The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1904-10-13

the national bank of the power, prlVl-
]cge and profit of supplying the coun-
tIy with paper currency. Instead OF
,sing its own credit for the equal ben
eft of all the people. the government
i2rds this credit to the national banker
0 be used for the benefit OF the banker
Thus. the national banker becomes the
beneficiary of special privileges; and,
-asing his notes upon the credit OF the
government. charges his fellow citizens
ior the use of them. He, the privileged,
fattens upon usury at the expense OF
the unprivileged. There are now about
GJe thousand national banks, which
keen in circulation more than four
hundred million dollars OF their notes
81 80 per cent this represents yearly
profit of more than thirty million dol
lars. which they derive from the spe-
Cial privilege Of using the public credit
for their private benefit. Clothed with
the sovereign power of creating what
is practically legal tender currency,
they can contract it or expand it when
ever they please; and, II they decide to
give the country taste Of their des-
potic power, as in 1893, there is no
power which can protect the victim. No
class of citizens should be clothed by
law with such terrible advantages over
tteir fellows.
The question of transportation is
discussed at considerable length, as
also the trust question. There is also
characterization OF Parker and
Roosevelt The Populist creed is Civ
en- at length. Mr.. Watson claiming
that it represents true Jeffersonian
principles.
In conclusion, Mr.. Watson says:
The Peaple's party favors the pub
lie ownership Of public utilities. In
nearly every civilized country the
government owns the railways, the
telegraphs and the telephones. The
last two should be part of our post
Office system, to which should be
added the parcel post. to free our peo-
pie from the extortionate charges OF
the express companies. The Peoples
party has always advocated the grad
uated income tax. This would not
only throw the support of the govern
ment upon the rich, where 1t should
be, but would, in great measure,
prevent the accumulation Of huge,
unnecessary and dangerous fortunes.
We favor the eight-hour law, and the
abolition of child-labor in factories.
where the unhealthy moral and phys
ical conditions are almost certain to
destroy the child. We believe 1t 20
10 a part of mans natural liberty and
equality to labor for himself and not
for a master, and that the laws should
be so framed that there should be no
monopoly of the land for either the
living or the dead. Recently we
have heard the insidious voice OF
those who tell us that man is not
born free, but must earn his freedom.
This -pernicious and false statement
comes from one of those millionaire
colleges, where opinions are censor.
cd, lust as books are censored by the
Carnegie libraries
Upon this subject Mr.. Jefferson
said that the God who gave US life
gave us liberty at the same time.
He also announced as principle that
the earth is given IS a common STOCK
for man to labor and live on. II for
the encouragement of industry we al
low it to be appropriated, we must
take care that other employment be
provided to those excluded from the
appropriation. If We do not, the fund
amental right to labor the Garth re-
turns to the unemployed"
FIANL APPEAL.
ITO the courage and the intelli-
gence of the voter, l appeal. If you
think | am right, vote that way, or you
are a moral coward. Do not fear
that your vote will be thrown away.
Your vote is never thrown away un-
til it ceases to be the representative
Of your honest convictions"