Year: 1878

If the American people will only give heed
to the lessons they are daily receiving from
the National Observation-Disclosures party, they
will presently be able to dispense with hard
money, accumulated capital. labor, sweat, his
tory, experience, intelligence, brains and every
thing else that has usually been deemed nee
essary in business, political aud social trans
actions. Everything will be conducted upon the
fat plan. Mr.. Butler, the lawgiyer of the new
party and leader in the new political exodus,
has led his followers up to the edge of the
Pentateuch and offered the solution of all the
problems of business, political and social life
in the first chapter Of Genesis You have only
to say "Fiatl" and it is done. So came light
out of darkness and creation out of
chaos The voice of Omnipotence pro-
claimed Fiat lux!r and there was
light. The voice of Government has only
to proclaim "Fiat money!" and we shall have
it jingling in all our pockets; or if not jing-
ling, then rustling, crisp, new and beautiful in
our pOcketbOOks, and swelling our assets.
Everything is to go by fiat" 1t is not quite
certain that incantation will not take the place
Of water-pOwer, electricity and steam, and fur
nish us the new motor which the inventive geni-
Gus OF the age is anxiOusy seeking to discover.
The fiat people are every day pushing their
theory toward Its last logical results They
despise steps and processes labor growth and
development are quite ont of their vocabulary
they have no need of them. If they can
stretch forth the hand and say " Fiat p'-'Iet
there be !"-and it is done, they may have
everything else as well as money for the SIM
pie invocation. The fiat gives us money with
out cost, capital without the delay
and trouble of accumulation, crops with
out planting, the products of skilled labor
without labor, government without any uses
for history or experience in its conduct, or
any need of intelligence and brains in the
administration of its affairs.


The members of the new party in Missouri
have just gwen us an illustration of the latest
Development of the fat business. In that
State they have resolved that no man shall


be put in nomination on their ticket who has
ever held Office. They will have no one as
signed TO the work of making, admin
istering, or executing laws who has had
any experience in the performance of
such duties This, though apparently rev.
olutionary, is perfectly logical and consistent.
For if the people who constitute the Govern
ment can stamp a piece of paper with its
fiat and make it money, they can just rs
easily put on the back of man who can
neither read nor write the stamp "This is a
" statesman" and make him pass current as
such. Current, that is to say, like the fat
money, in this country, not abroad. "Wbathave
eve got TO do with abroad?" And to those
statesmen and their craftsmanship would at
tach the same advantage as TO the fat money
we should have them all to ourselves, with
no danger of their expectation. There has beer
a deusion, more or less prevalent during the
dark and chaotic ages, before Dir. Butler
stepped out with his "Fiat lux !p-that
apprenticeship was good thing even in
such easy and simple business as max