The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1900-07-19
CAMPAIGN DEPT.
Why Should the Mid-Road PEOPLES
Party Exist?

A0E1y AAl0VS
Editor Representative: The aboy,
question Is often asked with such ap
parent earnestness that l think at thi.
stage of the compaign it is the duty o,
some one, in brief manner, to answer
this question without stopping to dis.
cuss the issues in detail.
First, in 1886, just 81 years ago. al.
though this nation. had but recently
passed through two great wars with the
most powerful nation on earth, besides
innumerable Indian wars, 1t was out Of
debt and owned all the lands within the
boundaries Of the United States Except
small portion Of lands ceded to Hol-
land to pay that nation for their assist
ance to us during the revolutionary
war;. It owned and controlled abso-
lutely all the internal transportation OF
this country and President Jackson
taught the bankers of this country that
the national treasury could take care Of
the peoples money without any assist
ance Of private individual bankers
What change. Sixty-four years
have passed and this government has
bonded the people and compells them to
unnecessarily pay interest on hundreds
OF millions of dollars. The comptroller
OF the currency reports on the bonded
Indebtedness Of this country up to 1899
we have paid five billion dollars interest
and 0vxyo <hic NOV doI~% attn
The above named bonds, specified on
their face the principal was payable in
the currency of the country; the cur
rency OF the country consisted, at that
time, in treasury notes, which we're, un-
der the law authorizing their issue, pur-
posely deprecated. So it took two dol
lars and eightyfive cents, at one time,
to buy one dollar in coin; but at all
times these notes would buy bonds at
their face value, dollar for dollar After
the war those same bonds were all made
payable in coin, thus enhancing the
value of the bonds in the hands of the
bondholders over one-half. On the other
hand, this action increased the burthen
of debt over one-half. That is not all,
the government destroyed, in round
numbers, over one billion, eight hun
dred million dollars of the currency
with which the people had become ac-
customed to do business. (See Sec. Bout
wells report of 1872, page 297.) And
issued interest bearing bonds in their
place. Thus the civil war debt has been
increased over one-half, the war taxes
have increased, which should have been
taken off as soon as the war ended. The
circulating medium of exchange has
been given to National banks, every dol
lar of which costs the people compound
interest, and our intelligence Is insulted
by telling us this is the best monetary
system the world ever knew.
If this is the best monetary system
the world ever knew, God help the bal
ance of the world. The National bank
ers have it in their power, under the
law, to contract and initiate the currency
at will, which means absolute control
of all business and commercial trans
actions in the United States. Secretary
Sherman, in his report of 1880, page 331,
gives instances coming to his knowl-
edge where a bank had deposited legal
tender treasury notes and reduced and
inflated it's circulation from $45O0 to
$45, 900 three times in one year. There
is no limit to the power of National
bankers over the control of the circulat-
ing medium of this nation.
There has been created by law, nation
al and state, transportation system
which has become 50 powerful that it
is able to fix exhorbitant rates and main
tain them in spite of congress, state
legislatures or courts. To those corpor-
atoms our government has given an en-
pire Of land that should have been re-
served for homes for the people. Cen
eral Garfield once said: THE amount OF
land thus given away would make nine
states as large as Ohio"
Add the war taxes, which have been
and we now have COM
oination of legalized systems which are
able to centralize the wealth all produce
INTO the hands of a few. Out of those
class laws have grown trusts, that are
able now to ride over, insult and rob
he people; defy congress and state leg
slatures and laugh at your laws. The
I'D parties for 80 years have been talk
ng about controlling the corporations |
md trusts in the United States. After |
lapse OF 80 years the trusts and corpor-
Ltions absolutely dictate every political
policy and action of both those parties, |
md we now have a government Of cor
)oratiOns and trusts for corporations
md trust and against the people.
The Midroad Peoples party will never
lttempt to control the octopus thus
reated, but will repeal the laws that
ave it existence and reinstate this gov
rnment as it was: of, by and for the
,eople, instead of corporations and
rusts as it now is. This is an issue any
american citizen should be proud to
tand for and must prevail. or this re-
ublic is gone forever.
The above questions will be more fully
iscussed in the Representative by us
uring the campaign.
A. H. NELSON.
The street car strike in st. Louis has
ost the city more in losses than it would