The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1904-10-06
Extracts from a Speech
by
Thomas HI. Tibbles

but this credit money had disapr. arcd
In the tWinkling of an eye. che inen
who held that awful power III their
hands did not realize what a force
they controlled. They simply proposed
TO give us little ''object lesson" but
they brought poverty and distress up
on this country lasting for six years.
The number Of insane and the suicides
that 1t produced can never be known.
but want and suffering spread all oaer
the land. The echoe OF their means
Is still in our ears
Such thunderbolt, more powerful
than was ever launched by Jove. can
be hurled at the prosperity and and
business OF this country at any time
without moments notice. Men can
have no warning Of its coming. Dunn's
weekly review at the close IL 1892
said: THE most prosperous year ever
known closes today, with strongly fav-
orable indications for the future rhe
last business day preceding the ,anic
disclosed not even a cloud oil the H.
nancial horizon. The next day there
swept over the nation flananeial
hurricane before which the business
structures OF the whole natie;l went
down. The credit money Of tie
country had disappeared. The same
awful power rests In the hands oi The
bankers today, In fact II il even
greater than It was In 1893 Today,
according to the official renorts of lie
controller Of the currenay AIR. Of the
sworn statements Of the state banks.
there is over $500, 100000 Of this
credit money, which carries with ii
all the functions Of money and per-
forips all the Offices OF money liz these
United States. Compared to this vast
volume, all the silver and gold and
lgreenbacks Is but a bagatelle. Tho
disappearance Of this money as IN
1893. would create greater disaster
than war, pesti1ence and famine. The
power to destroy, is In the hands 0f
the bankers An order to refuse aiIs
loans and call In all loans outstanding.
| IS all that Is necessary to destroy Ii.
There is nothing "intrinsic' not cycn
any thing material about Il. Yet
the power to control the destiny OF
the nation lies In 1t. That Ia What
popnlists refer to when they speak
OF the money power
The Money Power
Go down any business street or any
city in the land and ask the lnen who
business what would happen ii their
bank credits were shut off and you
will not find one In a hundred. who.
| il he answered you truly, b.. would
say: Il would have to shut UP within
a week" A careful investigation by
any honest, competent man Will
convince him that not more chan ten
per cent OF the business of this coin
try is transacted with money. Indeed
lit is sometimes asserted that that not
live Der cent Oft Is SO Transacted
that II the credit money was destroyed
that 80 per cent of business would be
destroyed, and "the power to Gc..foy"
is in the hands Of a few men down on
Wall street.
jackon's Courage
When Nicholas Bidde COM TO AM
drew Jackson, telling Jackson that he
could not fight the national bank and
described the power that Tie bank
could exercise, Jackson instead of
bending before the odds against aim
replied: IF the national bank has
that much power. then |. mus. be de-
stroyed.p (Applause) The popullst
looks this mighty force in the face and
with Andrew Jackson says: III must
be destroyed
How can the creation OF thus my
thica money be CONTROLLED Is there
.any power in the people TO do It?
Business Men
II have found ii difficult to explain
to You what the money power" Is.
| shall have still more dlilitulty in
explaining 10 hard working nen such
as compose this audience. tho many
technical suhtilties that unacrlie
the creation Of this money and We
must understand that, before 40 can
move toward the controlling Of this
power that dominates every thing In
The business world Let me say that
II has become the fashion TO eall only
those men who engage In trade for