The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1903-09-17
which cannot generally be traced.

which cannot generally be traced.
Were all of these included. IL Is like
ly that fair estimate Ut our business
transactions with one another would
not be far from forty billions of dol
lars a year, or sixteen times the
amount of all the money there is IN
the United States. This excludes the
incalculable volume of commercial pa
per In renewals and exchange for 9TH
er commercial paper. which might be
properly included and which II includ-
ed would swell the total Of our inter
nal business transactions into hun
dreds of billions. or hundreds OF times
the total amount Of our own money.
AS everybody knows. business Is
conducted upon various forms Of cred
It. Impair credit and business is i'm
paired. NO matter how much money
you have Sustain credit and bust
ness thrives In spite OF the compare.
lively small amount OF actual cash In
the nation.
So we see that the maintenance Of
credit Is the one great financial CUES
tion and always must be. Aud credit
Is only another name or confidence.
So the real question is: What will
continue the confidence that prevails
throughout our business world. and
what will impair that confidence?
Steady Legislation-No Sweeping
chaage.
Confidence is preserved by reasona,
bly, permanent adjustment of business
&c any given tines OF financial and com
uerc:al policy more than by al. other
things put together
&c cot mean that there should not
be gradual changes IN ell ot our laws
as those avs here and there become
out 81 late: but 10 mean that II g
better Cor business 20 steadily adhere
10 some settled line Of policy than 20
suddenly ana radically change II. Be-
cause II some sweeping change were
enacted into law TO matter COW ger
feet Q system that change would bring
about the bankers and business men
Of the country would sit tight tor 9
year or two years to see how II was
going to work. That would mean that
the whole machinery OF our business.
which is running On credit. would slow
down almost to the stopping point dur
ing this period OF waiting II would
mean the temporary destruction OF
confidence and therefore the tempora-
ry abandonment OF our prosperity
The Common American Brotherhood.
Confidence is also maintained by the
belief that everybody In the country ie
working for the common good The
most fortunate development In Amerf.
can history is the spread of this con-
viction of common American brother
hood and the corresponding decrease
OF prejudice among ourselves. OF this
the relations of the people to the bank
ers are the most conspicuous illustra-
tons. II has not been many years
since selfish politicians attempted
with some success % make the people
believe that the bankers were their
natural enemies It was said and be-
lieved by many that the bankers bus.
mess was tn despoiI the people Il
was said and believed by many that
It was the bankers interest to rob the
| people OF their prosperity II was said
and believed by many that the pros.
perity Of the bankers meant the pow.
erty Of the people
Prosperity Of People and Banker
Inseparable.
But this period of folly has passed.
No one but the crude demagogue now
makes assertions SO absurd Every.
body understands today that the pros.
perity of the people and of the banker
is inseparable. Everybody knows to.
day that the banks cannot make any
money except when the people are
making money Everybody knows to.
day that the banker has no source of
income except interest on loans and
charges for exchange. And when
times are hard the banks make fewer
loans and have fewer exchanges and
| therefore smaller ipcomes. When
times are good loans are numerous
and exchange rapid and abundant and.
| therefore. the banks income is en-
larged. II Is now well understood that
the farmer. the laborer. the storekeep-
err. the manufacturer and the banker
are great partnership whose inter.
ests are not only similar but whose
| interests are one and the same. The
| prosperity of the banker. storekeeper.
workingmau, farmer, manufactures
and all men of legitimate occupations
| stand or fall together.
| Citizenship the Only Class.
So that any man who wishes to CON.
tinue bis prosperity must set his face
against any agitator who attempts to
influence the PEOPLE against the bank
en- the laboringman against the en-
| pleyer. the consumer against the man
ufacturer. or the reverse Of any Of
these. do not think our country has
any serious dangers in its future; but
II It has one, that one IL the POSSIBLE
ity Of the creation Of separate classe1
In the republic and the warfare Of one
! essss asa'rst another class: a re.