr.. Hamilton, who
was the author of it, had it all his
own way; and in it he emptied a
large portion of all the powers and
functions of this great government.
None but colossus can fill this office.
During the past half century-that is
to say, since Mr.. Guthrie's incum-
Dency-it has been filled chiefly by in
experienced men. Many of them were
men OF good intentions, honest, zeal
Gus and handwriting; but, with the
exception of Mr.. Chase, none of them
were competent to understand, much
less to manage, the tremendous en-
gine which Hamilton's ambition had
subjected to their hands. For ex-
ample, the account books of the United d
States are not kept by double entry,
but by single entry. There is no
stock account" no balance ac-
count no correspondence between
the accounts of the various depart
ments, no adequate means of pre-
venting fraud or detecting dishon-
esty.
The treasury is a vast chaos, filled
with grasping politicians, who cor
ruPt and destroy all who disturb
their operations; unless he happens
to be man of transcendent firmness
and ability, thoroughly acquainted
with the history and regulations of
the treasury, it's subordinate officers
simply force the new secretary into
corner, where his whole time is en-
crossed with three functions: the
consideration of appointments to Of
lice, the perfunctory signing of war
rants on the treasurer and the prep
aration of his annual report. No time
remains for the consideration of the
interests of the people.
Such is the position of the present
incumbent. His views concerning
money are those of the banks and
bankers who constitute the money
trust. His attempt to put the money
OF the treasury into circulation by
thrusting it into the vaults of a pri.
vate bank, is that of tyro. It has
been charged that he is playing into
the hands of the money trust. Lit.
tie men, like some who could be
named, may have been content to re.
linquish their high and honorable Of
f1ces in the treasury for the sake OF
the Increased reward of serving a
private bank; but 1 cannot believe
that the present secretary is actuated
by any such motive. He is simply
helpless. The bankers play and he
dances. Meanwhile, the interests, the
opportunities and it may be also the
liberties of the country, are steadily
haps never to be recovered.
Is there any rift in this cloud; is
there any balm in Gilead; is there any
way out of this deplorable state OF
affairs? Isee but one. 1t is the election
of congress and a president, I care
not of what party, who will resolute-
ly undo the bad work of the past
years, cast off the shackles which
have been imposed on the nation by
avid corporations, liberate the cur.
rency from the control of the banks
and restore the royal prerogative OF
money to it's only proper custodian,
the government. Nature has endowed
this country with advantages which,
with mans assistance, would have
enabled it TO control the markets OF
the world. The money trust, in fore
ing upon the country foreign sys-
tenn Of money, has deprived it OF
these advantages and made it the
slave rather than the arbiter of the
worlds markets. Already has the
price of our wheat been made to hang
upon the event of a battle in South
Africa.
Our forefathers established this
government upon principles so ele-
vated that to simply say: II am an
American," would have been the
proudest boast a man could make
The avidity and dishonesty of corpo-
rations have exposed this boast not
merely to ridicule, but contempt. To
rid herself of tyranny of trade cor
porations and the anarchy and civil
wars which their operations had fo.
mented, republican Rome was forced
to yield all the power of the state to
a single man, in order that he might
destroy the obnoxious growth The
result was that the corporations all
fell in single day, but in their place
there arose another tyranny-that OF
Caesar himself. Are we waiting until
the disease reaches a similar phase in
order to employ similar remedy; or
shall we take it in hand and suppress
it now?
am no partisan. appeal alike to
uehlocraCs, Republicans anu POpul1stS
I ask, is it not time to act? The
amazing policy and transactions OF
the treasury and the bill to alter the
mint and currency laws, which con.
stitute the crime of 1900, combine to
menace every interest of the govern.
ment. They not only create mon.
ey trust, they surrender into its
hands all the affairs of the country
and unless the designs of the trust
are defeated by a total change Of
public men and measures, I greatly
fear that it will be difficult to pre-.
serve the future peace of our people
Alexander Del Mar. Formerly III