The Penn's Grove record., 1904-09-02


source. But this view Of the subject Is
almost trivial compared to the tremend-
Gus power which the national banks
have in expanding and contracting the
currency, thus holding the markets Of the
republic at their mercy and having the
power at any time to unsettle values from
sea to sea.
AME OLD CROWD.
This country today is in the utmost
peril from the money question. In vain
do the democrats waive it; it cannot be
waived. The Cleveland ruling, by which
coin was held to mean gold, and by
which paper notes were used to get
bonds from the government, is still in
force, and the endless chain only needs
another Cleveland at the windlass. And
when we see standing around Judge
Parker the same old Cleveland crowd
Olney, German. Belmont, Carlisle, La
mont-the gravity OF the situation deep
ems as we study the faces of that notable
collection of patriots. The discoveries Of
new methods in treating gold ores, the
opening of vast deposits OF the precious
metal III so many different parts Of the
world illustrated and indicated the peo-
| pies party's contention on the subject Of
i the currency rather than discredited it.
But | beg to call your attention to the
fact that no man can tell when these
veins will be exhausted, and when this
vast increase in our currency will be dis
continued. And | warn you now that
when that day arrives, contraction, and
the frightful results which have always
flowed from contraction, will be upon
you. The moment the volume of cur
rency ceases to increase, as population
and commerce increase, then relative
contraction is at once i'll action; and the
increased need for money'not being fol-
lowed by a greater supply OF money,
there will be a crash which will make
this republic shake from one end of it to
the other.
THE L / PERIL.
And in the storm that sweeps over the
land, as it surely will do, there will again
be heard the cry of the suffering man,
the suffering woman and the suffering
child. Why is Judge Parker SO assured
that the gold standard is irrevocable?
Nothing in human law and custom is
i~rrevocable- especially if it is wrong.
Neither the sanctions of the constitution
of the United States, the statute law oil
the land, nor the unbroken national prac.
tice of a century were sufficient to make
the double standard Of gold and silver
irrevocable. Why, then, should the sin
gle gold standard, which violates the
constitution, mocks the statute law and
rebels against the presidents of a hun
dred years be considered irrevocable?
1t seems to me that a financial system
which is based upon a violation of funda-
mental law which all officials are sworr
to obey rests upon a foundation which
lacks a good deal Of being as stable as the
rocks.
A JEFFERS0NIAN.
Ii | know myself, | am a Jeffersonian
heart and soul. II | know my party, il
is Jeffersonian through and through. VIZ
have the same faith that he had in the
principles of human brotherhood and thu
same horror of any system which robS
labor of its just reward, which builds III
aristicracy by means of special privilege
and which by class legislation brings
back with new faces the old foes of The
human race.
To restore the liberties of the people
the rule of the people, the equality of al
men before the law is our purpose. VIZ
believe that manhood should count fol
more than money; that character should
outweigh the dollar. Whether he work
with Drawn or brain, it is the worker
who should be monarch of the world.
Not wealth, not birth, not Office, but
the worker-he who has noble ideals; ht
who wants to achieve; he who has a mes
sage and a mission, and looks upon the
earth as a room to work in and the bless
ed sun the light to work by-he who
clinging to those convictions which be
come a part of his life, would rather die
than make cowardly submission to what
he felt to be wrong.
For myself, | do not believe that the
present tyranny OF the corporation, tht
monopoly and the autocracy of wealth
can endure forever. Some day, som
day the American people will rise il
their resistless majesty and drive the
usurpers from the places they have seiz
ed. Some day popular sovereignty will
come again and put its foes to rout as il
did in the time of Jackson.
1t may be that this effort of mine tc
rally and arouse the real democrats, the
real believers in popular government.
may come to naught-but no matter what
befalls, | will accept this call, which
seems to me to be the call to duty. As
fearless John Adams said in the brave
days of old, "Sink or swim, live or die,
survive or perish, | give my hand and
my heart to this cause"