The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-06-24
THE MONEY QUESTION
BY j. w. DuBOSE.

1.-THE money question is settled, there
fore all democrats may come together on
Mr.. Bryan
So 1t Is written. But if editors have
time to write and subscribers time to
read, it would be otherwise written. II
any orator or any writer has discussed
the proposition of the President, In MS
last annual message, on money, L nave
not found the discussion. The President
threw a firebrand into the money ques-
ton, that is the most revolutionary fac-
tor of recent times. Inc praho pui h9
deeper and deeper.
The most open question today is the
money question Mr.. Bryan opened it
wide at st. Louis; the convention left 1t
open
The man at my elbow wears straw
hat The commercial price Is $lA; the
political price is $50. He wears two
piece suit, the commercial price is $1,000;
the political price is SIS. AS long as ne
pays the political price the money ques-
ton will remain open. The political price
brings the goods to us.
The commercial price of 200 subjects of
commerce in the United States Is raised
10 the political price by a tariff tax,
of value. Add So cents to the 81 purchase
of sugar, Shoes umbrella, hair brush
etc. and we may all assess. and know
tngly pay, our bounty to the one or Two
thousand individuals for whose dlrec1
benefit the tariff. at present, IS hxeo
If the government got the money ana re-
distributed it equitably in the sources OF
production, then the process would De
only robbing Peter to pay Paul. But those
people who decide tariff acts would be
free traders, If equity entered the sys-
TEN of protection. They would nave
none of 1t.
Those people who enact the tariff enact
pension rolls If pensions were paid out
in the sources of production of pension
funds no pensions would be paid. On
this pension account alone, Alabama pays
annually tax of about S4O0O,0OO; that Is
10 say. a sum about double the state tax.
Very little of 1t returns to US as pension
money. 1t comes back. charged with IN
terest and commissions, and we trace
At in street railways, the railroads Turn
aces marble quarries, cotton farm oper-
etions and in everything we see about US.
The Presidents proposition is the I'M
disguised scheme of the perpetrators oil
1.-The fraud of 49," The war. then. against
silver is the war now against gold. The
President condenses the project in his mo-
ton, to give to the national banks OF Is
sue the privilege of supplying our cur
rency, to expand or contract 1t at option.
That is virtually proclamation or death
to free institutions.
Here in Alabama, our governor Is pusy
signing coupons to a fifty-year per cent
100000 state debt. What is the ac.uai
cost of this debt to the producers OF Ala
b,nao If looked at fairly, it is about
Sal 900. 900 compound interest. Interest Is
commended. in effect, when the debt Is
owned outside the state. The interest re-
turns here for employment and draws
interest to go back to Wall street. III our
people owned the state debt. then inter-
est would remain to help pay the prin-
cipal Interest paid out here Tor re-
Investment here. is tantamount TO Simple
interest The state would make money
nv selling the bonds at per cent TO our
own people. The total for fifty years
at per cent simple interest would be
onlys21 .oo0, 0OO that is something over hali