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diff --git a/old/54549-0.txt b/old/54549-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index f32d58c..0000000 --- a/old/54549-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,12793 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Betsy Gaskins (Dimicrat), Wife of Jobe -Gaskins (Republican), by W. I. Hood - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Betsy Gaskins (Dimicrat), Wife of Jobe Gaskins (Republican) - Or, Uncle Tom's Cabin Up to Date - -Author: W. I. Hood - -Illustrator: C. B. Falls - -Release Date: April 14, 2017 [EBook #54549] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BETSY GASKINS (DIMICRAT) *** - - - - -Produced by KD Weeks, Emmy, MFR and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - Transcriber’s Note: - -This version of the text cannot represent certain typographical effects. -Italics are delimited with the ‘_’ character as _italic_. - -There are two footnotes, which have been moved to directly follow the -paragraphs in which they are referenced. - -The full page drawings are also moved to avoid falling in mid-paragaph. -The pagination in the list of illustrations refers to their original -positions. They appear in this version as [Illustration: <caption>] - -Minor errors, attributable to the printer, have been corrected. Please -see the transcriber’s note at the end of this text for details regarding -the handling of any textual issues encountered during its preparation. - - - - - Betsy Gaskins - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -[Illustration: “THAT EVERY STAR WAS AN EYE LOOKING DOWN ON ME WITH -PITY.” (CHAPTER XXXVIII.)] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -==BETSY GASKINS== (Dimicrat), Wife of Jobe Gaskins (Republican) -[decoration] Or, Uncle Tom’s Cabin Up to Date [decoration] - -[Illustration] - -By.... -W. I. HOOD - -[Illustration] - -With Illustrations -from Original Drawings -by C. B. FALLS - - - -And an Appendix -Edited by K. L. -ARMSTRONG - -[Illustration] - - CHICAGO: - THE WABASH PUBLISHING HOUSE - No. 324 Dearborn Street - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1897, - BY W. I. HOOD. - _All rights reserved._ - - - - -NOTICE.—The illustrations in this work are engraved from original -drawings from life, and their reproduction, except by special permission -from the publishers, is prohibited. - -[Illustration: BETSY GASKINS.] - -[Illustration: JOBE GASKINS.] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - -PREFACE. - - -THIS book is written for a purpose. It is founded upon actual -occurrences. Betsy and Jobe Gaskins are characters well known to you, if -you will but reflect upon events coming under your own observation -within the past few years. - -The author claims no inspiration or gift of genius. This is only a -simple statement of facts deserving the consideration of every -intelligent human being. While you read these pages, if you will permit -your intelligence to assert itself over your prejudices, and if finally -you will do that which the nobler instincts of man prompt you to do -toward bringing about a better condition of things under the government -of which you are a part, the author will be fully repaid for his labor. -He asks you only to keep in mind at all times that Jobe Gaskins is your -brother; that Betsy Gaskins is your sister. - - W. I. HOOD. - -_New Philadelphia, Ohio, April 24, 1897._ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -“GOD, by giving to man wants and making his recourse to work necessary -to supply them, has made the right to work the property of every man; -and this property is the first, the most sacred, the most -imprescriptible of all.”—_Turgot._ - -[Illustration] - -“THE right to work is the right to worship. The clink of the anvil and -the hum of the harvest field, the music of the poet and the meditations -of the inventor are chords in the anthem of creation.”—_Henry D. Lloyd._ - - CONTENTS. - -[Illustration] - - CHAPTER Page - I. Jobe Sets and Studies 15 - II. An Argument on the Money Question 22 - III. Jobe Sleeps in the Spare Bed. The Dream 27 - IV. “The Comers” 38 - V. Jobe Must Raise $2,100 43 - VI. Betty, the Drivin’ Animal 49 - VII. They Drive Old Tom 53 - VIII. Another Letter from Richer 61 - IX. A Few Reasons by Betsy 65 - X. Is there a Woman in the Barn 69 - XI. “In Town” 73 - XII. The Decision 78 - XIII. Jobe Cheers Up 84 - XIV. A New Mortgage 89 - XV. Jobe, Out of Trouble, is Unruly Again 93 - XVI. Jobe is Scared 97 - XVII. Jobe Sleeps in the Barn? 104 - XVIII. The Spittoons 111 - XIX. A Big-headed Man 118 - XX. Bonds Sell Well 121 - XXI. The Sermon 124 - XXII. Jobe Working to Raise the Officers’ Salaries 128 - XXIII. Plan to Relieve the Rich of an Expense 132 - XXIV. Them Promises 138 - XXV. Jobe Excited Over a Nomination 141 - XXVI. The Bloomers 145 - XXVII. “Them Populists.” 149 - XXVIII. Trouble with Billot 155 - XXIX. “Inforcin the Law agin Billot” 158 - XXX. Betsy Discusses “Fiat” Money 166 - XXXI. Jobe Blows a Fish-horn 180 - XXXII. At Court Again 185 - XXXIII. Judgment Rendered 189 - XXXIV. The Little White Rose-bush 195 - XXXV. Jobe Talks of Things that Are Gone 200 - XXXVI. Bill Bowers on the Fence 202 - XXXVII. Betsy Faints. A Vision 207 - XXXVIII. The Parting 211 - XXXIX. The Preacher and the Saloonkeeper 216 - XL. Them Rooms. The Director of Charities 228 - XLI. A Sore Hand 235 - XLII. Hattie Moore 244 - XLIII. A Family Reunion 249 - XLIV. After the Woe, then Comes the Law 256 - -[Illustration] - - PART II. - - I. The Impending Revolution 277 - II. The Philosophy of Money 283 - III. A Bird’s-eye View of American Financial History 307 - IV. The Eight Money Conspiracies 345 - V. Financial Authorities 352 - VI. Interest and Usury 380 - VII. Debt and Slavery 387 - VIII. The Laws of Property 393 - IX. Direct Legislation 401 - - - - - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. - -[Illustration] - - 1. “That every star was an eye looking down (Frontispiece.) - on me with pity.” - - 2. Character title. - - PAGE - - 3. Betsy Gaskins 7 - - 4. Initial T 11 - - 5. Jobe Gaskins 13 - - 6. Initial M 15 - - 7. “We both hankered” 17 - - 8. “I did git him started to readin” 19 - - 9. “That canderdate feller” 20 - - 10. Tailpiece 21 - - 11. “Me a knittin, him a settin and studyin” 23 - - 12. “‘Talkin like them blame Populists’” 26 - - 13. “I waked not until broad daylite” 28 - - 14. “‘Feedin-feedin, of course,’ says he” 29 - - 15. “‘Do you promis?’ says I, girlish like” 30 - - 16. “I sot down, lookin him square in the 31 - face” - - 17. Bill Bowers 32 - - 18. Ornamental tailpiece 37 - - 19. “‘Ide vote the Dimicrat ticket at the 39 - very next township election’” - - 20. “They waked me up at the dead hour of 41 - midnite” - - 21. “That very sheet of paper” 45 - - 22. Congressman Richer 46 - - 23. “Jobe works and sweats” 47 - - 24. Ornamental tailpiece 48 - - 25. “Jobe and me both sot down and cried” 50 - - 26. “Started for town bright and airly” 54 - - 27. “Jobe and me counted up how much we had” 57 - - 28. “That nite I put another patch on his 62 - pants” - - 29. “He explained to Mr. Jones” 63 - - 30. Ornamental tailpiece 64 - - 31. Ornamental tailpiece 68 - - 32. “Peekin through a crack” 70 - - 33. “Jist a layin it off with his hands” 71 - - 34. “‘Mistur Court, Gaskins is here’” 74 - - 35. “‘I ’bject’” 76 - - 36. “‘I want to prove to you, Mistur Judge’” 79 - - 37. “‘This is the law, whether it is justice 81 - or not’” - - 38. “Jobe and me sot there dazed like” 82 - - 39. Aunt Jane 84 - - 40. “He would call him ‘Billy,’ in honor of 85 - the next president” - - 41. “Before Jobe could git up, William hit 86 - him agin” - - 42. Ornamental tailpiece 88 - - 43. “He would rather pay seven per cent. 90 - than six, in order to support a sound - money basis” - - 44. “‘Law or no law,’ says I” 91 - - 45. “‘Payin it in gold to keep your party in 92 - power is up-hill bizness’” - - 46. “‘John Sherman is the greatest financier 95 - on airth’” - - 47. Ornamental tailpiece 96 - - 48. “‘Now, Betsy, you see what kind of a 98 - party you belong to’” - - 49. “So I went to work and cut out the 100 - headin” - - 50. “‘It is all over, Betsy,’ says he” 101 - - 51. “That nite he slept in the barn” 103 - - 52. “‘Jobe Gaskins, you make another move!’” 105 - - 53. “‘Are you mad, Betsy?’ says he” 108 - - 54. “Jobe was on his knees in the middle of 113 - the bed” - - 55. “A strait, influential, leadin 115 - Republican officeholder” - - 56. “Lots of fellers jist like him” 116 - - 57. “Jobe he flew up” 119 - - 58. “It wasent anything onusual for a county 120 - officer to make all he could” - - 59. “‘Hadent we all ort to be satisfied so 121 - long as bonds sell well?’” - - 60. “‘Times are never hard under a gold 122 - basis,’ Jobe says” - - 61. “They whispered and snickered at my 125 - straw hat and Jobe’s linen coat” - - 62. “He said the rich all belong to church” 126 - - 63. Harvesting 129 - - 64. “I was puttin salve on Jobe’s hands” 130 - - 65. The hand that voted “the strait ticket” 131 - - 66. “Some good men in case of labor trouble” 133 - - 67. “Some of the little children are pretty” 136 - - 68. “Jobe took what hay he could spare” 138 - - 69. “They are kept so busy legislatin” 139 - - 70. “A huntin them overhalls” 142 - - 71. “I had sot down and went to churnin” 143 - - 72. “The Dimicratic bloomers” 146 - - 73. “‘Hello, mistur’” 147 - - 74. “‘We ketch em a comin and we ketch em a 148 - goin’” - - 75. “I seen him a comin up the lane” 151 - - 76. “The fust time for nigh onto twenty 153 - years” - - 77. “Billot jist laughed at him” 155 - - 78. “Jobe he got mad and called Billot a 156 - Populist” - - 79. Ornamental tailpiece—sunset 157 - - 80. “Lawyers a talkin and a laffin” 159 - - 81. “‘Mistur Moore, how long has it been 161 - since you quit advocatin the use of - good, old-fashioned greenbacks?’” - - 82. “‘Lawyer—Dimicratic lawyer and 164 - polertician’” - - 83. “He carried a banner” 167 - - 84. “I got a straw and tickled his nose” 171 - - 85. Ornamental tailpiece 179 - - 86. “It was nearly mornin when I heerd the 181 - patriotic sounds of the fish-horn” - - 87. “He looked kind a pale” 182 - - 88. “‘Give us a tune, Jobe’” 183 - - 89. “‘This is not accordin to contract’” 184 - - 90. “We hitched in front of Urfer’s big dry 186 - goods store” - - 91. “‘Ready’” 187 - - 92. “‘I am a banker, sir, a banker‘” 190 - - 93. “He made sich a fine argament for gold 193 - and agin other money” - - 94. Little Jane 196 - - 95. “I could nearly see her little dimpled 197 - fingers pattin the airth around the - roots of that little bush” - - 96. “‘Mamma, ... how pritty!’” 198 - - 97. Ornamental tailpiece 199 - - 98. “Jobe jist lays and moans” 200 - - 99. “I have to chop all the wood” 201 - - 100. “‘Out with it, Bill; we are prepared for 203 - the wust’” - - 101. “‘Ile tell you, Betsy. Ive made up my 205 - mind to try them Populists hereafter’” - - 102. “‘O, Lord, is there no other way to 209 - do?’” - - 103. “He drawed me over in his arms and 212 - kissed me” - - 104. “He was wipin his eyes and blowin his 213 - nose as he went towards town” - - 105. “Then sot down and cried and kept a 214 - cryin every little bit all mornin” - - 106. “They pulled me away from the winder” 218 - - 107. “At all the gates around the big fence 221 - they had signs stuck up” - - 108. “I asked him for something to eat” 222 - - 109. “‘Well, old man, sich things hadent ort 225 - to be’” - - 110. “I slipped over and put my face agin the 229 - glass” - - 111. “The feller turned around and looked 233 - black at me” - - 112. “I have to work hard in this place” 236 - - 113. “One nice little place that I thought I 239 - would rent as soon as I got my first - week’s pay” - - 114. “I worked there three weeks” 241 - - 115. “Everything was cold and dark” 242 - - 116. Initial M—Hattie Moore 244 - - 117. “He teched me on the shoulder” 247 - - 118. “I got onto a freight train” 248 - - 119. “Pushing back the hair of the sick 250 - woman, leaned over and kissed her on - the forehead” - - 120. “There lay Mrs. Gaskins” 252 - - 121. “There again was the face of that little 253 - girl and the face of an old man” - - 122. “In the morning there was found a 254 - white-haired man” - - 123. Tailpiece—the rose-bush on the grave 255 - - 124. Initial B—the editor 256 - - 125. “Behold! See that money!” 265 - - 127. The world’s oppressor 274 - - - - - Betsy Gaskins (DIMICRAT). - - -------------- - - - - - CHAPTER I. - JOBE SETS AND STUDIES. - - -MISTUR EDITURE:—My name is Betsy Gaskins. I was born a Dimicrat. My -father was a Dimicrat and my mother dident dare to be anything else—out -loud. - -Our family, thus, was of one mind, perlitically, until Jobe Gaskins -begin to come to see me. - -I was a young woman of nineteen summers, as the poit would say. - -Jobe he was a Republican and “didn’t keer who knowed it.” - -My folks opposed Jobe on perlitical grounds. - -Jobe he opposed my folks on the same grounds, but hankered arter me, -though he knode I was a “Dimicrat dide in the wool.” - -And I must say I hankered arter Jobe, though I knode he was a rank -Republican. On that one pint we agreed: we both hankered. - -Well, the time come when Jobe and me decided to lay aside our perlitical -feelins and git married. - -This our folks opposed, but we “slid out” one day, and the preacher -united the two old parties, as far as Jobe and me was concerned, though -I was still a Dimicrat, and Jobe he was still a Republican. - -Like the two great perlitical parties at Washington, when they want to -make a law to suit Wall Street, Jobe and me decided to pull together on -the question of gittin married. - -We have lived together for nigh onto thirty-five years, and durin all -that time Jobe has let me be a Dimicrat, and Ive let him be a -Republican. It has never caused any family disturbance nor never will, -so long as I be a Dimicrat and let Jobe be a Republican. - -We have no children livin. Our little Jane was taken from us just arter -her seventh birthday. Since then we have been left alone together, jist -as we was before little Jane was born. It is awful lonesome, and as we -grow older, lonesomer it gits. Sometimes, when I git my work all done -and have nothin to okepy my mind, I git that lonesome, I hardly know -what to do. Of late years I read a great deal to pass away the time. - -Jobe he hardly ever reads any, not because he cant,—Jobe is a good -reader,—but it seems the poor man works so hard, and has so much to -trouble him, that he would jist rather set and study than to read. - -When he gits his day’s work done and his feedin, and waterin, and -choppin of wood, he jist seems to enjoy settin and studyin. - -I hardly ever disturb him when he is at it. I jist set and read or set -and knit, as the case may be, and let Jobe set and study. - -I _did_ git him started to readin a couple of years back. I had signed -for a paper that said a good deal about the Alliance and the Grange and -sich, and Jobe he read it every week, and got so interested that he -would talk on the things he read about to me and to the neighbors. He -got nearly over his settin and studyin and seemed in better spirits so -long as he kept a readin of that paper. But one day a feller, who was a -Republican canderdate for a county office, came to our house for dinner -(they allers make it here about dinner-time, them canderdate fellers -do). - -[Illustration: “WE BOTH HANKERED.”] - -Well, arter dinner, Jobe and that feller went into the front room, and -the feller gin Jobe a segar (a regular five-center, Jobe said), and then -they set and smoked, smoked and talked, talked about the prospect of -their party carryin the county, the feller doin all the talkin, until at -last Jobe told him that he “had been readin some of the principles of -the People’s party and liked em purty well.” - -The feller reared back, opened his eyes, looked at Jobe from head to -foot, and then indignant like says, says he to Jobe: - -“I am astonished!—astonished to think that Jobe Gaskins, one of the most -intelligent, most prominent and influential Republicans in this -township, should read sich trash, much less indorse it.” - -And from that day to this Jobe Gaskins, my dear husband, has quit his -readin and gone back to his settin and studyin. - -His party principles was teched. The argament of that canderdate feller -was unanswerable; it sunk deep into Jobe’s boozim, and from the time -that that feller thanked Jobe for his dinner and hoss feed, and invited -Jobe and me both to come into his office and see him, if he was elected, -to this writin, I have not had the pleasure of talkin with my husband as -before. - -[Illustration: “I did git him started to readin.”] - -That feller robbed me of all the bliss I enjoyed of havin my pardner in -life to talk with of evenins. And all I got for bein thus robbed, and -for the dinner and hoss feed he et, was a invitation to see him okepy -the high position of county officer—as though that would pay for vittles -or satisfy an achin void, caused by him a turnin Jobe from his readin to -his settin and studyin. What good would it do me to see him okepyin a -county office and drawin of a big salary? Yes, drawin of a big salary -that poor Jobe has to work his lites out of him to help pay. All that -there canderdate feller cares for Jobe remainin to be a Republican is so -that he, and sich fellers like him, will continer to vote for him and -his likes, and pay the high taxes out of which they git their big -salaries. What do they care for poor old Jobe Gaskins, whether he be a -Republican or a Dimicrat or a Populist or one of them wild Anacrists, if -it were not that he had a vote and they want to keep him in line? What -keer they what papers he reads, or how quick he changes his polerticks, -if they dident want to git office and draw a big salary? - -[Illustration: “That canderdate feller.”] - -Say anything to Jobe about this and he will flare up and tell you he -“doesent intend to lose the respect of all the leadin men in the county -by changing his perlitical views.” - -He dont stop to ask hisself, “Who is the leadin men?” He dont stop to -ask hisself how much taxes and interest and sich he contributes to make -them the leadin men. Contributes it to support them and their families -in style sich as becomes leadin people. - -Yes, to support their families, I said, so that their wives and their -girls can wear fine silks and satins, while I must git along with a -brown caliker or gray cambric dress at best. - -Jobe and his likes earns the money by the sweat of their brows, and them -canderdate fellers and their likes spends it in high livin and makin -theirselves leadin citizens. And then they are astonished to hear of one -of their regular voters a readin anything that says that sich men as -Jobe Gaskins and his wife Betsy, if you please, are jist as respectable, -jist as leadin citizens, as any county officer or polertician and their -wives. Yes, it astonishes them to hear of his readin a paper that says -that the farmers have jist as intelligent, honest and patriotic people -among them as the leadin citizens have. Now I read sich “trash,” as the -canderdate feller calls it, and I dont keer who knows it, though Ime a -Dimicrat. But as it is gittin late and milkin time is here, I will -close, promisin you more anon, as it were. - - BETSY GASKINS (Dimicrat), - Wife of - JOBE GASKINS (Republican). - -[Illustration] - - - - - CHAPTER II - AN ARGUMENT ON THE MONEY QUESTION. - - -THE anon is here. Last Tuesday evenin, arter I had milked and swept and -washed up the supper dishes and done many other things I have to do day -in and day out, year in and year out, arter Jobe had done his waterin -and feedin and choppin of wood, we both found ourselves settin before -the fire, me a knittin, him a settin and studyin. - -Says I to him, all of a suddent, loud and quick like: - -“Jobe, what yer studyin bout?” - -You ort a seen him jump. He was skeert. I spoke so suddent and quick. - -He hemmed and hawed a minit or so, got up and turned around, sat down, -spit in the fire, crossed his legs, and says, says he: - -“Well, Betsy, Ile tell you what I was a studyin about. I was jist a -studyin about the mortgage and the interest and the fust of Aprile. -Aprile, Betsy, is nearly here, and where is the money a comin from to -pay the interest and sich?” - -I saw he was troubled; but all I could say was: “Well, indeed, Jobe, I -dont know.” - -And I dont. - -It seemed, now, as I had Jobe started, waked up as it were, he wanted to -talk, and I was willin that he should, even though it wasent a very -pleasant thing to talk about. - -[Illustration: “Me a knittin, him a settin and studyin.”] - -Says he: “Betsy, I sometimes think we will never git our farm paid for. -It seems to be a gittin harder and harder every year to make payments. -It has took all we raised to meet the interest for the last four years; -we haint been able to pay anything on the mortgage; and this spring I -dont know where we will git the money to pay even the interest. It takes -twice as much wheat, or anything else, nearly, to git the money to pay -the interest with as it use to, and crops haint any better. Besides, -Betsy, if I was to sell the farm to-day, it wouldent bring much above -the $2,100 we owe on it. When I bought it for $3,800, fourteen years -ago, I thought it cheap enough, and it was if times hadent got so hard -and things we raise so cheap. Jist to think, we have paid $1,700 on the -first cost, and $2,100 in interest besides, and if we had to sell it to -pay the mortgage we would not have a dollar left. Congressman Richer -could foreclose at any time; he could have done so for the last three -years—ever since I failed to make the payments on the mortgage.” - -“Well, Jobe,” says I, “it is bad enough, to say the least.” - -“Yes, Betsy,” says he, “if we cant meet the interest, Banker Jones tells -me, we will be sold out.” - -I was silent. - -Jobe continered: “I tell you, Betsy, these times, six per cent. interest -is hard to pay. It seems that, no matter how cheap a farmer has to sell -what he raises, interest dont get any cheaper.” - -Thinks I, “Now is my time to speak.” - -“Jobe,” says I, slow and deliberate, lookin him square in the eyes, -“Jobe Gaskins, haint you a American citizen? Haint you jist as good a -citizen as a banker? Haint you jist as honest? Haint you jist as -hard-workin? Haint you got as much rights in these here United States?” - -Jobe was silent, but lookin straight at me, starin. - -Continerin, says I: “I was a readin in my paper, the other day, that the -banker borrowed money from this here government for one per cent. The -very money he loans you and your likes at six and seven and eight per -cent. he gits from this here government for one per cent. You, Jobe -Gaskins, ort to have jist as good right to borrow money from this here -government of yourn and his as he has, if you give good security and -will pay it back, and God knows you would, as honest as you are. Jist to -think, Jobe, if you could have borrowed the money from the government to -have paid Congressman Richer for his farm fourteen years ago, when we -bought it, at only one per cent. interest, and only paid back to the -government, at the post-office, or some other place appointed, the same -as you have paid Congressman Richer in payments and interest, we to-day -would have our farm nearly paid for and be out of debt, and you wouldent -be a settin and studyin about the mortgage and interest and the fust of -Aprile. Or even if you could borrow the money to-day from the government -at two per cent., you could git the $2,100, pay it off, and next year -only have to raise $42 interest instead of $126. Dont you see it would -be easier for you to pay? And you could pay a little on the mortgage -every year, as hard as times are?” - -While I was a sayin all this Jobe was a lookin at me, a starin, turnin -on his seat, spittin in the fire, crossin fust one leg, then another, -waitin for me to stop. I seen he was teched; so, when I had done, I sot -back in my cheer, and begin to knit, and waited for what was a comin. He -begun slowly, but warmed up as he proceeded. Says he: - -“Betsy, I have lived with you for nigh onto thirty-five years; we have -allers lived in peace, though you was a Dimicrat and I was a Republican; -we have had our sorrows and our hardships, and now, arter all these -years of peace, am I to pass the last days of my life with a pardner who -is allers talkin like them blamed Populists? You know, Betsy Gaskins, -that I am a Republican and expect to die one. I believe that all the -laws made by the Republicans are just laws. If they made laws to lend -the banker money at one per cent. it must stand, and I will try to bear -my burden, though I have to pay six per cent. interest or more, if need -be, for the same money. Betsy, you must stop readin them papers. I never -look into one; they jist start a feller to thinkin, and the fust thing -he knows he dont believe a thing he has been a believin all his life. It -ruins a feller’s perlitical principles. If a feller is a Republican, he -should be one and never read anything to cause him to think. Them -Populists, Betsy, is jist made up of a lot of storekeepers and farmers, -and men who work in shops and mills and coal-banks and sich places. They -dont know anything about makin laws, or money or bizness. Our -law-makers, Betsy, should be lawyers and bankers and rich business men -and sich.” - -Well, I jist saw it was no use argyin with him, but I thought I would -have the last word, as I allers do, and says I: - -“Well, Jobe Gaskins, if you ignorant farmers haint fit to make the laws -to fix the taxes you pay; if you farmers haint fit to make the laws to -govern yourselves; if you farmers haint fit to transact the bizness in -which you should be most interested, I think you ort to begin to prepare -yourselves until you are fit, by readin what hasent been done for you -that ort to have been done, and what has been done agin you that hadent -ort to been done.” - -[Illustration: “‘Talkin like them blame Populists’.”] - -At that, bein ready, I skipped into the bed-room and in a twinkle was in -bed with the kivers drawed up over my head. If Jobe said any more I -heard it not. In a few minits I was asleep, where I must soon be agin. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - JOBE SLEEPS IN THE SPARE BED. THE DREAM. - - -THAT nite arter I had got into bed and kivered up my head, I went to -sleep and waked not until broad daylite. Imagine my surprise, when I -waked, to find that durin all that long nite I had been the sole okepant -of that bed. The piller on which Jobe, my dear husband, had slept for -over thirty-four years had not been teched that nite, and, for the fust -time in thirty-five years next corn-huskin, Betsy Gaskins had slept -alone. I felt skeert. I felt as though some awful calamity had or would -occur to me. - -With a heavy heart I ariz and put on my skirts, all the time feelin as -if I was about to choke. Everything was silent and still about the -house. Could it be possible that my dear Jobe had dide or been -kidnapped, or what? I hurried into the room—no Jobe there. I went into -the kitchen—no Jobe there. I hastened to the spare bed-room. The door -was closed. I stopped. I rubbed my hands together, studyin what to do, -all a trimblin. Certainly the dead and lifeless corpse of my dear -husband was in there cold in death, drivin to it of course by the cruel -words of his lovin wife. There I stood stock still, not knowin what to -do. I must have stood there some three or four minits until I came to -myself. All at onct I says, says I, out loud: “Betsy Gaskins, what are -you about? Haint you allers been looked upon as a woman of good -jedgement and feerless in the face of disaster?” At that I marched up to -the door and flung it open. - -[Illustration: “I waked not until broad daylite.”] - -Now what do you suppose I found? Jobe was not there, but that spare bed -had been okepied that very nite. Then it was that I realized that the -two old parties, as it were, had been divided—divided for one nite on -the money question. Yes, Jobe Gaskins and his wife Betsy, a Dimicrat and -Republican, had slept beneath the same roof and in seperate beds. - -While I stood there, contemplatin what next to do and where Jobe might -be, I heered him come onto the back porch. I met him with a smile as he -come into the kitchen. - -Says I: “Why, Jobe, where have you been?” - -“Feedin—feedin, of course,” says he; “where do you suppose Ive been?” -lookin at the floor and walkin apast me. - -Arter reflection thinks I, “’Tis best to say nothin to him about the -split in the two old parties until a future date.” So I jist went about -it and prepared the mornin meal, thinkin all the time of a dream I had -that nite, some time between bed-time and daylite, while I lay there all -alone, while the pardner of my life okepied the spare bed. - -[Illustration: “FEEDIN,—FEEDIN, OF COURSE,” SAYS HE.] - -Well, while Jobe was partakin of his mornin repast, I saw all the time -that he wanted to say something. I never said a word durin the whole -meal, neither did Jobe. We jist set and eat—eat in silence. - -[Illustration: “‘Do you promis?’ says I, girlish like.”] - -When Jobe was done he pushed back and tipped his cheer agin the wall. I -knode he was a goin to speak. He cleared his throat like, and says, says -he: - -“Betsy, I dont want you to say any more to me about what you read in the -newspapers. I am willin to listen to anything else under the sun, but -dont let me hear any more about them Populist ideas. I want to talk -sense to you, and you to talk sense to me. Now what I want to know, -Betsy, is, how are we to raise the money to pay the interest by the fust -of Aprile?” - -Says I: “Land a goodness, Jobe, how do I know? Goodness knows I am -willin to do all I kin to help you raise it. I had a dream last nite; if -that dream was true I might tell you how to raise it.” - -I stopped. - -“Well,” says he, arter studyin a minit, “what was your dream?” - -Lookin at him kind a girlish like, says I: - -“Jobe, I wont tell you what it was unless you make me two promises.” - -Jobe actually smiled. Says he: - -“Go ahead; what are your promises?” - -[Illustration: “I sot down, ... lookin him square in the face.”] - -“Well,” says I, smilin, “the fust promis is that you sleep in the same -bed I do to-nite.” - -At that I laffed out loud. Jobe he did, too. Then says I: - -“The second promis is that you will listen without commentin until I -tell it all.” - -Jobe he studied. - -“Do you promis?” says I, girlish like. - -“Yes, I promis,” says he; “go ahead.” - -“You promis to sleep in the same bed you have for these nigh onto -thirty-five years?” - -“Yes, yes,” says he, lookin half guilty. - -“And you will listen?” says I. - -“Yes, yes, Ile listen,” says he. - -So, arter clearin away the dishes and scrapin off the crumbs for the -chickens, and puttin some dish water to bile, I sot down on the other -side of the table from Jobe, lookin him square in the face. Says I: - -“Well, Jobe, we was talkin of the mortgage and the interest last nite -when I went to bed, and I suppose that had something to do with me havin -the dream, and for that reason I dont suppose there is anything in the -dream.” - -“Spose not,” says he, lookin oneasy like. - -[Illustration: Bill Bowers.] - -“Well, Jobe,” says I, “I dreamed that Congressman Richer had demanded -his money, and you had to raise the whole amount of the mortgage or lose -our home. I thought you and me went down to town and went to every bank -to try to borrow the money with which to pay the mortgage. I thought -every place we went we was told that they was not makin any loans now, -that there was a money panic and they had decided not to make any more -loans for some time. I thought we could see great piles of money inside -the wire fence that seperated us from the bankers, you know.” At this he -nodded. “And I thought you said, jist as plain as I ever heard you say -anything: - -“‘Why, haint you got plenty of money?’ - -“‘Yes, yes, we have plenty of money, but we are not loaning any at this -time,’[A] says each banker, jist as though they had all agreed to say -the same thing. - ------ - -Footnote A: - - In July and August, 1893, during one of the severest money panics ever - experienced in the United States, many of the banks not only refused - to lend money on choice security or to discount commercial paper, but - in many instances would not permit persons to draw out the money they - had deposited with them. Business was paralyzed. Thousands of persons - were ruined, losing the accumulations of a lifetime by being unable to - raise money as usual to meet obligations falling due. Factories were - closed for lack of funds to pay employes, and thousands of American - citizens were thrown out of employment. The consequent suffering among - the poorer classes throughout the nation was indescribable. And during - all this time the banks of the country held the money of the people - and refused to pay it out even to those to whom it belonged. Hence the - question: Can not a better system of financiering be devised than our - present banking system? Would it not be better to permit the people to - deposit their money with our county treasurers? - ------ - -“So I thought we traveled and traveled and coaxed and coaxed, and we -couldent git a cent, as it were. - -“Finally I thought we was agoin along the street, both feelin sad and -discouraged, when jist in front of Spring Bros. & Holsworth’s big dry -goods store who should we meet but Bill Bowers of Sandyville. - -“‘Hello, Gaskins,’ says he. - -“That was the fust we had seen of him. Our minds was so troubled. - -“We stopped, and arter inquirin about the folks, and the stock, and the -meetin that is goin on at Center Valley school-house, he asked: - -“‘What are you doin in town?’ - -“And I thought you up and told him about havin to pay the mortgage; and -of our havin been to every bank; and of our havin been told the same -tale by each banker, and then you said, ‘I guess, Bill, we will have to -lose our farm.’ - -“When he up and says, says he: - -“‘Why, Gaskins, haint you heerd it?’ - -“‘Heerd what?’ says you. - -“‘Why, haint you heerd of the new law?’ says he. ‘Why, Congress passed -the law yisterday. I was jist over to the court-house and they showed me -the telegram.’ - -“‘Why, what law do you mean, Bill?’ says you. - -“Then you and Bill sot down on a box and I leaned agin the house, and -says Bill: - -“‘Why, yisterday, Jobe, they passed a law in Congress authorizing the -Secretary of the Treasury to, at once, have engraved and printed full -legal-tender paper money to the amount of ten dollars per capita of the -population of the United States, and that money is to be set apart only -to be loaned to counties on county bonds, and the counties are to git it -at one per cent. interest. Then the county treasurers are to lend the -money only on first mortgage real estate security to the farmers and -business men and mechanics, at only two per cent. interest, and when the -man that borrows it pays it back, or any part of it, the amount of his -payments shall be credited on his mortgage, and as fast as it -accumulates in the county treasurer’s office he shall forward it to -Washington and git it credited on the county bond they hold. The one per -cent. the government gits is to pay for makin the money and keepin the -books at Washington. The other one per cent. that the borrowers pay is -to go toward payin the county treasurer’s salary and clerk hire. This -money, Jobe, is as good as gold, because the government agrees to take -it for postage stamps and internal revenue and duties on imports and -sich. All you have to do, Jobe, is to go over there to that grand old -court-house, give your mortgage to the people of the county, and git -your money; and after this you will only have to pay two per cent. -interest instead of six or seven, and you kin save your farm.’ - -“Well, Jobe, I thought you and me and Bill Bowers all went over there, -and sure enough, what Bill told us was true. The county treasurer told -us that he would put our application on file, and as soon as they could -git the money out and here, possibly in thirty days, we could come in -and git ninety per cent. of the value of our farm if we needed that -much. - -“And while we was standin there a talkin to Treasurer Hochstetter, I -heard George Welty explainin to Ed. Walters ‘how nice it was for a -person to be able to give a mortgage to the people of the county for -money to pay for a home, and then the county goin that person’s security -and gittin the money from all the people of the United States,’ and -explainin that there would always be jist enough money to do bizness on -and no more, since the county would only borrow from the government when -some citizen of the county had use for the money and was willin to give -good security and pay two per cent. for it. And, Jobe, I thought you -looked happier than you have for ten years.” - -“Well, Bet——” - -“Hold on, Jobe,” says I. “Well, I thought you and me and Bill Bowers -started up street, and when we were passin Jones’s bank he called us in. - -“Says he: ‘Mr. Gaskins, I guess we can accommodate you with that little -matter you was speakin about this morn——” - -“‘I dont want it now,’ says you. - -“‘No,’ says I. - -“‘Ide think not,’ says Bill Bowers. - -“‘Well, but hold—hold on,’ says Jones. ‘I—I—we—we will let you have that -amount at four per cent.’ - -“‘Oh, no,’ says you. - -“‘Well, how will three strike you?’ says Jones. - -“‘I dont want it at all,’ says you. - -“‘Come on,’ says I, and we went on up street. When we passed the First -National Bank, out comes one of the clerks a hollerin, ‘Mr. Gaskins! Mr. -Gaskins!’ We stopped. He came a runnin up and says: ‘Come in now and our -people will accommodate you,’ takin hold of your arm and startin back -with you. I thought I jist took a hold of your other arm and says, says -I: ‘Jobe Gaskins, where yer goin? We dont want any bank money in sich a -panic as this. So come on and lets git out of this panic.’ - -“Well, every last bank we had been to that mornin was a peckin, and a -hollerin, and a beckenin to us that evenin, until we like to a never got -out of town and away from them. They jist seemed bound to lend you that -money whether you wanted it or not. Something had created a panic among -them—a panic to git to lend you money. Maybe they had heard of the new -law. I dont know.” - -Durin most of the tellin of my dream Jobe he was leanin his face in his -hands, his elbows on the table, eyes wide open, listenin as he never did -before. - -When I finished, says he: - -“Betsy, that will save us. What a grand country this is!” And he got up -and walked across the floor. Comin back and lookin, anxious like, at me, -says he: “Betsy, which party did Bill say passed that law—the Dimicrats -or the Republicans? It is grand! grand! It will save us.” As he spoke he -looked full of joy and happiness. Answerin, says I: - -“I think I heard John Denison say it was the Popul——” - -I never got to finish that word. His fist came down on the table like a -thousand of bricks. He jumped back into the middle of the floor, cracked -his fists together, stamped his foot, and says in a loud voice: “I wont! -I wont! I wont do it. It can go fust. Bill Bowers is a dum fool. I wont! -I wont!” - -Says I: “Why, Jobe, what on airth is the matter? What ails you? What yer -talkin about anyhow? You wont do what?” - -Answerin, says he, bringin his fists together agin: - -“I wont borrow any money from any scheme them tarnal Populists has made -into a law. Ile—Ile pay ten per cent. interest fust. Ile not lend my -approval to any law they have made.” - -“Why, sakes alive, Jobe,” says I, “they haint made any law. That was -jist a dream I had. What ails you, anyhow?” - -At that he stepped back a step or two, lookin at me vicious like. Movin -his head up and down in short jerks, says he: - -“Betsy, you must stop it. Stop it at once. Its got you crazy—so crazy -you are dreamin about it. You must stop that readin or Ile have you sent -to a lunatic asylum.” - -He went out at the door then, but just as he got out, in time for him to -hear it, I hollered: - -“Its you and your likes that ort to be sent to a lunatic asylum for not -seein a thing that you have to turn your back on to keep from seein.” - -This ended the second “discussion of the financial situation,” as they -say down at Washington. The two old parties—Jobe and me—are still -divided; but I have one promis he has yet to fulfill. - -[Illustration] - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - “THE COMERS.” - - -BILL BOWERS has got me into trouble. The Thursday arter I had my dream -about the money bizness, who should ride up to our gate and hitch but -Bill Bowers? I had not seen him for nigh onto two years, except in that -dream, until he rid up to that gate post. - -No sooner did I lay eyes on him than I thought of our meetin him that -day in town, right there by Spring Brothers’ big store, and of his -tellin us of the money plan, and of his goin with us to the county -treasurer, and of us a learnin from the county treasurer that in a few -days he would become the people’s banker and would lend money to the -people on good security. While he was gittin off and hitchin, I -remembered of his walkin with us up apast all the banks; I remembered of -them refusin to lend us any money in the mornin; of them a peckin and a -beckenin, a hollerin and a runnin arter us, wantin to lend us their -money, in the evenin, arter we, and they too, had heerd of the new law -Congress had made the day before—a law that turned a panic where we had -to beg for money, and not git it, to a panic where they begged to lend -us money and we wouldent borrow it. - -Yes, sir, that there dream all come back to me as plain as day, Bill -Bowers and all, jist as soon as I laid eyes on him. - -So it was no more than nateral for me to tell him about it. Jobe not -bein at home, I had to do the entertainin. As soon as he got in and got -settled, I says: - -[Illustration: - - “‘Ide vote the Dimicrat ticket at the - very next township election.’” -] - -“Bill Bowers, I am glad to see you. I must tell you my dream. Bring your -cheer up to the fire.” - -Then I jist up and told him that whole dream, and he swollered every -word of it without chawin, as it were. - -When I had finished he says, says he: - -“Betsy Gaskins, if that ere dream was only enacted into a law, what a -blessin it would be to the creatures of this world! Betsy, though I am -one of the stanchest Republicans in Sandyville, if this here Dimicratic -Congress would make sich a law, Ide vote the Dimicrat ticket at the very -next township election. Betsy, how in the world did you come to dream -sich a dream?” - -Now, how do I know how I come to dream any particular dream? I went to -bed and went to sleep, jist as I had done for nigh onto thirty-five -years, exceptin, of course, Jobe slept in the spare bed and me alone. -But would I tell Bill Bowers of that split in the two old parties, as it -were, and have him tell all over creation that Jobe Gaskins and his wife -Betsy had quit sleepin together? No. Ide die fust. So I jist says: - -“Well, Bill, indeed I dont know how I come to dream it.” - -And I dont. - -Well, my tellin of Bill Bowers that ere dream is causin me no ends of -trouble. Ime jist worried and hounded about by this and that one, to -have me tell em about that dream, until I hardly git time to breathe. - -Bill Bowers he jist went, and from the time he left our house until now -he has been a tellin of my dream to every one he meets. And it seems he -is a keepin a tellin it, the way people has been flockin here and keep a -flockin. Jake Cribbs, and Joe Born, and Curt Hill, and Bill Loyd, and -Jim Rankin and Mag his wife, and the Minnings, and the Bateses, and the -Hances, and goodness only knows who all has been here to know more about -my dream! And how I come to have it; and what Ime a goin to do about it; -and why I dont git it published; and why I dont send it to Congress; and -why I dont do this and do that! - -And some of em say they have it goin that the law is made—that Bill -Bowers told Tom Osborne, and Tom Osborne told Doc Hendershot, and Doc -Hendershot told Lucy Joss, and Lucy Joss told somebody else, that Betsy -Gaskins said there was sich a law passed, and they come from fur and -near to know what paper I read it in? or how I heerd it? or if Ime -certain I had it? &c. &c., and a thousand and one other things, until -Ime sick and tired of it. - -Last night they even waked me up at the dead hour of midnite—Ellic Shank -and Lew Zimmerman and Dan Hochstetter did—to hear me tell em more about -it. And Jobe he’s nearly destracted. The poor man is jist run as hard as -I be, though he had nothin to do with dreamin of that dream, onless his -not a sleepin with me that nite caused it. - -[Illustration: “THEY WAKED ME UP AT THE DEAD HOUR OF MIDNITE.”] - -What to do to git rid of all this questionin and answerin, this comin -and a goin, I dont know. If they would go to readin, and thinkin, and a -reasonin with themselves, they might have some dreams of their own—yes, -have dreams with their eyes open. If these very people, men and women, -who are worryin the life out of me, would go to readin of papers whose -mouths haint shut by the public printin they git or hope to git; if they -would go to readin papers that haint got some polertician’s hand around -their throat—I say if these very people would read papers whose editures -haint afraid to speak the truth when they see it; haint afraid to condem -the wrong wherever they find it—I say, if they would read sich papers -and sich books, they would dream dreams they never dreamed of dreamin -before. I think they would begin to see that the Dimicrat pays the same -rate of tax as the Republican pays, and vicey versy. - -They would see that, no matter what is the polerticks of the -office-holder, the voter has to pay the taxes out of which the feller -draws a salary. - -They would see that by reducin or increasin salaries their taxes are -made high or low, as the case may be. - -When they begin to see these things, I think they will begin to see that -so far as they are concerned it dont make any difference to them which -ticket they vote; that the feller most interested in their vote is the -canderdate feller who is wantin to draw the salary. - -Does a feller have to go to sleep to dream that holdin office is the -best payin bizness in the country? - -Does a feller have to go to sleep to dream that the salaries of all -officeholders are too high, and that the foreigner dont pay the taxes -out of which these salaries are paid? - -Does a feller have to go to sleep to dream that all public expense ort -to be cut down and kept cut down? - -These are some of the dreams that the dreamless people would dream if -they would go to readin of papers and books that Jobe and his likes -would have me sent to the lunatic asylum for readin. (Here is another -comer. I must quit.) - - - - - CHAPTER V. - JOBE MUST RAISE $2,100. - - -MY heart is heavy. Poor Jobe is nearly destracted. Our home is in -jeopardy. Congressman Richer must have his money. He must have it by -Aprile fust. Poor feller, he too is in bad straits; his gittin defeated -last fall upset his calkerlations. - -And jist to think, Jobe voted agin him; helped to defeat him, as it -were. But Mistur Richer holds no spite agin Jobe for that. He was a -Dimicrat, and he knew Jobe was a strait Republican. - -Such things will happen to any feller runnin for office; somebody has to -be defeated. They all cant hold office. I wish he had been elected agin, -and so does Jobe. Jobe wishes it, though he is a Republican and voted -agin him. - -Poor Mistur Richer, he is in desperate strates. He is hard up. If he had -been elected agin he wouldent a been that way. - -It makes my head swim to think about what his disappointments are and -may be. - -Here is his letter to Jobe. It is so kind and nice. And jist to think of -what a big man it is from, and the place. Jobe likes to read the headin: - - HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, - WASHINGTON, D. C., Feb. 23, 1895. - -J. GASKINS, ESQ.: - -_Dear Sir and Friend_—Owing to circumstances over which I _now_ have no -control, I am compelled to call on you to pay the $2,100 with interest -due me on mortgage, not later than April 1st of the current year. - -No doubt, Mr. Gaskins, this will take you unawares, and most probably -unprepared. Were it not for the political reverses with which I met last -fall, I would not be compelled to do what, I assure you, is a very -unpleasant thing to me, _i. e._, call on you for this money at this -time. - -No doubt you will think that on the $5,000 a year salary I have drawn -for two years, now nearly past, and the other sources of revenue that -have become the perquisites belonging to a Congressman’s office, I ought -to be able to get along without, in this way, inconveniencing you. - -Had I been re-elected last fall I would have been in such circumstances. -But when I call your attention to the fact that the nomination two years -ago cost me $2,500 spot cash; that I have only been able to dispose of a -very few post-offices at anything like paying prices; that, it being my -first term, my services were not sought to any paying extent by those -seeking “profitable” legislation, as well as the high rents and expenses -in maintaining the dignity of myself and family, I am satisfied you will -realize not only my great disappointment, but the loss, financially, I -suffer as a consequence of my late defeat. - -True, I have bought something like $20,000 worth of real estate in this -city, but I still owe nearly $5,000 on it. I bought it expecting to be -re-elected; so you will see the necessity of my calling in the money I -now have outstanding in order to meet the deferred payments on my real -estate venture. - -I may be able to dispose of one and possibly two more post-offices -between now and March 4th, but as they are small offices it is not -likely that I will get more than $300 to $500 each for them, and as the -friends of my successor are using every effort to postpone these -appointments until after March 4th, you can see that I may even lose the -profit on these appointments, since, as you are aware, all such revenue -goes to my successor after that date. - -The fact is, friend Gaskins, I have not been able to clear over $15,000 -in the two years I have served as your Congressman, while some of the -older members (those better known and more sought for by the liberal -rich who come here to secure legislation favorable to their interests) -make as high as a million a year. - -With kind regards to Betsy, and hoping you will not put me to the -necessity of foreclosing the mortgage I hold against you, I am - - Yours truly, - D. M. J. RICHER, M. C. - -[Illustration: “That very sheet of paper.”] - -Now, jist to think, that letter, that very sheet of paper, come right -from the great capital of these here United States; right from where all -the great and leadin men of the country sit and make laws, and sell -post-offices and sich—yes, this very sheet of paper has been writ on, -handled and folded by a live and livin Congressman. The beautiful red -tongue of a real Congressman licked that invelope, and his fingers -sealed it up and put it in that great marble post-office there; then it -traveled across them high mountains, over the big rivers and through the -great cities to Jobe Gaskins, a common, everyday farmer, of Tuskaroras -County, Ohio. - -[Illustration: Congressman Richer.] - -Yes, that letter was writ by fingers that have fingered $5,000 salary -money in only twelve months, and the Lord only knows how much -post-office money—but lots—as it must a been, though they dident sell -high enough to suit him. - -Five thousand dollars from Noo Years to Noo Years! More than Jobe -Gaskins has cleared since he become the lawful husband of his dear wife -Betsy! - -And jist to think, all them $5,000 paid by taxes. Paid by Jobe and his -likes. - -Poor Mr. Richer, how he must pant and sweat to airn that much money in -twelve months—as much as Jobe could airn in twenty years if he could -airn $250 every year. Jist to think how Jobe works and sweats, and walks -stiff and plans and studies, and don’t airn $250 a year. - -I expect there wasent a dry thread in all of Mr. Richer’s clothes. - -I expect that even his pants was wet through every day of that whole -year. - -What big washins poor Mrs. Richer must a had. - -Jobe he jist couldent stand sich sweatin, day in and day out. - -It would take a whole barrel of soft soap to keep his clothes clean. - -Five thousand dollars! - -Five thousand dollars a year!! - -Four hundred and sixteen dollars a month!!! - -Seventeen dollars a day for every workin day in the year! - -Seventeen dollars! - -Enough to buy me twenty-four caliker dresses a day! - -[Illustration: “Jobe works and sweats.”] - -One every hour!! - -Seven thousand four hundred and eighty-eight caliker dresses in a -year!!! - -How in the world could I git them all made? - -I spect poor Mrs. Richer has to so day and nite. - -And jist to think, all of them 7,488 dresses for one man’s wife! - -All paid for by taxes. - -Now I wonder, if them Congressmen dident have to work so hard, and could -get along on less pay—I wonder if the tax-payer’s wife wouldent have a -dress or two more, even if Mrs. Richer and her likes had to get along on -a dress or two less? The Lord knows she could spare them out of all them -7,488 dresses. - -Well, the idea okepyin my mind most now is: “Where can Jobe git the -money to pay all that $2,100, when he haint got even one post-office to -sell?” - -[Illustration] - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - BETTY, THE DRIVIN ANIMAL. - - -EVER since we got that letter from Congressman Richer, demandin his -$2,100 by the fust of Aprile, Jobe has been scourin the country fur and -near tryin to borrow the money, and, poor man, he is worse destracted -than ever. Things haint like they use to be. Nobody seems to have any -money to lend. He finds lots of people a huntin money, but nobody a -findin any. He has been to Sandyville, and Mineral Pint, and Zoar, and -way up in Stark County as fur as New Berlin, and nary the man has he -found with $2,100 to lend on good security. - -What to do Jobe dont know, nor neither do I. - -Jobe says he will write to Mr. Richer and git him to wait a little -longer, until times pick up a little. - -“But,” says I, “Jobe, when will times pick up?” - -And the poor man, lookin at me sadder than he has since he become my -dear husband, says, says he: - -“Betsy, the Lord only knows—I dont.” - -And I think Jobe is right. - -Well, we—that is Jobe and me, the two old parties—have decided that the -interest will have to be paid whether the $2,100 is or not. So Jobe has -been a rakin and a scrapin to raise what he could, and I have been a -rakin and a scrapin to raise what I could. - -We sold Betty the other day, the only drivin animal we had; sold her for -only $42. - -As the stranger went a leadin her away Jobe and me both sot down and -cried. We both loved Betty. We had raised her from a colt. She was a -purty colt, and so lovin like, Jobe he named her for me. We had intended -to always keep her, and since our little Jane was taken from us we jist -loved Betty as if she was a child. And, poor Betty, I know she loved us. -When the stranger started to lead her away she jist looked back at Jobe -and me, so pleadin like, as much as to say: “Dont let him take me away -from you!” - -[Illustration: “Jobe and me both sot down and cried.”] - -When I seen that look my heart come up in my throat, and I jist couldent -hold in any longer. I busted out a cryin, and so did poor Jobe. We both -sot there and cried and looked at our poor Betty as fur as we could see -her, and she kept a lookin back at us, nickerin—tryin to speak the best -she could. - -Ever since she has been gone my heart keeps a comin up in my throat, and -tears keeps comin in my eyes every time I think of her. I know it is -foolish and no use, but I cant help it. - -I know the interest has to be paid if it takes everything we have, but I -cant help cryin when I think poor Betty is gone from us forever—yes, -gone for interest. - -Well, with the $42 for Betty and twenty-six bushels of wheat and -twenty-eight bushels of corn and $14 worth of sheep, and the only brood -sow we had, and 96 cents’ worth of old iron, Jobe has been able to raise -$92.34, arter payin Banker Jones the discount for cashin the notes he -took for the sheep and the sow, and Jobe says he cant think of another -thing to sell. I jist up and says, says I: - -“Jobe, its awful. Poor Betty gone for interest; our wheat gone; nearly -all our corn; our sheep gone; our brood sow; and what will we have to -show for it when the interest is paid? Nothin. We will owe jist as much -on the mortgage as before. But Jobe, dear,” says I, “I will help you all -I can to raise the balance. I will spare you a dozen hens, though layin -time is just here. And there is my carpet rags, that I wanted to git -made into a new carpet for the spare room; we might sell them for -something. And I have them two new quilts I made last fall a year. I can -spare them by patchin up the old ones to last a year or so longer. I -see, too, Jobe, that feathers are a good price, considerin the times; we -could sell all the feathers we have in our pillers, if you think you -could sleep on straw pillers awhile, until times git better. If you say -so, Jobe, Ile gether all these things up and we will take them to town -and sell them for what we can git. The Lord knows, Jobe, I am willin to -do all I can to help you raise the interest money.” - -As I looked at him I saw big tears rollin down his wrinkled cheek. - -Whether he was thinkin of poor Betty, or me a sellin the pillers, or -what, I dont know. He said nothin, but turned aside and walked out -toward the barn. I saw him usin his hankercher as he went. - -Now, though I be crazy on what I read in them noosepapers, though I be -so crazy that I dream about it, I would like to ask you if my dream -about the new money plan, and the county treasurer, and borrowing money -at two per cent., though that dream, Bill Bowers and all, come from the -mind of a crazy woman, sleepin alone—I say, wouldent it be a godsend to -Jobe and his likes if he could go to the county treasurer this spring -and if, by givin the same kind of a mortgage he gave Congressman Richer, -he could git the money to pay Mr. Richer off at only two per cent.? Next -year our interest would only be a little over $40. - -And, oh, how that lump comes up in my throat when I think that if we had -had sich a law this Aprile we need not have sold poor Betty. - -Would it not be better to have a State law authorizin our county -treasurer to receive deposits, and loan money at a low interest, even if -we had to take tax off from money to do it, than to have people sellin -the things they love, doin without the things they ort to have, and -losin their homes? Who would sich a law hurt? Congressman Richer and his -likes would git their money if they wanted it, and Jobe and his likes -would be able to pay two per cent. interest and some on the mortgage -every year. And jist to think, if interest was less, the difference in -interest alone would pay off all the mortgages in this county in a few -years. - -Then people would live in homes of their own, in homes with no mortgages -on them. - -Everybody would be out of debt and happy. But Ime talkin crazy agin and -will have to stop until Jobe and me gits back from town. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - THEY DRIVE OLD TOM. - - -JOBE and me have been to town and we are back alive, thank goodness. -There is no place like home—if it _is_ mortgaged. - -Last Tuesday mornin, bright and airly, Jobe and me got up and got ready -to go to town to raise some more interest money. - -I wore that blue cambric dress that Simon Kinsey’s wife got me for -helpin her make apple butter last fall three years ago, and the lace cap -mother knit and gave me the year John Sherman fust begin to borrow -greenback money on bonds and burn it up, and that black straw hat Mrs. -Vest Hummel traded me for that half dozen of dominic hens the spring she -was married. - -While I was a standin before the lookin glass gittin ready Jobe come in, -as men allers do, and says, says he: - -“Betsy, are you ever goin to git ready?” - -Then he begin to comment on my clothes. Says he: - -“I hope you haint a goin to wear that cap? Why, its out of fashion ten -years ago. Haint you got a dress with bigger sleeves in? Why dont you -borrow a hat more becomin you?” - -I stood it as long as I could, then I jist up and says, says I: - -“Jobe Gaskins, my mother wore a cap, and she made this one with her own -fingers, and, fashion or no fashion, I expect to wear it when and where -I please. If my dress sleeves haint big enough to suit you, you quit -votin the ticket that is causin us farmers to spend five dollars for -interest and taxes to one for women’s clothes. If my hat is out of date, -sir, you begin to inquire why I haint able to buy a new one, and see if -you cant have sense enough to vote for a better system of laws, instid -of votin for a lot of office-seekin canderdates who belong to your party -for the salary they are a gittin or expect to git. Yes, see if you cant -have sense enough to vote for a party that will make laws for the farmer -as well as for the banker.” - -[Illustration: “Started for town bright and airly.”] - -You ort a seen him tuck tail and sneak. - -The idea of a man, with the sense Jobe Gaskins has, wantin his wife to -put on airs, when he knows it takes all she can rake and scrape to help -pay interest and taxes to the leadin citizens so they and their wives -can put em on! - -Well, we loaded in our truck—that is, our chickens and our quilts and -our feathers and sich, and started for town bright and airly. - -We hitched old Tom, the only boss we have since we sold Betty, to the -spring wagon. - -Tom haint purty, and, bein stringhalted in his right hind leg and lame -in his left fore foot, I couldent help thinkin of poor Betty as we -proceeded toward town. Betty would trot along as though she enjoyed -takin us. Tom he limped and jerked along as though he would like -anything else. - -We finally got there, and from the time we struck the superbs of the -town till we hitched in front of Urfer’s store people were a snickerin, -and a titterin, and a pintin at us. - -Women would come to the winders and scream out a kind of a holler laf, -and then two or three more would come, and they would laf and titter and -holler until I was ashamed of them. - -When we got up to the court-house square a lot of young upstarts, -eighteen or nineteen years old, were standin on the corner by Miller’s -drug-store, smokin paper segars, and they begin to holler at us and poor -old crippled Tom, all sich nonsense as “Git on to that horse,” “See his -gait,” “Where’d yer git that hat?” “Have you got any hay to sell?” “See -her style!” “Oh, haint she a lolly?” etcetery. - -I dont know who they were, but they were young men and big enough to -have more sense and better manners; but I guess maybe their raisin was -neglected and they couldent help it. They dident look like coal miners, -or mill hands, or farmers, and I know they wasent sich. They all were -well dressed and wore pinted yaller shoes. They couldent a been the sons -of the leadin citizens, because one would think they would teach their -offspring better sense. Maybe they were orphans, born without parents. I -dont know. - -Well, arter we got through the storm of insult and abuse that we had to -suffer because we had to sell our drivin animal to git interest money, -we begin to try to sell our stuff. Most of the stores was willin to -trade goods for what we had, but none of em wanted to spare any money. -We went from one store to another, Jobe a tellin them that he had to -have money to meet interest, and that we were sellin our quilts and -pillers to git it. Fust one and then another would buy somethin, jist to -accommodate us, until we finally got our stuff all disposed of. We got -$14.45 in cash, which, added to what Jobe had, made $106.79, lackin -$19.21 of enough to pay Congressman Richer the $126 interest. - -We was in Mathias & Dick’s store when we sold the last of our stuff, and -steppin aside Jobe and me counted up how much we had and how much we -lacked. - -“Well, Betsy,” says Jobe, “where will we git the balance?” - -I studied a minit. Then it come to me all at once. - -“Why, Jobe,” says I, “lets go and accept that canderdate feller’s -invitation to ‘come and see him arter he’s elected;’ he’s elected, and -you voted fur him and fed him and his hoss when he was runnin. He will -lend you the $19.21 you lack.” - -“Maybe he will,” says Jobe; “lets go and see.” - -And at that we started fur the court-house. - -Jist as we got across the street onto them big stone flaggin in front of -the court-house, we met that Republican feller with black mustache and -curly like hair who is hankerin arter the county clerk’s office. Says -he: - -“Why, hello, Gaskins, howdy do?” all smilin and nearly shakin the arm -off Jobe. “Well, Gaskins, weve got em out,” says he, “got em out! Every -office in that grand old buildin is now okepied by one of our own -fellers. I tell you, Gaskins, its a day we may well feel proud of,” -hittin Jobe a lick on the shoulder. - -“Well,” says Jobe, “I cant see as it makes much difference to me. Taxes -are jist as high and interest money as hard to raise as it was when the -Dimicrats were in. I cant see where us tax-payers has anything to be -proud of; we dont git any of the salaries.” - -[Illustration: - - “Jobe and me counted up how much - we had.” -] - -“Why, Gaskins, what do you mean?” says he. “Dont you feel proud that the -people of our own party, the Republicans, has at last routed the Demmies -from the county offices?” - -“No, I cant say as I do,” says Jobe; “fact is, I cant see much -difference to me between a good Dimicrat and a good Republican or -between a bad Dimicrat and a bad Republican, so long as both are willin -to let bad laws remain and good ones go unmade, provided they git to -draw a salary. Where is the difference?” says Jobe, with force. - -“Gaskins!” says he, steppin back and lookin at Jobe from head to foot. -“Gaskins, is it possible you are succumbin to pettycoat argament?” -(lookin sideways at me). - -I was teched. - -I jist up and says, says I: - -“Mister Canderdate, it would be a Lord’s blessin if him and more of his -likes would listen to pettycoat argament instid of the argament of you -office-seekin canderdates.” Says I: “Come on, Jobe,” takin hold of his -arm and startin. - -I looked back when I got a piece away, and I seed the feller had met Doc -Tinker and was pintin at my clothes and smilin. I thought I heard Doc -say: - -“Yes, them are the marks of prosperity the administrations of the past -thirty years have scattered over the country.” - -That is what I thought he said. The feller went on across the street. I -dident see him smile or pint any more. - -Well, we went on to accept the invitation to see the feller okepy a -county office. - -We clumb up them high steps, went through them big doors, past several -fine rooms, till we come to the sign of that office to which he was -elected. - -The door was shet. - -Jobe knocked, and some one inside hollered, “Come in.” - -They hadent manners enough to git up and open the door for us. - -In we went. It was a nice place, nicer than my spare room, and so warm -and pleasant. If I could git to live there day in and day out, without -payin interest money or rent, Ide do all their writin for a good deal -less than what I hear they git. It is so nice. - -Well, when we got in we found two men and two women settin over next to -the winder, a eatin oranges and laffin. Nobody was doin nothin. - -I spect the county officer got up airly so as to do his work before his -visitors would come. - -They all was a talkin and a laffin and a shootin orange seeds at each -other, and enjoyin theirselves high. - -They stopt when we went in, and the feller what eat our dinner and hoss -feed come up to the fence and asked what he could do for us, lookin -round at the women. - -The women they would look at me, then at one another, then whisper, then -look out of the winder and laf. - -Jobe, answerin the feller, says, says he: - -“I want to borry $19.21 till arter oats harvest.” - -Says the feller: - -“Why, my dear man, I dont _know_ you,” lookin round towards the women. - -They smiled. - -“Dont know me?” says Jobe. “Why, Ime Jobe Gaskins, the most prominent -and influential Republican in our township. Jist afore election last -fall you was at my house, when you was runnin. I voted for you.” - -The feller studied a minit. - -“That may all be, Mr. Gaskins,” says he, “but I saw so many people durin -my campaign, and so many voted for me that if I was to lend each of them -$19.21 I would have nothing left for myself. I can not accommodate you. -You see I have company” (pintin to the women), “so you will have to -excuse me” (turnin to leave us). - -I jist up and says, says I: - -“Hold on, Mister Officer! Dont be in a hurry. We are here by your -invitation. We paid you for the privilege of visitin you—paid you, sir, -in hoss feed and grub, besides payin by taxes to come here any time we -see fit. We have come to stay all day; to visit with you. I have brought -my knittin and am in no hurry. You ort a be decent enough to ask us over -the fence and give us cheers to sit down on.” - -You ort a seen them women. They looked distrest. - -The officer looked tired. - -The women begun to tuck their skirts close agin their legs. I suppose -they wanted to keep my cambric dress from rubbin em. - -But land a goodness! jist to torment em I said I was goin to stay. I -knode they would have no more fun that arternoon if I stayed there. I -knode I wouldent be welcome, and if Ide a had to stayed there Ide a -wanted them women gone. - -When that feller said he wouldent I knode it was no use of askin any -more. What does he care for the hardships of old Jobe Gaskins and his -wife Betsy? - -So I jist up and says, says I: - -“Dont worry, Jobe. Weve got along without any commodation from him; we -can git along agin. Arter this when a office-seekin canderdate comes to -our house and talks about your bein the ‘most intelligent, influential -and prominent Republican in our township,’ and is ‘astonished that you -ever read sich nonsense as Populist noosepapers, much less indorse -them;’ that talks about the Dimicrats all bein rascals and the Populists -all cranks; that feeds you on three-for-five segars and tells you they -are regular five-centers, you have sense enough to charge him 25 cents -for dinner and 15 cents for hoss feed. - -“When votin day comes recollect that ‘self-preservation is the fust law -of natur;’ that the officeholder draws the salary and you pay the taxes; -that votin can bring you to distress or prosperity. - -“Come on,” says I, and we left. - -None of them was laffin. They seemed to be thinkin. - -Jobe he was jist so disappinted at not gittin the money, and his -perlitical loyalty was so shockt at the feller furgittin him, that he -wouldent try to borry the interest money any more that day. - -We jist got in our wagon and went up that alley by Urfer’s store till we -got out of town. Nobody seen us. - -Jobe is diggin a well for Bill Gerber, gittin 50 cents a day. - -If they dont strike water too soon, and if it dont take too long, and if -the fust of Aprile dont come too airly, we may be able to raise the -balance of the interest money in time to keep from being foreclosed. - -No letter from Congressman Richer yit. - -I wish interest was two per cent., dream or no dream. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - ANOTHER LETTER FROM RICHER. - - -JOBE went to the election Monday and voted her strait. That nite I put -another patch on his pants. Ive been a doin his patchin just arter -election every year since 1873. - -Jobe dont mind patches so long as the Republicans are in, but there is -no end to his kickin if the Dimicrats are in. - -I cant see what difference it makes; the patchin has to be done, and -more of it, every year. - -Tuesday Jobe went to town to pay his interest and hear how the election -went. He had borrowed what he lacked of Bill Gerber and will work it out -at diggin that well. - -When he got to town he went strait to Jones’s bank and paid the $126 -interest, then went to the post-office and got this letter: - - OFFICE OF - BERIAR WILKINSON, - GENERAL SPECULATOR AND POLITICAL WIRE-PULLER. - -D. M. J. RICHER, Attorney. - - WASHINGTON, D. C., Mar. 29, 1895. - -J. GASKINS, ESQ.: - -_Dear Sir_—Your letter to hand. I must have the money. I have instructed -my attorney to begin foreclosure proceedings at once, unless the $2,100 -is paid by April 10th, 1895. - - Yours truly. - D. M. J. RICHER. - - took Jobe’s breath. He forgot to ask who was elected. He hurried from -the post-office to the bank, to git his interest money back, hopin he -could save that much. - -[Illustration: “That night I put another patch on his pants.”] - -When he got into the bank and explained to Mr. Jones that he had got -that letter and that he wanted his interest money back, Banker Jones -kind a smiled and said: “You should have gone to the post-office first, -Mr. Gaskins. I cannot give you the money back _now_. That would not be -bizness, Mr. Gaskins. It would not be bizness.” - -Jobe he explained to him that the reason he did not go to the -post-office fust was because he was anxious to git the interest paid, -and that was the fust thing on his mind. - -“Cant help it,” says the banker. - -Jobe he begged and plead for the money. Told him of our sellin Betty, -and our wheat, and corn, and sheep, and hog, and quilts, and feathers, -and chickens, and of his borrowin part of it from Bill Gerber—told him -how he had tried to borrow the money to pay it all and couldent find any -one that had it to loan; he showed him how, if we were foreclosed, we -would have nothin left at all. - -Banker Jones told him it was too bad, but it couldent be helped; he -couldent give Jobe any of the interest money back. - -“Bizness is bizness,” says Banker Jones, “and I have to do bizness -accordin to bizness rules.” - -Jobe asked him to be merciful, and told him the Lord would bless him if -he would show mercy to them a needin mercy. - -[Illustration: “He explained to Mr. Jones.”] - -But Banker Jones said he was purty comfortable as it was, and when he -needed any favors from the Lord he ginerally paid “spot cash” for em; in -fact he had several blessins paid for in advance. - -Then he told Jobe if he had any other bizness to attend to he had better -go and attend to it, as he was bizzy. - -Poor Jobe! He jist got out and come home. He says he dont recollect how -he got home, he felt so dazed and queer. He has been droopin around all -day. He looks distrest; and, poor man, I know he is. The Lord only knows -what will become of us—I dont. - -My heart has been a raisin up in my throat all day. - -Every time I see anybody a comin up the road I feel faint like and -skeert. I think its the sheriff a comin to notify us that we are -foreclosed. - -If Jobe had only heerd how the election went he might feel better. I -wish the Republicans got in. I wish it, though Ime a Dimicrat. I wish it -for Jobe’s sake. It might help him bear his trouble better. - -Jist to think, if we had only $2,100 of all them $683,000,000 of -greenbacks that John Sherman burned up when he was in office—yes, and -put Jobe and his likes in bonds to git them to burn—I say if we had only -$2,100 of all them millions, we could pay off our mortgage and Jobe -would be happy. - -If Sherman had burned less of that money, I wonder if Jobe and his likes -wouldent have more? - -Do the people in the poor-house have interest, and mortgages, and -foreclosures, and taxes and sich to worry them? - -I have to quit. My heart is heavy. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - A FEW REASONS BY BETSY. - - -THE Republicans swept the platter. They elected every officer from -township clerk down, and the sheriff has sent Jobe a notice to appear -before the Common Pleas Court and show cause why he should not be -foreclosed. - -Jobe feels good over the election, but bad over the notice. - -Now I think there are a good many reasons why we shouldent be -foreclosed, and more reasons why we hadent ort to be. Its not our fault -that we have to be. - -First. We shouldent be because Jobe has voted the strait Republican -ticket, rain or shine, for nigh onto thirty-five years. In this he has -done his dooty—as he seen it. - -Second. We have paid our taxes every year without ceasin, not even -complainin when the law-makers drawed two years’ pay for one year’s -work, nor when new officers were added and old ones given more wages. In -this we done more than our dooty. - -Third. We have given all we raised to Congressman Richer for interest, -not even keepin enough out to take a trip to Urope or to buy me a new -spring bonnet. In this we done all our health and opportunity enabled us -to do. - -Fourth. We have indorsed everything the polerticians and office-seekers -done or said durin our united lives, even havin to change our minds as -often as twice a year to do so. In this we have been foolish. - -Fifth. When John Sherman was a burnin up that $623,428,000 of greenback -money and givin the rich men of New York and Urope mortgages on our -property to git the money to burn, I agreed it was fine sport, jist to -please Jobe, and when Jobe said the national debt John was makin was a -national blessin, I nodded my head to it, though I was a Dimicrat. I -nodded to keep peace in the family. - -I am now payin for them nods, payin for them in fifty-cent wheat and -high interest. - -Sixth. We have taken good care of the farm, and have jist as many acres -as when we bought it from Mr. Richer and give him a mortgage for the -balance due. We have paid him $1,700 of the purchase price and all we -raised besides, and I think he ort to wait till land increases in price -before foreclosin us. - -We sent him down to Congress to make laws for us, and it was his dooty -to make sich laws as would make it easier for Jobe and his likes to git -a home and git it paid for. He dident do it. In this he dident do his -dooty. - -Now, suppose Mr. Richer, as our Congressman, had introduced a bill, and -got it made into a law somethin like my dream was. He would have been -sent back to Congress and a been a drawin $5,000 a year salary and -disposin of post-offices and sich at payin prices, and wouldent need the -money still due on the mortgage, or if he did need it to help him out on -his real estate deals, under that new bill Jobe could borrow the money -of the county at two per cent. and pay it, and besides could pay the -interest easier and have more each year to pay on the mortgage. - -You remember that my dream was that Congress had passed a law that -hereafter, when more money was needed to do bizness with in any county, -instead of the United States lendin it to the national banks at one per -cent., and lettin the banks loan it to the people at eight or ten per -cent., I dreamed that the law was that the same officers of the -government should lend it to the county at one per cent., on county -bonds as security, and that the county treasurer should lend it to the -people of his county at two per cent., on sich security as the banks now -take, and I drempt that Jobe and me and Bill Bowers went to the county -treasurer to see about gittin the money to pay Congressman Richer the -$2,100, and we found that sich a law was passed, and the county still -lived. And I dreamed that the bankers was a peckin, and a beckenin, and -a coaxin of people to borrow their money at the same rate of interest as -the county treasurer loaned it. Now, had we ort to be foreclosed because -no sich law was made? Had Congressman Richer ort a want to foreclose us -when he dident try to git sich a law made? Had we ort to be foreclosed -when Jobe has been a votin men into office to make laws that would make -it easier for him to live and pay for his home, and they dident do it? -Had we ort to be foreclosed because them men have made laws agin Jobe -instead of fur him? Made laws to reduce the value of his farm and the -price of his crops; made it harder for him to pay debt? - -Had Mr. Richer even made a law permittin county treasurers to receive -deposits of people who would ruther put their money in the county -treasury than in banks, and allowed the county treasurer to loan it out -in the name of the county at three or four per cent., givin all he -received as interest, less what it cost to attend to it, to the fellers -what deposited it, it would a helped us some. But he dident do it nor -try to do it. - -If we are foreclosed and our farm is sold by the sheriff, and Mr. Richer -bids it in for $2,100 and gits the farm back, where is Jobe’s $1,700 -cash paid on the principal and $2,212 interest money he has paid? - -Who gits it? What has Jobe got for it? For who has Jobe and me been a -workin for the last sixteen years? For who is this foreclosin law, with -high interest, made? I hope we will be able to git our case at court put -off till arter the fall election and corn huskin! Livin in this hope I -must retire to bed. Jobe is asleep in his cheer. Every little bit there -is a troubled look comes into his face, as though his dreams haint all -pleasant. - -[Illustration] - - - - - CHAPTER X. - IS THERE A WOMAN IN THE BARN? - - -YOUD a dide to see the fun I had with Jobe day before yisterday. It was -warm like, and I went out to the barn to see what Jobe was a doin. When -I got up to the barn door I heerd Jobe a talkin. Peekin in through a -crack, I seed Jobe settin on the half-bushel, lookin desperate and jist -a layin it off with his hands, like as if he was argyin with some one. -At times he come so near a swearin that he is in danger of gittin -churched, if they find it out on him. Jist as I got my eye to that crack -he brought his fist down on his knee with force, and says, says he: - -“Ive been made a fool of and I know it. Ive marched up to the ballot-box -for nigh onto thirty-five years and voted men into office that cared no -more for Jobe Gaskins and his likes than they did for a good fox hound, -and not as much. They said it was necessary to destroy the greenbacks, -and I said, ‘Destroy them.’ They said, ‘We ort to demonitize silver,’ -and I said, ‘Demonitize her.’ I seed that times was gittin harder, but -they said way back in the seventies that the tariff ort to be higher, -and the next year higher, and higher, and higher. And every time they -said higher I hollered, and the higher they made it the louder I -hollered, and kept a hollerin until to-day about all I have to show for -my hollerin and votin is the holler, and there is dummed little of that -left now. - -[Illustration: “Peekin through a crack.”] - -“Here I am a old man. I have worked hard, year in and year out, and have -been fool enough to vote a ticket that was enslavin me for thirty years -or more. The wealth that I have produced by my hard work has been taken -from me by the laws they have made, while the fellers I have voted for -have got rich, and say that it is my fault if I am poor. Me and my likes -had to be made poor in order that others might be made rich. Its no -fault of mine. Ive tried to be honest and scorn dishonesty, and am -to-day nearly without a home for bein sich and for votin the strait -ticket and not askin what they was doin; while the fellers I have voted -for looked on dishonesty as a honor, and have made laws by which the -products of my labor has been taken from me and given to themselves and -others no more honest. Ime dummed if I know what to do. - -“If I leave the party the polerticians and officeseekers will call me a -‘sorehead’ and sich names; if I stay in I am doomed to distress. - -“I wish the Republicans would make some of them Populist ideas into a -law. Ide—Ide——” - -Just then I opened the door all of a suddent, and says: - -“Jobe, who air you talkin to?” - -“Nobody, nobody,” says he, gittin up and steppin round, quick like. - -“Jobe Gaskins,” says I, puttin my hands on my hips and throwin my head -back. “Jobe Gaskins, dident I hear you a talkin?” - -“No, you dident,” says he, mad like. “I haint spoke a word for hours.” - -[Illustration: “Jist a layin it off with his hands.”] - -I stepped back a step or two, lookin Jobe square in the face. Says I: - -“Jobe, I heerd you a talkin, and you needent deny it. If there is a -woman in this barn I want to know it.” - -At that Jobe got mad, and comin at me with his fist drawed, says he: - -“Betsy Gaskins, do you dare accuse me with anything like that?” grittin -his few teeth. - -I had grabbed the pitchfork. Says I: - -“Jobe, take care!” - -He stopped, and I started to turn the hay upside down, sayin, “If there -is a woman in here, Ile—Ile——” - -Jobe he watched me a minit or two; then says he: - -“Betsy, what the Harry is the matter with you? There haint any woman in -here.” - -And at that he sneaked out of the barn and went down in the sheep-shed. - -Now, jist to think! There is Jobe Gaskins, a man of good sense, a man -who sees that every law made by the Republican party since the war was a -law agin him, and for people who make their livin off Jobe and his likes -without workin. Yit, fool like, Jobe will keep a votin his party ticket, -jist to please a lot of office-seekin canderdates and “hangers-on” that -eek out a existence by doin the dirty jobs set up by the leadin -polerticians and fellers who pay to git laws made agin Jobe and his -likes. - -Jobe ort to be ashamed to admit that he was talkin the talk I heerd him -talkin. - -But, poor Jobe, I suppose he will keep a votin for the hand that has -smote him, and will keep a smotin him, till he is in his grave and -beyond smotin. - -Had the Republican party made laws for all the people, instid of for -only the rich; had they made laws to make interest less and taxes lower; -had they made laws to make it easier for people to borrow money when -they needed it, instid of makin it scarce and hard to git—I say, if they -had made sich laws, if they had been as foolish as my dream was, do you -suppose Jobe and me would have to go to court next week to show cause -why we hadent ort to be foreclosed? - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - “IN TOWN.” - - -WE are at court. The case is on. Poor Jobe, he is so worried and -troubled and downhearted that he dont seem to enthuse when the -officeseekin canderdates and polerticians are shakin of his hand and -tellin him that “we got there, and are now ready for ’96,” &c., &c. - -Jobe he jist takes it, and says: “Is that so?” - -Not one of all them polerticians or canderdate fellers seems to know -that one of their “old and respected citizens” is about to be foreclosed -out of house and home. Not one of them seems to care if he does know. -The leadinest idea in their minds is gittin office and enthusin over the -election. But I notice some of them dident come near, but seem kinder -cold toward Jobe. I spect they have heerd of the foreclosin and dont -want to be seen in our company. - -Well, we got to town this mornin and come strait to court. I jist felt -as though the house would fall on me; I was so out of place. - -But them lawyers and fellers what okepy that field over the fence from -the common herd, they jist walked around and whispered, and tiptoed, and -laffed, as though they was raised right there in that field all their -useless lives. Some of them even had nice tables to put their feet on, -and carpet and soft cheers and sich. Well, I spect the poor things were -brought up tender like, and it would hurt them to git along with common -things like taxpayers git along on. - -[Illustration: “‘Mr. Court, Gaskins is here.’”] - -Well, arter a while the judge come, and the officer opened court. - -Then the case of - - “RICHER, Plaintiff, - vs. - GASKINS, Defendant,” - -was called. - -I felt like as if Ide faint—gone like. - -The judge asked if the parties to the case were in court and ready for -trial. - -The lawyer for Congressman Richer got up and said he was “there and -ready.” - -Then the court called for the “defendant, Gaskins.” - -Poor Jobe he jist sot still and looked as white as a ghost. He never -moved. - -I hunched him, and told him to “git up and answer.” - -He said he couldent; he was sick. - -The court, kinder mad like, called for “Gaskins” agin, when I riz up and -says: - -“Mistur Court, Gaskins is here, and I am Betsy Gaskins, the lawful wife -of Jobe Gaskins, the defendant.” - -“Whose your lawyer?” says the court. - -“We haint got any,” says I. - -“Youd better git counsel,” says the court, “if you desire to contest -this case.” - -“Will counsel keep us from bein foreclosed?” says I. - -The judge said the case would be decided on the law and evidence. - -“Then,” says I, “what do we need of counsel? You have the law, and we -will give you the evidence, and if the court please, if our side needs -any pleadin, Ile do it myself.” - -I hadent them words out of my mouth till up jumped Mr. Richer’s lawyer -and says: - -“I ’bject.” - -The court said that I could not do the pleadin, as I was not a party to -the case, nor had I a license to practice before the court. - -I riz up agin. - -“Mistur Judge,” says I, “what difference does it make who I am or what I -am, so long as I treat the court with respect, and know as much, or -nearly as much, about this case as any lawyer we could hire? - -“If the case, Mistur Judge, is to be decided on the law and evidence, -and not on the pleadin, why cant I do what pleadin we need, as well as -some lawyer?” - -I sot down. - -The judge looked at me a minit over his specks. - -“Well, Mrs. Gaskins,” says he, “if we allowed anybody and everybody to -come into our courts and represent a neighbor or friend, half our -lawyers would have nothin to do. The law prohibiting this privilege is -made so as to afford our attorneys a livelihood. While it sometimes -proves a hardship to litigants, it would be a greater hardship on our -lawyers if they dident have sich a law in their favor. However, Mrs. -Gaskins, as this is a case of small importance, if the bar is willing I -will permit you to say what you desire in behalf of the defendant.” - -Turnin to the lot of high-toned cattle over the fence from us, says he: -“What do you say, gentlemen?” - -[Illustration: “‘I ’bject.’”] - -They kind a hemmed and hawed and whispered together, and looked -disgusted and disappinted and contemptible, and finally one of them -says: - -“We shant ’bject.” - -And four or five of em got up and left, lookin like as if they had lost -somethin. - -Well, the judge invited us over into the field. - -We went in, and I sot down by a table. The lawyer for Mr. Richer got up -and stated his case. He said that he would prove that a number of years -ago one Jobe Gaskins purchased from the Honorable D. M. J. Richer -certain lands and tenements to the value of $3,800; that there has been -but $1,700 paid on the amount; that there remains due and unpaid some -$2,100, which is secured by mortgage. And he was there to pray for the -foreclosure of said mortgage and sale of the premises to satisfy said -claim. - -He sot down. - -I got up. - -I says, says I: “Mistur Judge, this here case haint just exactly like -that there lawyer said. We claim there haint no $2,100 still due Mr. -Richer, although he has our notes and a mortgage for that amount. We -claim that he has got nearly full value for all we got from him. We have -paid him $1,700 of the principal and over $2,200 in interest. The land, -for some cause, haint worth now as much as we paid for it, and we expect -to prove that Jobe haint done anything to cause the land to fall in -value. The land may now be worth $2,500, if we could find some one that -had the money and wanted to buy land. If we are foreclosed and forced to -sell it, it may not bring more than the $2,100 that he claims we owe -him. - -“Now, we want to be fair with Congressman Richer, Mistur Judge, and all -we ask is that Mr. Richer and his likes what lends money be treated by -the law and the courts the same as Jobe and his likes what owes money is -treated. - -“Now, as I said before, Mistur Judge, the farm is the same size as it -was the day we bought it; the land is jist as good; the improvements are -better. We have paid Mr. Richer his interest every year for sixteen -years, and $1,700 besides. - -“Now, Mistur Judge, wouldent it be fair for Mr. Richer to take the farm -back and give us our $1,700? He would have jist what he had before we -bought it, and he would have $2,212 interest money for the use of it, -and we would have the $1,700 we have paid him over and above the -interest. - -“Or, if he dont want to do that, Mistur Judge, we will value the farm at -$2,500, which is all or more than its worth to-day, and will pay him the -difference between the $1,700 we already have paid and the $2,500, or -$800, in cash. - -“Now, Mistur Judge, this would be honest and fair, and he can take his -choice, while if you foreclose us, and the farm at sheriff sale only -brings $2,100, and Mr. Richer buys it in, he will have the farm he had -at fust, our $1,700 principal and the $2,212 interest money we have paid -him, or he will have the farm and $3,912 in money, and we in our old age -will have nothin.” - -When I was through the other lawyer got up and said sich argament was -all bosh and contrary to law; that the court had too good sense to be -governed by sich anachristic talk from a rattle-brained woman. At that, -it bein noon, the court dismissed for dinner, without explainin why this -was “a case of small importance.” It looks to me that its a purty -tolerable important case to Jobe and me. - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - THE DECISION. - - -THAT day, when the judge and lawyers got back from dinner, and arter -Jobe and me had eat our lunch in the jury-room, they opened court agin, -and the judge, lookin at me tired like, says: - -“Mrs. Gaskins, the court is now ready to proceed with the case.” - -“So be we, Mistur Judge,” says I. - -So Congressman Richer’s lawyer got out a lot of papers and notes, and, -showin them to Jobe and me, asked us if we admitted signin of them. - -“Certainly we do,” says I. - -So he handed them to the judge, sayin that that was all the evidence he -desired to produce, and as the notes had not been paid, as stipulated in -the mortgage, he asked to have the mortgage foreclosed and the property -sold, and judgment for costs rendered agin the defendant. - -At that he sot down. - -Jobe he looked distressed. - -I felt kind a gone like. - -But when the judge said that if we had any evidence to produce or -objection to make why the mortgage should not be foreclosed, now was my -time to make it, I jist gathered up courage and says, says I: - -“Mistur Judge, we have some evidence to offer, and I want to say a few -words. - -“We never denied that we signed that mortgage and them notes; we never -claimed we had paid all we did sign. - -[Illustration: “‘I want to prove to you, Mistur Judge.’”] - -“Now, what I want to prove, Mistur Judge, is, that the reason we haint -paid more of the notes was because times have been so hard, prices so -low and money so scarce that we jist couldent pay any more than we have -paid. - -“I want to prove that we have paid every dollar we could pay, and that -we have went naked and hungry, or nearly so, to pay what we have paid. - -“I want to prove, Mistur Judge, that when we bought this farm, some -sixteen years ago, times were better than now; that farmers could sell -what they raised for more than now; and I want to prove that it has not -been by any act of the farmers that times have been made harder and -prices lower than then. - -“I want to prove, Mistur Judge, that taxes haint got any less; that -interest is jist as high as then; that it takes twice as many bushels of -wheat for Jobe to pay his share of your wages, and the wages of the -other officers in this buildin, as it did then. I want to prove that -Jobe had to use wheat to pay you fellers that he could have used toward -payin on them notes if prices had staid up or officers’ pay had been -brought down. - -“I want to show you that all you officeholders have helped to bring -about this condition by your endorsin of men that made laws to destroy -the greenback, to demonitize silver, encouragin high interest and money -monopoly, and by your increasin of wages of officeholders or lettin them -remain the same as they were when wheat was high. - -“I want to prove, Mistur Judge, that Mr. Richer was one of the -law-makers, that he voted agin silver, and did not try to do anything or -to make any law to make money as plenty as it use to be. - -“I want to show that Mr. Richer already has got all we have raised by -our hard work for the last sixteen years, and, Mistur Judge, I think -that instid of you sellin our farm to satisfy him, you ort to order him -to give us back all the money we have paid him, except the interest, and -let us give him back the property we got from him; we are willin to do -this, and give him our improvements besides, if he will give us back our -$1,700. This is all we ask, Mistur Judge. - -“If you grant it we would have a few dollars to keep us in our old age, -and Mr. Richer would have all we got from him and $2,212 interest money -besides. - -“If you foreclose us, as this high-toned lawyer asks you to do, we will -have nothing left, and Mr. Richer will have as much as he had before and -$3,912 of our hard-earned money besides, part of it, Mistur Judge, bein -money I got from home when father died.” - -The judge kind a looked at me pityin like, and says, says he: - -“Mrs. Gaskins, your argament may be all right from your point of view; -but it is not law, Mrs. Gaskins. _It is not law._ We must proceed -according to law.” - -“What is law?” says I. “Haint it justice?” pleadin like. - -The judge studied a minit, cleared his throat a time or two, and then -says he: - -“It is supposed to be, Mrs. Gaskins. _It is supposed to be._ It should -be justice; it should be. I appreciate the position of you two old -people. I believe, as you say, that you have worked hard and saved that -you might get your farm paid for and have a home in your old age. I -believe you have done all you could do. Your argament has been well -made. - -[Illustration: “‘This is the law, whether it is justice or not.’”] - -“But the law—the law, Mrs. Gaskins, says that if these notes have not -been paid according to the provision of the mortgage, it can be -foreclosed. - -“Even if you had paid all of the notes but one dollar, and had worked -fifty years to pay them, and for some reason money had become scarce, -and your farm under forced sale would not bring more than the one -dollar, it would have to be sold, under the law, to satisfy that one -dollar still due on it. - -“To make it plainer to you, Mrs. Gaskins, suppose that all the money was -demonitized or destroyed except gold or silver (no matter which), and -suppose that one man had succeeded in getting possession of all the -money, and you owed one dollar on a farm that had cost you $3,800, you -would have to get that one dollar from the man who had it, and he could -place his own estimate of value on it, and could, if he so desired, -demand 120 acres of good farm land for one of his dollars, and, in case -of forced sale under the law, all the property you have would have to be -sacrificed to satisfy that one dollar. It would have to be done, even -though that one man who had all the money cornered owned your mortgage -and had made the law, or got it made, that destroyed all the other -money. So this, Mrs. Gaskins, is the law, whether it is justice or not, -and I, as the judge of this court, must be governed by the law as it is. -All the testimony you have mentioned is not such as could be admitted -before this court. Hence I shall render judgment as prayed for by the -plaintiff, with costs of this action attached.” - -[Illustration: “Jobe and me sot there dazed like.”] - -I wanted to say some more, but the judge told me the case was over, and -that I need not say any more. - -So Jobe and me sot there dazed like for a little while. Then the sheriff -come to us and said the case was over and we had better go home. We got -up and come home. - -We have been over the dear old farm half a dozen times, so as to carry -its memory in our minds to wherever we shall go. Oh! how queer I feel -when I wonder where that will be. - -Jobe is jist a mopin around with no life in him at all. - -I haint heerd him holler for McKinley since we got back from court. - -I wonder if Mr. McKinley, and Mark Hanna, and Henry Flagler, of the -Standard Oil Trust, and Mr. Kohlsaat, and them other millionairs what -has been down in Georgia schemin and plannin and arrangin to git Mr. -McKinley elected to the president’s office, want to git him elected so -as to make it easier for Jobe and his likes to pay for their homes. - -I wonder if the laws they are wantin to git made, or keep from bein -made, is to make themselves richer or to make the life of the fellers -who vote the ticket they fix up easier. - -Them millionair fellers seem to take a great interest in elections and -things. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - JOBE CHEERS UP. - - -JOBE’S aunt Jane out in Indyana is dead. The poor, dear soul worked hard -all her life, and now she is dead. She had been takin care of a rich -inverlid for some twelve years, and got two dollars a week for all that -time. By livin plain and not goin anywhere for all that time, she has -saved $563, and she has left all her savins to Jobe, her only kin, the -lawyers out there write us. - -[Illustration: Aunt Jane.] - -We got a letter from them last week sayin she had died of a suddent, and -left Jobe all she had, arter payin her buryin expenses. - -Jobe has been more like hisself, ever since he heerd she was dead, than -he has been for some time. - -He now says that if he lives to vote for McKinley it will be the -happiest moment of his life. I hope Jobe will live. - -As soon as he got that letter he started out agin to try to borrow -enough money to pay off Mr. Richer’s mortgage before foreclosin day. He -found one banker at Canal Dover who said he would let him have $1,800 at -seven per cent. interest, jist to commodate Jobe. Jobe is a goin to take -it, which, with what he is to git as his dead aunt’s heir, will make the -money Congressman Richer is wantin so bad, and a little besides. - -Jobe went to town yisterday to try to stop the foreclosin bizness until -our legicy money comes and we can git the other from the bank at Canal -Dover. - -[Illustration: “He would call him ‘Billy,’ in honor of the next -president.”] - -They told him down to the court-house that they would try to “stave it -off.” - -Jobe said that when the report got out that he was about to git a legicy -everybody wanted to shake hands with him and be friendly like. - -Even them canderdate fellers, what acted kind a cold durin our -foreclosin trial, come around smilin, Jobe said, and shook hands, and -said that “they knode it would come around all right,” that “a man never -loses anything by votin the strait ticket.” They told Jobe to “cheer up -and git ready for the next election,” and all sich stuff. Jobe he come -home declarin that the Republican party was the “grand old party” of the -universe, he was so puffed up like. - -Last night I actually heerd him whistlin one of them campaign tunes, -while he was a feedin of the calf. When the calf got all the milk out of -the bucket and looked up at Jobe lovin like, Jobe patted him on the head -and told him he was a nice feller and looked so knowin, like McKinley, -that he would call him “Billy,” in honor of the next president. - -Jobe then started to the house a whistlin agin, when William came at him -stiff-legged, and struck Jobe on them election patches I put on his -pants, and knocked Jobe down on his hands and knees, and before Jobe -could git up, William hit him agin, knockin him clear down. Jobe turned -over on his back and begin to strike at McKinley with the bucket, sayin, -“You dum rascal,” or somethin like that. He then clamered to his feet -and took arter the calf, kickin as hard as he could kick. The second -kick he missed the calf and fell. Then I hollered at him. - -[Illustration: “Before Jobe could git up William hit him agin.”] - -He got up, put his hand on his hip and limped to the house. When he come -in says he: - -“Ile kill that dum calf if he ever acts that way agin. He like to a -broke my hip.” - -“Why, Jobe,” says I, “dident I jist hear you namin him for the leadinest -Republican of the State? Dont you know he was jist a givin you a -practical lesson in polerticks? Dont be mad, Jobe,” says I, “youle be a -lovin him tomorrow with all your heart.” - -At that Jobe went into the room to git the bottle of salvation oil, -mutterin somethin as he went about me not havin any sense. - -Now, isent it a fact that the polerticians and officeholders have been -actin like that bull calf toward Jobe and his likes for years? - -Haint they been lookin into the face of the taxpayers pleasin like jist -before every election? Haint they been buttin the life out of the people -that feed them by increasin salaries, and makin taxes higher, and sellin -out to rich trusts and sich, ever since the war? - -Haint they made law on law agin the poor and for the rich? - -Haint they issued bonds on top of bonds, to the rich people and on the -poor? - -Haint they raised salary arter salary of officeholders when the people -never asked it? - -Haint they brought us to a gold basis and made it hard for people to pay -interest and mortgages? - -Haint they made it easy for the money-lender to foreclose agin the -borrower? - -Haint they destroyed millions and millions of the people’s greenback -money? - -Haint they demonitized silver? - -Haint they done everything agin the people and nothin for them? - -And what has the people to show for all the money they have destroyed, -and salaries they have increased, and mortgages they have foreclosed, -and bad laws they have made, but hard times and debts, and people -without homes, and cheap wheat, and low wages, and high interest, and -big taxes, and foreclosin, and beggin, and the Lord only knows what all? - -Yet Jobe and his likes will vote the strait ticket, and I suppose will -keep a votin it until the bull calf knocks their brains out. - -What has Jobe and his likes got to show for all the votin they have -voted? What, I say! - -If we can save our farm, and if we raise enough to pay the interest and -taxes this year, and a little besides, I am a goin to git me a pair of -them bloomers and go to workin and votin for more good laws and less -polerticks; and the fust polertician that comes around our house talkin -“party success” and “party principles” Ile kick clear into the middle of -the big road—Ile do it if I split them bloomers from waistband to -waistband in doin so. - -[Illustration] - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - A NEW MORTGAGE. - - -WE was that bizzy last week, with gittin our legicy and payin of costs, -and a borrowin of money, and a writin of papers, and a signin of our -names, and a swearin to this, that and the other thing, that I dident -git my bakin done, let alone do any writin. - -The fust of last week we got our share of our legicy; the officers in -Indyana got the balance. - -Howsomever, what we did git come handy for a while anyhow. - -I dont know what we would have done if Jobe’s poor, dear dead aunt -hadent a died jist when she did. - -Well, when what was left us, arter payin them Indyana fellers, come, -Jobe and me hitched up old Tom and struck out for town to stop the -foreclosin bizness. - -We fust went to the bank at Canal Dover, and made arrangements to borrow -$1,800 at seven per cent. Jobe he hung for six per cent., but when the -banker explained to Jobe that we was now on a gold basis; that McKinley -had come out for a strait gold basis platform; that he could lend all -the money he could git at seven per cent. or more, and that all the -leadin financiers and bankers, in fact all the leadin citizens, were in -for a gold basis, Jobe he “saw it” and agreed to seven. - -Comin home Jobe told me he would ruther pay seven per cent. than six, in -order to support a “sound money basis;” that “nobody believed in small -interest but them crazy Populists and their likes.” - -[Illustration: “He would rather pay seven per cent. than six, in order -to support a sound money basis.”] - -Well, arter we arranged for the money we went to the court-house, and -from the time we got there till I got out I heerd nothin but “costs,” -“costs,” “costs.” They had it all charged to Jobe. Not one cent was -charged to Mr. Richer. There was the clerk’s costs, and the sheriff’s -costs, and the auditor’s costs, and the judge’s costs, and supeena -costs, and writ costs, and mileage costs, and the Lord only knows what -all or who all had costs charged up agin Jobe. The very fellers Jobe had -helped to elect had jist as big bills charged up as the law would allow, -and some bigger, and nary one of them was willin to knock off a cent. We -had to pay it or be foreclosed, and we had to take our legicy money to -pay it with—the money that poor, dear, dead Aunt Jane had worked so hard -to save. - -Well, when we got the costs all paid, we then begin to draw up papers, -and sign and acknowledge, and read and reread of papers, to git the -money from the Canal Dover banker. - -One feller told Jobe and the other fellers to go out of the room till he -examined me seperate and apart, at which I became insulted and up and -says, says I: - -[Illustration: “‘Law or no law,’ says I.”] - -“No, you wont, sir; no man will examine me seperate and apart or any -other way in the absence of Jobe Gaskins.” - -“The law requires it,” says he. - -“Law or no law,” says I, “Ile not submit. I have submitted to law instid -of justice; Ive submitted to law instid of right; Ive submitted to law -instid of humanity, but when it comes to submittin to law instid of -decency, Betsy Gaskins demurs.” - -But arter they explained that he jist wanted to read and explain the -mortgage to me, I even submitted to law agin. - -When they was all out, the feller read the mortgage to me, and asked me -if the signin of it was my “free act and deed.” I told him it was so fur -as I had to sign it to keep from bein foreclosed, but that I would not -sign it as it then read. - -“Whats wrong?” says he. - -“The wrong,” says I, “is where it says that Jobe shall pay the -‘principal and interest in gold.’” - -I explained to him that Jobe and me hadent had ten dollars in gold for -years and years. - -But he said it was only a form; that we was now on a gold basis, and the -bank requires all their mortgages to read, “payable, principal and -interest, in gold,” since we have come to a gold basis. - -But I wouldent sign it, and the feller called Jobe and the other fellers -in. Jobe he got mad at me and scolded and fretted around until I got -ashamed of him, and I jist up and says, says I: - -“Ile sign it, Mr. Gaskins, but you will find that payin seven per cent. -interest and payin it in gold to keep your party in power is up-hill -bizness.” - -[Illustration: “‘Payin it in gold to keep your party in power is up-hill -bizness.’”] - -So I signed it. But the Lord only knows where we will git the gold to -pay even the interest with. We have to pay the interest every six -months. - -Ive lived on this farm for nigh onto seventeen years, and have never -found a piece of gold as big as a pin-head. Maybe Jobe knows where it -is. I dont, goodness knows. - -Well, arter the signin was done there was some more charges and sich to -pay for, and Jobe had it to pay. Then, arter requestin Jobe to look -arter his party’s interests in our township, they bid us good-by, and -Jobe and me come home. - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - JOBE, OUT OF TROUBLE, IS UNRULY AGAIN. - - -JOBE he is jist as contrary and stiff-necked as he ever was. He acts as -though he had never went through what he has went through since last Noo -Years. He is beginnin agin to act towards me as if I was his inferior; -as though it wasent me who stuck up for him and fought his battles in -time of trouble—yes, stood by him when all creation, office-seekin -canderdates and all, had forsook him. - -He now says the reason he did not pay off that other mortgage years ago -was because it wasent made “payable in gold;” he says he believes in -payin debts in “sound money,” and that he now feels sorry that he dident -git gold and pay what he did pay on it; that he feels as though he has -cheated Mr. Richer by payin him in greenbacks and silver and sich. - -He says that he would ruther pay seven per cent. interest in gold than -six per cent. interest in paper money or silver. - -Then he gits up and swells out his boozum, and says: - -“John Sherman is the greatest financier on airth. He has brought us to a -gold basis quicker than any other livin man could a done it. He has -taught old Cleveland all he knows about sound money.” And so forth and -so forth. - -He goes on in this way day in and day out until I am sick and tired of -it. He even wants me to come out and be a Republican, when he knows I -have been a Dimicrat for nigh onto thirty-five years. - -When he is tellin the neighbors about how much better it is to pay debts -in gold, and about us a givin a “gold mortgage” to the banker, he always -calls it his mortgage and his doins. He never even mentions my name when -speakin of the mortgage, when he knows as well as I do that both the old -parties, as it were, made that gold mortgage, and that it is “our -mortgage” and “our doins” that made it. - -But that is the way with Jobe. As long as everything is goin along -without trouble he wants all the glory; but as soon as trouble arises he -tries to blame me for gittin him in it, and calls on me for help. - -Now, as Betsy Gaskins, I am ashamed of that gold mortgage, and if I -could have had my way I never would have signed it. Ide a dide fust. But -as a Dimicrat I must approve it, to be in line with my party, and I -think Jobe is mean that he dont speak of it as “our mortgage” and “our -doins,” when he knows the highest paid Dimicrats in the land is jist as -much in favor of “gold mortgages” as John Sherman or Mistur McKinley or -any high-up Republicans are. - -Haint Mistur Carlisle, who is drawin $8,000 a year (for work he ort a be -a doin in the money department at Washington), spendin lots of time -makin speeches for gold mortgages down in Kaintuckey? - -Haint Carlisle a Dimicrat? - -Dont Mistur Cleveland set up of nites and write letters favorin “gold -mortgages,” and some nites like as not lets Mrs. Cleveland sleep all by -herself? - -What more has John Sherman done, or McKinley? - -Jobe thinks because McKinley has spent all spring outside of Ohio, -talkin “gold mortgages” and workin to git elected to the best payin -office in the country, that he is intitled to all the credit for bringin -about “gold mortgages.” Now, I dont believe it, though he was so bizzy -at it that he had to have his salary as governor sent to him by mail for -months. - -[Illustration: “‘John Sherman is the greatest financier on airth.’”] - -Suppose my dream was true, and instid of us havin to give the banker a -mortgage drawin seven per cent. interest (“interest and principal -payable in gold”), that we, that is, Jobe and me, could have gone to the -county treasurer of Tuscarawas County and a borrowed the same amount of -paper and silver money (the same kind we got from the bank) at two per -cent. interest, payable in any money of the government. Who would it a -hurt? - -Wouldent it a been better for Jobe and me? Wouldent we a had only $36 a -year interest to pay to the county instid of $126 in gold to the -bankers? Wouldent we a had more money to pay toward our home or to buy -store goods with? - -If we could spend $90 a year for store goods that we now have to pay as -interest, wouldent that help the storekeepers a little? - -Which would be the best for the storekeepers, for Jobe and his likes to -have to pay high interest in gold, or low interest in any kind of good -money? - -There is another question I would like to ask you. - -It is this: If the pay of the post-offices is big enough to pay a feller -to buy them from Congressmen, and pay big money for them, haint it about -time that the pay of such post-offices was cut down? - -Why is a feller’s time what is glad to clear $300 or $400 a year doin -anything else worth $1,500 or $2,000 for keepin the post-office? - -Does it hurt their character so much? And why is it that all them -fellers what sells post-offices, and most of them what buys em, favor a -gold basis and gold mortgages and sich? - -Are they afraid they will have to go back to their old jobs and less pay -if they dont holler as the big fellers holler? - -[Illustration] - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - JOBE IS SCARED. - - -JOBE he is in a critical condition. Day before yisterday, when Jake -Stiffler brought our mail out from town—it consisted of the two -noosepapers that we have took for years, that is, the _Ohio Dimicrat_ -and the _Tuscarawas Advercate_—I played a trick on Jobe that nearly cost -him his life, and nearly made me a weepin and mournin widder. - -For years and years we have took them two “stanch and substantial” -noosepapers without ceasin. We have took them simply because one was a -Dimicrat paper and the other a Republican. We have took them when payin -for them kept me from gittin a new dress or Jobe a change of pants. - -We have took them though durin all them years they have said the same -things over and over agin, aginst each other and aginst the party they -wasent, jist at the time, gittin any campaign money or county printin -from. - -The _Dimicrat_ has allers called the Republicans rascals and sich, and -the _Advercate_ never fails to show how the Dimicrats are worse still. - -Always, when the _Advercate_ comes, Jobe he sets down and reads out loud -all the abuse agin the Dimicrats; then, lookin over his specks at me, -says: - -“Now, Betsy, you see what kind of a party you belong to. You see now -what kind of leaders youve got,” &c., &c. - -Its a regular thing for Jobe to read the same things week arter week and -then to criticise me and the Dimicrat party time arter time, until for -years Ive been in the habit of goin in and settin down and a listenin to -Jobe read the _Advercate’s_ abuse of the Dimicrats, and a waitin for my -regular weekly tongue-lashin. Ive done it jist for the good it seems to -do Jobe. - -[Illustration: “‘Now, Betsy, you see what kind of a party you belong -to.’”] - -Sometimes to answer him I jist read from the _Ohio Dimicrat_ the same -things he has read from the _Advercate_—only where the _Advercate_ says -“the Dimicrat party,” the _Dimicrat_ says “the Republican party.” - -Then Jobe will flare up and say: - -“The _Ohio Dimicrat_ is a dum dirty sheet, and full of lies.” - -He knows that I dont swear and wont say that about his _Advercate_, even -if I know it is the same kind of a paper as the _Ohio Dimicrat_ is, -except in the name at the top of the fust page. Of course it gits its -campaign money and public printin from the office-seekin canderdate -fellers of the other party. - -Now, when Jake brought them papers, I happened to pick up the -_Advercate_ (a thing I seldom do), and one of the fust things I read was -a article a praisin Mr. Cleveland for workin to git a “gold basis” and -“gold mortgages” and sich. I was so surprised to find a word of praise -for a Dimicrat president in a Republican noosepaper that I looked twice -at the headin to make sure it was the _Advercate_ I had instid of the -_Dimicrat_. Sure enough it was the _Advercate_, but I dont want you to -blame Editure McIlvaine for sich a article appearin in his paper. He -couldent help it. It was in that part of his paper that he dont print. -It was in the patent part what is printed in Cleveland—the part, you -know, which them fellers down east, the fellers what gits rich by havin -on this gold basis bizness, pays to have in all papers, Dimicrat, -Republican, Methodist, Prisbyterian or any other kind except them howlin -Populist papers. Them Populists seem to be so sot agin that “gold -basis,” and a “contractin of the money to make it scarce and hard to -git,” that they wont put anything a favorin the “gold basis” in their -papers for love or money. They are jist that mean. - -So I dont want you to blame Mr. McIlvaine or any other feller for sich -articles a bein in their papers. They cant help it. They jist have to do -it or lose their rich money-lendin friends. - -But the feelin I felt when I seed sich a article in a Republican -noosepaper prompted me to do the thing that, as I said afore, nearly -made me a weepin widder. - -I jist thought Ide have some fun with Jobe. - -So I went to work and cut the headin off from last week’s _Tuscarawas -Advercate_ and pasted it over the headin of this week’s _Ohio Dimicrat_. -Then I cut the headin out of last week’s _Ohio Dimicrat_ and pasted it -on this week’s _Advercate_. I then folded the papers up nice like and -laid them on the table in the settin-room, where I had laid them week -arter week for near onto fifteen years. - -[Illustration: “So I went to work and cut out the headin.”] - -Arter supper, when Jobe had his chores all done up, he says, as he come -in from the barn: - -“Betsy, has the mail come?” - -A question that he has asked about that hour, on that same day of the -week, fifty-two times a year for these many years. The mail alluded to -meanin the _Tuscarawas Advercate_. I told Jobe, as usual, that it was in -on the table. He took his specks down off the kitchen mantel, and, wipin -them as he went on the corner of his coat tail, approached the table. - -He sot down, rared back in his split-bottom rockin cheer, put his feet -on another, then picked up the _Ohio Dimicrat_ (with its name changed), -and begin to read, as he expected, Editure McIlvaine’s slaughter of -Dimocracy. - -It started out with: - -“There never was a more corrupt gang in control of any State government -than the Republican boodlers at Columbus.” - -Then: - -“Every Republican officeholder in this county seems to exist for no -other purpose than to suck the life-blood out of our hard-working -tax-payers. We must turn the rascals out.” - -[Illustration: “‘IT IS ALL OVER, BETSY,’ SAYS HE.”] - -And so on and so on, clear through the paper. Jobe he read a minit or -so; then looked at the name of the paper; then read another item; looked -at the top of his paper agin; took off his specks; rubbed them hard; put -them on and read, or started to read, another item; laid the paper down; -got up and went to the lookin glass; stuck out his tongue and shook his -head in a troubled manner; then he felt his pulse, shook his head agin -and fell over on the lounge that was near him. He groaned once or twice, -then hollered, “Betsy, Betsy!” dyin like. - -I went a hurryin in. There he laid as white as a ghost, and drawin -short, quick breaths. - -“Why, Jobe, dear,” says I, pleadin like, “what on airth is the matter?” - -“It is all over, Betsy,” says he, “all over; Ime a goin to die. The end -is near. Betsy, Ive tried to be a good husband, but at times I know Ive -been a little cross and contrary. Betsy, I want to hear you say you -forgive me before I go.” - -“Why, Jobe,” says I, “what in the world is the matter?” - -“Oh, Betsy,” says he, “the end is near. I know it is. Editure McIlvaine -is changed, or my mind is shattered. My mind is so onbalanced that I can -no longer read my paper and understand it, or the leopard has changed -his spots. Betsy, its me. It must be me, for where my paper has been -praisin, it is now abusin; and where it has been abusin, it is now -praisin. Betsy, I want to die. I want to die a believin that its me and -not the _Advercate_ that has changed. You must do the best you can, -Betsy; and if you marry agin arter Ime gone, remember my last wish is -that you do not marry one of them wild Populists. Betsy, will you -promis?” says he. - -At that I began to laf out loud, as hard as I could laf. - -“Oh my! oh my!” says Jobe. “Is my wife crazy or do my eyes deceive me -agin?” - -I took holt of him and jerked him off the lounge, sayin: - -“Here! git up and have some sense. That is all the truth you read in -your paper to-nite. The office-seekers of both parties are corrupt, and -if the papers were honest they would say so. Neither of them dare tell -how the people have been betrayed, and so they fill up their columns -with abusin the party they dont happen to belong to.” - -[Illustration: “That nite he slept in the barn.”] - -Then I explained what I had done, and he jumped to his feet and swore -awfully. That nite he slept in the barn, and for the second time in her -married life Betsy Gaskins slept alone. Jobe is still critical and -sleepin in the barn. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - JOBE SLEEPS IN THE BARN. - - -IF Ide a knode that Ide a had to went through what Ive went through -since I last writ, I would have been a old maid longin for some one to -love, and some one to love me in return, instid of bein the tormented -wife of Jobe Gaskins, Esquire, as I am to-day. - -From the time Jobe come in from the barn, the next mornin arter nearly -dyin over the _Advercate’s_ change of abuse, to this hour, the two old -parties has been on the outs; and instid of gittin better, things are -gittin wuss. - -The Lord only knows what it will lead to. I dont. - -That mornin, about breakfast time, he come a bouncin into the house all -of a suddent, while I was a puttin some corn cakes in the skillet, and, -shakin his fist in my face, says, says he: - -“Betsy Gaskins, you’ve got to take it back. Take it back or Ile—Ile -smash you,” makin a motion towards me, and, with his hair all mussed up -and full of hay-seed, he looked dangerful. - -I jist drawed back the dipper what I was puttin batter in the skillet -with, sayin: - -“Jobe Gaskins, you make another move towards me, or attempt to strike -me, and Ile knock you so cold youle never vote for another Republican -office-seeker.” - -I was a lookin at him all the time with the dipper drawed. He seen I -meant jist what I said; so he walked over and sot down on the edge of -the wood-box. Continerin, says I: - -[Illustration: “‘JOBE GASKINS, YOU MAKE ANOTHER MOVE!’”] - -“You are a purty-lookin feller, haint you? Thats as much sense as you -and your likes has got. You would strike down the pardner of your life -rather than listen to the truth about the rascality of the men who run -your party.” - -I had the dipper drawed all the time, and had stepped nearer to him. - -“Betsy,” says he, pleadin like, “tell jist one dishonest thing a -Republican officer ever done.” - -Says I: “Now, Jobe, you are actin with sense. Where do you want me to -begin, at the top among the big ones, or at the bottom among the little -ones?” - -“Begin at the bottom, Betsy, at the bottom,” says he. - -“Well, Jobe,” says I, “you listen, and I will keep at the cakes or they -will burn.” - -Thinkin a minit, says I: - -“Fust, there is the county commissioners.” - -“Hold!” says Jobe, jumpin to his feet, “dont lets go into that -commissioner bizness——” - -I turned right square in front of him, and drawin the dipper, says I: - -“Now, sir, you set down, and set there till I tell you to git up.” - -Jobe sot down. - -Says I agin: - -“Fust, there is the county commissioners and the bridges——” - -“Betsy——” says Jobe, conquered like. - -“Jobe!” says I, and I looked a look at him that made him drop his head. - -Then proceedin agin, says I: - -“Fust, there is the county commissioners, the bridges and iron tubes.” - -Jobe flipped his thumb and fingers, and held up his hand like they do in -school. - -Says I: “Whats you want?” cross like. - -“Betsy, if you are a goin into that bridge bizness, with them iron tubes -and all, I would like to have my say as well as you,” says he. - -“That depends,” says I. “If you act with sense and dont git mad, you can -have your say. If you flare up Ile silence you, sir.” - -“Are you mad, Betsy?” says he, cowed like. - -“No, Ime not mad. Ime in airnest,” says I, takin up the cakes and settin -them on the table. Then I sot down in a chair in front of Jobe, still -holdin the dipper. Says I: - -“Now, Jobe, who is agent for a iron bridge company in this county but a -Republican county commissioner? - -“Who went over into a adjoining county and offered to sell a iron bridge -for several dollars per foot less than he charged his own county for the -same kind of a bridge? Who done this but a Republican county -commissioner? - -“Who let a contract for stone butments for one of the leadin bridges in -this county, and then let them put in iron tubes instid of stone -butments? Who done this but a Republican county commissioner? - -“Who sold the Trenton bridge out in three sections at $999.99 a section, -so as to evade the law that says all public contracts for $1,000 or more -shall be advertised and sold to the lowest bidder? Who done this sellin -but a Republican county commissioner? - -“Who gits a commission on all the bridges the taxpayers are a payin for, -but a Republican county commissioner? - -“Who has tore down good bridges jist to git to sell a new bridge to this -county, but a Republican county commissioner? - -“Who is it but Republican county commissioners that dont care how high -taxes are so they git their commission for sellin bridges? - -[Illustration: “‘Are you mad, Betsy?’ says he.”] - -“Who but a Republican county commissioner refused to allow the expense -necessary to collect the $65,000 back taxes, Beriar Wilk——?” - -“Hold! Hold!” cried Jobe, jumpin to his feet. “Wilkins was a Dimicrat! -Wilkins was a Dimicrat! A leadin Dimicrat, and you know it! And more, -Betsy Gaskins, when you say that nobody was mixed up in that bridge -bizness but a Republican county commissioner, you _lie_, and——” - -I dident let him finish. I couldent. I was teched. I jist grabbed the -mop-stick that was standin near, and struck at him with all my might as -he went out at the door. I follered him clear to the fence, strikin at -him as he went; and jist as he was crossin the fence I broke that -mop-stick (that cost me thirteen cents) on them election patches. - -So my heart is heavier than it has been since I become the lawful wife -of Jobe Gaskins. - -The idea of him a tellin me that I _lie_, this late in our lives! It is -awful! It teched me to the quick! Well, Jobe Gaskins got no breakfast -that day, and I was so worked up that I couldent eat much. - -That nite Jobe slept in the barn agin, comin in some time between dark -and daylite to get what vittles was cooked. - -He stayed out around the barn for three days and nites, only comin in -arter I had gone to bed, to git what he needed to eat. I dont know how -long he would have kept it up if it hadent got cold Thursday arternoon -and evenin. That evenin he froze out, and came up to the fence and -hollered: - -“Hello!” - -I went to the door, and says: - -“Hello, sir! What you want?” - -“Betsy,” says he, “I would like for you to let me come in and lay by the -cookin stove to-nite.” - -Says I: “If you wasent so set in your ways and insultin, you could a -been sleepin in your usual place, by my side, all these nites. Come in,” -says I, “and keep your mouth shet, and all will be well.” - -He come in, and I set him a good warm supper. He eat three bowlsful of -corn mush, and drunk two big cups of hot coffee. - -Now, I intend to git all the names and facts about that bridge bizness, -and that Beriar Wilkins back tax bizness, and them commissioners, and -Ile convince Jobe that all his high-toned Republican officeholders are -arter is the chance to get rich off from the people’s money. Ile do it -if it costs me a divorce suit to do it. - -That nite Jobe went to bed fust. When I went in I found that he had got -in with his head to the foot. He thought it would spite me, I spose. But -it dident. I laffed and jist stood there and looked at him, and while I -was a lookin I couldent help thinkin how much he represented his party -on the money question. You know how they use to claim that they was the -party what believed in lots of greenback money, and how they pinted with -pride to the great amount of greenbacks they had given the people to do -bizness with. Now they are turned end about, jist like Jobe. Now they -claim they are for “gold only,” that “lots of greenbacks haint good for -the people.” They are a sayin now agin silver and paper money jist what -Vallandingham and his likes said about greenbacks. But then this is -about the top fellers. So I wont discuss this any more until I git the -facts about them bottom fellers—about the county commissioners and -auditor and prosecutin attorney and Beriar Wilkins, and lots of sich -things that is done and bein done all over this country. Ile git enough -to drive Jobe clear under the bed, if I can hold him down to listen to -it. - -Jobe says he is a goin to git the facts agin the Dimicrats if he has to -subscribe for every Republican noosepaper in the county. Now I dont -think he need to go to all that expense, because so fur as I can see -they are all alike and run for the same purpose—for the purpose of -keepin the Republican voters in line. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - THE SPITTOONS. - - -COULD you tell a feller where he could borrow a little money to pay -taxes with? Here it is June, and taxes are due agin—bridge taxes and -all—and Jobe lacks $22.69 of havin enough to pay his share. - -Taxes seem to stay up better than anything else. They really seem to be -on the rise. - -I wonder if a feller could borrow that much money from them county -commissioners? They git their pay when they sell a bridge to the -taxpayers—cut-worms or no cut-worms. - -Them commissioners ort a have a little spare change by them, when they -git pay from the people of the county for buyin bridges and pay from the -bridge companies for sellin bridges. - -Ime a hearin a good deal about that bridge bizness. About them iron -tubes that we paid the same for as stone butments would a cost, and that -sellin out of the Trenton bridge in pieces privately, so that it would -bring more “commission,” and of them contractors that come down here and -got paid for not biddin on another job, and all them things, and Ime a -layin low for Jobe so that the next time he lites into me Ile pulverize -him. - -He’s been quiet for a day or two. He’s been out a tryin to borrow tax -money, workin on the “gold basis,” as it were. - -He ginerally is quiet durin tryin times. He dont know what minit he may -need my help. - -This tax bizness is a deep question, and seems to be a gittin deeper. -How does it come that a feller what has a farm, and owes for it, has to -pay the same tax as he would if he had it all paid for? - -Now, here is Jobe and me. We have this farm, that haint worth more nor -$2,500; we owe $1,800 gold mortgage on it. So we own $700 of its worth, -and the banker what holds the mortgage owns the balance. We have to pay -$51.80 a year tax on it. That is, we pay $51.80 tax on $700 we own. -Haint that over seven per cent. tax on all we are worth? Now, if the -banker is permitted to deduct his debts from his tax list, and the -storekeeper and manufacturer is allowed to deduct their debts from their -tax list, why haint the law-makers what Jobe and his likes has been -electin to office made laws to allow the farmer to deduct his debts from -his tax list? Why haint they, I say? Haint a voter what farms for a -livin jist as good a citizen, jist as much entitled to the benefit of -laws as the fellers are what lends money for a livin, or what sells -store goods, or gits rich by makin things to sell to the farmers and -sich? - -If we only had to pay taxes on what we have paid on this farm, on what -we have over our debts, we wouldent have to borrow any tax money this -June. If anybody but them crazy Populists would offer to make sich a -law, I believe I could git Jobe to vote for it. But them Populists are -pizen to Jobe. - -He is so swelled up and elated over the county offices bein filled with -Republican officeseekers instid of Dimicrats, that I dont suppose he -will ever vote any other ticket, even if doin so would put him out of -debt or bring down taxes and interest and sich. - -The second nite arter the cold weather drove Jobe in from the haymow to -the comfortable bed of his lawful wife, I had a experience Ile never -forgit. - -[Illustration: “JOBE WAS ON HIS KNEES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BED.”] - -We had gone to bed about the usual hour, and as neither was very sleepy -we fell to talkin. - -I had tried to avoid anything of a perlitical natur since that tryin -mornin in the kitchen, and Jobe had got along with givin me a slur now -and then. - -Well, arter we had laid there some time we got onto the question of -taxes, and I onthoughtedly said: - -“Jobe, why couldent there be a law to make interest less and taxes -lower? - -“What good does it do you and your likes to vote the same party ticket -year arter year, when you see they dont do anything to make things -easier for you—when you know, or ort a know, that the men what runs your -party only work for the money they can git out of the taxes you pay? - -“What difference is it to you what party has the offices? Better laws is -what you ort a look to. - -“What satisfaction is it to you to have the Republicans in, anyhow?” - -I hadent that last question out of my mouth until Jobe was up on his -knees in the middle of the bed, layin it off with both hands. The moon -shinin in through the winder made him look like a ghost, with his long -gray whiskers and nothin on but his shirt. - -[Illustration: “A strait, influential, leadin Republican officeholder.”] - -“Satisfaction! satisfaction!” says he, loud and quick. “Betsy Gaskins, -for forty odd years Ive been goin to that air court-house and have had -to pay my taxes to Dimicrats—copperheads, if you please, rebels!—and do -you suppose its no satisfaction for me to go there now and see a -Republican in every office? Betsy, it was the happiest day of my life -when George Sharp told me that the last office in that air court-house -was filled by a Republican. Even the janitor, Betsy, is a Republican. -Yes, sir, the janitor is a prominent Republican. Satisfaction! Do you -suppose it is no satisfaction for me to go into that court-house and see -a influential Republican cleanin them big spittoons and a sweepin of -that stone floor? Do you suppose that when I spit in one of them large -vessels, or throw a chaw of terbacker in one of them, that it does not -give me more satisfaction to know that that terbacker what has been in -the mouth of Jobe Gaskins will be handled and wiped out of that spittoon -by a prominent, influential Republican than if a copperhead Dimicrat was -to do it? Satisfaction! Betsy, you women dont know what real perlitical -satisfaction and enjoyment is—thats one reason you haint got sense -enough to vote. - -“Do you suppose that Ive been a votin the Republican ticket all these -years for nothin? No, sir. - -“If the Republicans hadent a turned out the Dimicrat what was janitor, -and appinted a tried and true Republican in his place, I wouldent a gone -to the next election. Jist to think of all them court-house offices bein -filled by Republicans—janitor and all—is enough to make any true -Republican farmer rejoice.” - -Durin all this time I jist laid there and let him talk. Finally he laid -down, and, thinkin I was asleep, he muttered a few things to himself and -went to sleep too. - -[Illustration: “Lots of fellows just like him.”] - -Poor Jobe! If I had a knode it would be sich great enjoyment to him and -his likes to knock the Dimicrats out of that court-house, Ide a been in -favor of it long ago. I would, though Ime a Dimicrat. - -Jobe says you can find lots of fellers, jist like him, standin around -the court-house nowdays, chawin terbacker and talkin polerticks, jist to -git to spit in them big spittoons and to have the satisfaction of knowin -that it will be cleaned out by a strait, influential, leadin Republican -officeholder. - -Well, all Ive got to say is to let them enjoy their satisfaction while -they can, for that is about all they git for the taxes they pay and the -vote they vote and have been a votin for years. - -Ime glad they have spittoons in that court-house. If they hadent, what -would Jobe and his likes git for votin the strait ticket? What would -they git, I say? - -Susan Swaller is a goin over into Harrison County next week to visit her -aunt, and Ime a goin along. - -While Ime over there Ime a goin to find out more about the county -commissioners of our county offerin to sell that county a bridge for -much less money than they charged this county for the same kind of a -bridge. If what I hear is true, Ile give Jobe names and dates and prices -that will make him stand clear up in bed next time, moonlite or no -moonlite, shirt or no shirt. - -[Illustration] - - - - - CHAPTER XIX. - A BIG-HEADED MAN. - - -JOBE and me are livin under a flag of truce. I went down into the -adjoinin county to find out which one of our county commissioners is the -bridge agent, and by what I could hear it was Commissioner Westholt what -was down there, but it seems they are all agents or kind a pardners in -the “commission” bizness. - -When I got home I up and told Jobe that it was one of the Republican -commissioners—givin his name. Jobe he flew up and claimed he knew -better; that Commissioner Westholt is a Dimicrat, for he had been -inquirin too. - -Jobe said that it was purty hard to find anything out about it, as all -the court-house fellers thought it would be better not to let it git -out. - -Jobe says they told him that it wasent anything onusual for a county -officer to make all he could while he had a chance, and as a difference -of $400 or $500 on a bridge was only a little thing to each tax-payer, -they hadent ort to know much about it, as they might git to talkin about -it and hurt the party. - -And Jobe says they told him on the quiet that the Dimicrat commissioner -was the bridge agent _now_, but jist as soon as his time was out a -Republican would come in, and a commissioner of his own party would git -the job of lookin arter the bridge company’s interests in this county. - -This seemed to satisfy Jobe, so he proposed to me that if I would say -nothin more about it he wouldent until they can git a full board of -Republicans in. - -[Illustration: “Jobe he flew up.”] - -And as there seems to be some doubt as to which one is agent _now_, that -Dimicrat or one of the Republicans, I agreed to postpone further -argament on the subject until that pint was settled. - -I would like to know which one is _it_ now. - -If it is the Republican, and not the Dimicrat, Jobe will ketch it. If it -is the Dimicrat, and not a Republican, I expect Ile have to lay low. - -But let it be Republican or Dimicrat, either or both, it seems to me -that a man must have a big head for bizness that is able to be the buyer -and seller of a thing at the same time. It seems to me he would git -“mixed in the deal.” - -As county commissioner he takes an oath to buy the things for the county -as cheap as he can git them. As agent of the bridge company he would -want to sell a bridge for as high price as possible, so that his -commission would be big. - -Wouldent you like to see him a argyin with himself, fust as buyer, then -as salesman? - -But then, Jobe says, “they work the office for all there is in it.” - -Now, if Mistur Republican or Dimicrat, as the case may be, as county -commissioner, gits his salary from the taxpayers, whether he buys a -bridge at a high figger or a low figger, dont you suppose he lets -himself, as bridge agent, work himself, as county commissioner, for a -little bigger price for a bridge than he would let himself, as county -commissioner, be worked for if somebody else was bridge agent, -especially when the pay for sellin bridges depends on the price you sell -them for? - -I cant see what Jobe and his likes expect to git out of that way of -runnin bizness. - -But then there are the spittoons. - -[Illustration: “It wasent anything onusual for a county officer to make -all he could.”] - - - - - CHAPTER XX. - “BONDS SELL WELL.” - - -JOBE haint got that tax money yit. Times seem awful hard. But Jobe says -they jist seem that way; they haint hard at all. “Times are never hard -under a gold basis,” Jobe says. - -Jobe was a argyin last nite that “times is better than they was jist -arter the war.” - -[Illustration: “‘Hadent we all ort to be satisfied so long as bonds -sells well?’”] - -Says he: “Hadent we all ort to be satisfied so long as bonds sells -well?” - -Now, I dont know. Maybe we had. - -[Illustration: “‘Times are never hard under a gold basis,’ Jobe says.”] - -But Jobe and me have been a keepin house for nigh onto thirty-six years, -and of all the crops we have raised to try to make a livin at, Ive never -seen Jobe plant a single government bond at seed-time nor harvest one at -harvest time; so whether government bonds bring high prices or low, good -prices or bad, I cant see what benefit it is to Jobe and his likes so -long as they haint got any to sell. And if government bonds are like -bridge bonds, I think the lower they are, and the fewer of them that are -sold, the better it will be for him and his likes. - -I guess it is really so that them iron tubes under the Dover bridge cost -the taxpayers of this county jist what stone butments would a cost. - -I hear the contract was fust let for stone butments, and then the same -contractors persuaded the county commissioners, “by word of mouth or -otherwise,” to let them put in them little iron tubes, and was paid the -same pay as if they had put in stone butments. - -They dont do things that way down in Pennsylvania. My aunt Jane’s son -Charles is a workin down there. He sent me a paper from his town, and -here is the way they do it down in that State: - - “COURT WOULDN’T RELEASE THEM. - -“HOLLIDAYSBURG, PA., June 24.—The Blair County Court, this afternoon, -declined to order the release from custody of County Commissioners John -Hurd and James Funk on a writ of _habeas corpus_. The accused officials -were required to furnish bail in three different prosecutions for -malfeasance in office. The grand jury reported to court this afternoon -that the two commissioners had unlawfully let two important bridge -contracts to the Groton Bridge Company at a loss to the county of -$1,490. The jury requested that the court interpose its power to prevent -such loss.” - -You notice that it would be dangerful for county commissioners to let a -bridge contract, like the Trenton bridge, contrary to law, without -advertisin, if they were down in that State. - -Jobe hasent time to discuss this bridge question now, nor wont have till -arter tax-borrowin time is over. He is bizzy. - -[Illustration] - - - - - CHAPTER XXI. - THE SERMON. - - -I GUESS Jobe and me are goners. Jobe is nearly broken-hearted, and I -feel kind a faint like. We will have to go to hell. Our preacher says -so. - -Last Sunday Jobe wanted me to go to meetin. I said Ide go. So I jist put -on that hat I got from Jane Summers, and the blue cambric dress I have -wore now for some three years, and we hitched poor old crippled Tom to -the spring wagon and we went. - -We tied Tom under a shade tree jist outside of town and walked in. - -They was singin when we got there. As we walked up the ile of that big -Methodist church, crowded full of leadin men and women, they pinted and -whispered and snickered at my straw hat and Jobe’s linen coat, with a -muslin patch on the sleeve, till I was really ashamed of some of them. -High-toned people _do_ sometimes act so silly that its shockin. - -Well, the preacher took a hard text to preach from. - -It was about Jesus tellin a young feller “to go sell all he had and give -it to the poor.” - -I thought the preacher had his foot in it the minit he read that text. - -But then he got out of it in a way that cast a gloom over Jobe and me. -He went on to explain that Jesus dident mean what he said; that he was -jist a jokin with the feller. - -He said Jesus wanted to make a preacher out of the young man, and he -told him that jist to try him; but when he told him to do that the young -feller went off sorry and dident go to preachin. - -[Illustration: “They whispered and snickered at my straw hat and Jobe’s -linen coat.”] - -I jist thought if that was what Jesus intended to do and why he told him -that, Jesus was a poor judge of timber to make a preacher out of.C - -[Illustration: “He said the rich all belong to church.”] - -Then the preacher went on to show that the young feller Jesus failed to -make a preacher out of was the only one he meant should give anything to -the poor; that he dident mean anybody in that Methodist meetin-house; -that they and everybody else could git all they could and keep all they -can git; that the more they git and the less they give to the poor the -surer they would be of gittin to heaven. - -He said the rich all belong to church and were good; that that was the -reason they were rich—because God loved them and prospered them; that -God had made them his bankers, and they were his bankers. - -Well, when he said all that I jist felt gone like. - -I looked at Jobe, and he was as pale as a ghost. He was skeert. - -We both felt that we were doomed to eternal torment, because the Lord -knows he hasent prospered us. - -We are old and poor. If riches is evidence that God favors the rich, and -that they are good, and that He will take them to heaven because they -are rich, to be poor is a sign that God does not favor the poor, and -that they are bad and will go to hell. - -We have worked hard, Jobe and me. - -We have plowed and sowed and rept; we have labored in sunshine and in -rain; we have paid interest on interest, taxes on taxes; we have caught -bushels of pertater bugs and killed thousands of cut-worms, tryin to git -rich and thus gain the favor of the church and reach the kingdom of -heaven. - -We have picked the lice from spring calves and buried many a sheep that -died of the rot, tryin to gain the praises of the preachers and the -world and git on equal footin, in the race for eternal bliss, with the -fellers who live on interest and rent and taxes and dividends and sich, -and in all our efforts we have failed. So now in our old age, with late -frosts in the spring and airly frosts in the fall, with drouth when it -ort to be wet, and wet when it ort to be dry, I can see no chance to -gain the praises of the church and the necessary qualification for God’s -favor this late in our lives. - -Feelin this way, I can see nothin for us to do but to work day and nite -to pay interest and taxes, so as to help the money-lenders, monopolists -and officeholders git there. - -Its bad, but I suppose it must be that way. The preacher knows. - -Jobe has been buildin great hopes on havin it easier in the hereafter. -His hopes are blasted. It looks now as though he would not have the -pleasure of even votin the strait ticket in the great beyond. - -Poor Jobe! Its a great disappintment to him. - -But whats to be done? - -He will jist have to submit. He cant help it. - - - - - CHAPTER XXII. - JOBE HELPING TO RAISE THE OFFICERS’ SALARIES. - - -JOBE has been a helpin Hen Minick cut wheat and harvest for a week past, -and the poor man has big blisters in his hand and cracks and sores on -his fingers that jist keep me busy a pickin and a salvin and a doctorin. -And he is that stiff he can hardly walk. - -He has been workin to git money to pay taxes with. - -When he got done Hen told him he would have to wait till arter thrashin -time for the $7.50 he owes him for helpin. - -Jobe told him he would have to have it right away, as his taxes was past -due, and if he dident pay them soon they would attach a penalty to them. -Hen said he was sorry, but he dident have a dollar, nor haint had for -weeks. - -Jobe come home discouraged like. - -How can he git it from Hen when Hen haint got it? - -If Jobe sues him, Hen will git mad and git somebody else to do his -harvestin next time. - -Besides, Hen is honest and would pay if he had it. He is a good nabor -and worth it, but Hen says times is hard and money scarce. - -[Illustration: HARVESTING.] - -[Illustration: “I was puttin salve on Jobe’s hands.”] - -When I was a puttin salve on Jobe’s hands last nite I jist thought: - -“Here is the same hand that has been puttin tickets in the box for -thirty years or more to help elect the law-makers who made laws to lend -money to national bankers at one per cent.; laws to issue bonds to git -the paper money of the country to burn; laws to demonitize silver; laws -to make money scarce and times hard; laws to enable the rich to live off -the poor. And here that hand is sore and full of cracks and pain—yes, -the same hand that has helped to elect the county officers of this -county—full of blisters and scabs, made so a workin to git money to help -pay them officeholders their salaries—salaries of thousands of dollars a -year—and they ready to add to that tax and sell our home in order to git -them big salaries if Jobe dident pay his sheer.” - -There is the probate judge, who gits $5,300 a year; and the county -clerk, who gits $5,500; and the recorder, who gits $3,600; and the -sheriff, who gits $3,900; and the treasurer, who gits $3,400; and the -auditor, who gits $3,500; and the prosecutin attorney, who gits $1,600; -and the county commissioners, who git $1,400 apiece. And they git it -from Jobe and his likes, who dont make $500 a year, even when seasons -are favorable and crops good. And they are gittin of them big salaries -by the votes of Jobe and his likes, who has them to pay—yes, by the -votes of the very fellers who are a blisterin their hands and a rubbin -salve and a walkin stiff to pay them. - -Now if them salaries were reduced to what them same men would be willin -to work for at anything else—if them salaries were reduced to $600 for -commissioners and $1,500 for probate judge, auditor and sich, I wonder -if it wouldent take less blisters and briars and cracks and backaches to -pay them to do the people’s work. - -[Illustration: The hand that voted “the strait ticket.”] - -Any of them would be willin to do the same work for them figgers, if the -people would git together and, instid of votin for officeseekers, vote -for men who would make a law to only pay sich figgers for public work. - -Is it any wonder they want to hold Jobe and his likes in line? - -All Ive got to say is: If Jobe and his likes would rather have sore -hands and stiff backs, if they would rather rub salve and pick briars -than to quit votin the “strait ticket,” let them have them. Let them -pick and rub. - -This strait ticket bizness is increasin the demand for St. Jacob’s oil -and Green Mountain salve and sich alarminly. - -But as they are great on the “home market” scheme, I suppose they are -satisfied, and I ort to be. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII. - PLAN TO RELIEVE THE RICH OF AN EXPENSE. - - -ON the fust page of last Tuesday’s _Plain Dealer_ there is a article -that has caused me to have a great deal of thought. - -It is about Captain Fred W. Lawrence of Company B, of the Standin Army -of Ohio, a writin to the coal operators, and railroad officers, and -monopolists, and bankers, and rich speculators of Cleveland, askin them -to give somethin toward supportin said army. - -He says he wants to git “good men in the militia—men who can be depended -on to do their duty in case of _labor trouble_.” - -Now, Fred dont want any common scrubs in his company. He needs money to -hire the kind of men he wants—“men who will do their duty in case of -labor trouble.” - -Now what is the “duty” of sich men? - -What does Fred want them to do to the “laborin people”? - -Haint it the “duty” of good men belongin to a army, like Fred, to shoot? - -Judge Hutchins and Judge Blandin and some of the other polerticians say -Fred hadent ort to a writ that letter, or, if he wanted to write it, he -hadent ort to a writ it in that way, because _now_ it is out what the -militia is for. - -The militia is to shoot laborin men with. - -They are afraid some of the laborin people will begin to ask themselves -what they are votin the strait ticket for. - -[Illustration: “SOME GOOD MEN IN CASE OF LABOR TROUBLE.”] - -Fred says he jist copied that letter from the ones his predecessors in -office have been sendin out to these rich people for years. - -Now what is botherin me is how to save them coal operators, and railroad -owners, and monopolists, and rich stockholders in monopolies, from havin -to pay toward sich things as “keepin up the militia.” - -They are leadin citizens and own the coal fields, and railroads, and -banks, and trusts, and sich. They are rich, and everything should be -done to make it easy for them to git along in the world without trouble. - -If there were no laborin men there wouldent be any need of “keepin up -the militia.” - -So if the militia is to be used only to quiet the people who labor, the -best thing I know of is to get rid of the laborin people. - -They seem to be a kind of unwelcome creatures in this world anyhow. - -If we can get rid of them this will be a fine country. The rich can live -in peace and the militia fellers can go to doin somethin useful. - -Now there is several good ways to git rid of the people who work for a -livin. - -The best and surest way is to kill them, and now is the time to do it, -when land is cheap. The buryin wont cost so much now as it would if we -had more money and land was higher. - -But I dont believe in shootin. - -They ort to be killed in some nice, quiet way, in a way that wont -cripple them up as militia shootin might. - -I hate to see crippled poor people; it makes me feel sorry for them. - -The thing to do is to git a great lot of them together in a bunch, then -do it quick and sure. - -The best way I know of is to offer a great feast of bread and “real cow -butter,” with three or four side dishes, and invite all to come and -feast their fill. - -Then when they are all at a great feast, eatin and enjoyin theirselves, -like the rich people do, have an electric arrangement fixed so the -current could be turned on the whole crowd at once, and in twelve -seconds they would all be stone dead. - -They would die with a smile on their faces, jist like as if they had -allus sot at the table of plenty and enjoyed theirselves. The big -Methodist church in town would be a good place to have the feast and do -the killin. - -Then arter the current was turned off all we would have to do would be -to load their dead bodies in wagons and haul them off and bury them in -some cheap piece of ground and let the militia disband. - -Dont you see, in that way we would dispose of the old and young -alike—the little children as well as the grown up men and women. I know -some of the little children are pretty. Some even have nice yaller, -curly hair, big blue eyes and red cheeks, and love one another. Ive -heern of them clingin to the necks of their fathers and mothers with -love, even when hungry. But we will have to kill the little things, or -they will grow up to annoy the rich, jist as their fathers and mothers -annoy them now. - -Of course, I know drownin is a easy death, and pizenin and all sich, but -them are old-fashioned ways. Some of them might escape if we undertook -to do it them ways. - -This electricity bizness is a grand thing, and is sure death if worked -right. - -Of course, other counties could do it whichever way they think best, but -here in Tuscarawas County, with the big Methodist church and all and -plenty of laborin people, electricity is the thing to use. - -[Illustration: “Some of the little children are pretty.”] - -We might have two or three killins in this county. Fust we could give a -feast to all the rollin mill men and rail workers; then to all the coal -miners; then to all the carpenters, and stone masons, and day laborers, -and sich, and by not lettin any escape, one kind wouldent git onto what -was bein done until we had them enclosed and the current turned on. - -Ive been a talkin to Jobe about it, and he says that jist whatever the -Republican party says he’ll agree to; but he declares he dont want to go -to town on the day of the killin. - -I dont know why he doesent want to go. It may be he is afraid he will -git inside, or it may be he doesent want to look upon the faces of those -dead poor people, whose toil has created all the wealth the rich people -own who now wants them killed. - -Now, Mistur Editure, if you will talk this scheme up among the rich -people of the nation, and especially of Ohio, I think you can git them -to see that it would be much cheaper than their payin each year to keep -a standin army, and it would be more kind to the laborin people than to -shoot them through the head when they are hungry, or make them cry with -pain by cripplin them all up with big, heavy Winchester bullets. - -Besides, think of the moanin and grief and heartaches and tears it would -save the wives and children if they are killed at the same time their -husbands and fathers are. - -Shootin down men folks allers makes someone cry, and I hate to hear it -even if it is poor women and little poor children. - -And shootin seems to be sich a slow way of gittin rid of them. - -Why, down in New York they use electricity to kill murderers with. They -wouldent think of standin off and shootin even murderers down there. -They use electricity because it is quicker and surer death, and more -refined, and I know that the people of Ohio who labor for a livin haint -any worse or deservin of more cruel treatment than murderers are in New -York. - -Hopin the rich will be merciful to the poor as long as they let them -live on their land and in their country, I am yours for electricity and -agin the militia. - -[Illustration] - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV. - THEM PROMISES. - - -JOBE took what hay he could spare to town yisterday and sold it to -Billot, the miller. He dident git any money. He took Billot’s note, due -ten days before our semi-annual interest falls due on our mortgage. - -Jobe says he would rather have Billot’s note than the money. He says it -haint in style to pay cash durin a gold basis. - -[Illustration: “Jobe took what hay he could spare.”] - -Our hay crop wasent nothin to brag on this year. We got $19 worth of hay -off from five acres of medder, and a little doodle for old Tom. - -Now, I haint a goin to complain any more till arter fall election, but -when Jobe come home and told me that $19 was all he got for his hay, and -that what he did git would have to go for interest, I jist thought that -it would not be so hard to give what you raise to somebody else if you -got anything to show for it when you did give. - -But arter we sell our hay and thirty bushels of wheat that Billot said -he would take at 60 cents a bushel, and the Lord only knows what else, -to pay that $63 interest in October, we will still owe jist as much as -we did before. - -[Illustration: “They are kept so busy legislatin.”] - -Now, if my dream had been true, and we had borrowed that $1,800 from the -county treasurer at only two per cent., instid of the banker at seven -per cent., our semi-annual interest would a bin only $18 instid of $63. - -With $63, then, we could have paid the $18 interest to the county and -$45 on the mortgage—and that would be encouragin. - -I wonder when the Dimicratic, or Republican party either, or both, will -begin to do somethin to make it easy for people to buy homes, and pay -for them, by makin it easy for people to borrow money when they need it, -by reducin interest and taxes and sich. - -Every election since Jobe and me was married, fust one party and then -the other has been promisin to do somethin to help the people git along -in the world, but I declare to goodness I have nearly got discouraged -waitin for them to do it. - -They seem to be so forgetful arter election. I guess they are kept so -busy legislatin and makin laws to help the rich that they jist dont have -time to do anything for the poor. - -By the time the law-makers git all the laws that the railroad-owners and -street-car companies and bridge companies and bankers and bondholders -and monopolists and other milionairs want, they haint got any time to -look arter the farmers and mechanics and merchants and mill-hands and -coal miners and sich; so they jist let the people’s bizness go, until -the next election, to make promises on. And as the voters seem willin to -wait, jist so they git to vote the strait ticket, I guess I will have to -do so too. - -[Illustration] - - - - - CHAPTER XXV. - JOBE EXCITED OVER A NOMINATION. - - -THIS mornin while I was settin a churnin and thinkin, thinkin how high -the monopoly men and the money-lenders and the officeholders live, and -how low the farmers and mechanics and day laborers live, and wonderin -why some live high and some low, Jobe come a stormin in at the kitchen -door, so suddint like that it skeert me. - -Says he: “Betsy, give me my overhalls, quick, and put up that churnin -and come out and help me build a higher fence around the medder.” - -And while he was a sayin it he was a jerkin skirts and pettycoats and -sich like down from the nails in the wall onto the floor, a huntin them -overhalls. - -“Why, Jobe,” says I, “what on airth is the matter? What do you want more -fence around the medder for?” - -“To save the grass, Betsy, to save the grass,” says he. “What would you -suppose Ide want more fence around the medder for? Hurry up, quit that -churnin and git me them overhalls, or he will have half the grass -stomped out before we git a rail up.” - -I stopped churnin, and, lookin him strait in the face, says I: - -“Jobe Gaskins, are you crazy? What are you talkin about anyhow?” - -[Illustration: “A huntin them overhalls.”] - -“What am I talkin about?” says he. “What am I talkin about? Betsy, Ime -talkin about Coxey—Coxey! Theyve went and nominated him for governor, -and he’ll stomp all the grass out of the State of Ohio if the fences -haint built higher and stronger. - -“You can see now what them Populists are a bringin us to. - -“You can see now what you git for readin them Populist books and papers. - -“You git to carry rails, and set stakes, and put on riders, and——” - -I had sot down and went to churnin. - -When Jobe heerd the sound of that dasher he stopped huntin for them -overhalls, and, turnin to me with fire in his eyes, says, says he: - -“Haint you a goin to help build that fence?” - -I stopped churnin, and, turnin round facin him, with my hands on my -knees, says I: - -[Illustration: “I had sot down and went to churnin.”] - -“Jobe Gaskins, if you and your likes would begin to build up your common -sense and good judgment with sich ideas as Coxey’s ‘county bonds without -interest,’ and Coxey’s plan of makin roads and givin work to idle men -like yourself—I say, if you and your likes would build up your common -sense with some sich ideas instid of votin the strait ticket with your -eyes shet, you wouldent have to lose so much time in the future a -borrowin interest money and workin to pay taxes. Yes, if you and your -likes had been a votin for some sich ideas for years past instid of -votin for a lot of office-seekin canderdates (who never had a idea), you -wouldent be $1,800 in debt to-day; you wouldent be a sellin wheat for -sixty cents a bushel and wool for fifteen cents a pound; you wouldent be -a givin all you raise every year for interest and taxes. - -“So my advice to you, Jobe Gaskins, is for you and your likes to open -gaps in your wall of prejudice and let Coxey and his ideas in, instid of -buildin higher fences around your medders to keep him out. - -“Yes, put up a notice invitin Mr. Coxey to come in and plant his ideas -all over your field, and tromp them in if need be. - -“Do this, and I think when you go to vote hereafter you will see crops a -growin you haint seen before.” - -Jobe had been sidelin toward the door while I was speakin, and, reachin -it, he went out a mutterin somethin about dyin before he would change; -that he wouldent let Coxey into his medder if it would cause enough hay -to grow next year to pay off the $1,800 mortgage that’s on our farm. - -I went on a finishin my churnin so as to have the butter to trade for -some groceries when the huckster comes around. It was lovely butter. I -was tempted to use some of it for dinner, but dident dare, for fear I -wouldent have enough left to git what we actually need. - -[Illustration] - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI. - THE BLOOMERS. - - -I MADE me a pair of Dimicratic bloomers day before yisterday, and Jobe -he is mad. Ive been a waitin to make me a pair all summer, but put off -doin so till arter the Dimicratic State convention. As soon as I heerd -from that convention I sot to work and made them. - -I made one leg and the waist out of a pair of Jobe’s old black pants, -and the other leg I made out of a sheet. - -The black leg is to represent the polerticians and schemers what wants a -“gold basis,” and the white leg is for the Dimicratic voters what wants -silver for money jist like we use to have years ago when times were -good. - -I made the black leg and waist for the right side, because it seems that -the fellers what it stands for is the strongest, and the white leg is -for the “left” side. - -When I was a soin that white leg to the black leg, every now and then a -stitch would break out of the white leg, jist as though that white leg -dident want to be hitched onto that “black leg” side, and I jist thought -it would be a wonder if the white leg side of them bloomers dident split -clear off from the “black leg” side before election day. - -But by a good deal of whippin and stitchin I got them together and put -them on to go out and pick pertater bugs. - -[Illustration: “The Dimicratic bloomers.”] - -Jobe he was away, and I was as busy as I could be knockin bugs into an -old tomato can, bent over like, when Jobe come up to the gate and -hollered: - -“Hello, mistur!” - -I stopped and turned towards him and says, says I: - -“I thank you, Jobe Gaskins; Ime no ‘mistur.’” - -Well, you ort a seen the look on that man’s face. - -He turned pale, opened his eyes skeert like, stepped back and says: - -“Why, Betsy, what air you out here for with your clothes off?” - -That made me mad. Says I: - -“Mistur Gaskins, I thank you for none of your insults. If you had any -sense you would know that I am dressed in the latest fashion.” - -Then I explained to him that bloomers were all the go, and that I had -made mine arter the style of my party—arter the Dimicratic State -platform of Ohio and the Dimicratic county platform of Tuscarawas -County—one gold, the other silver. Says I: - -“Dont you see, Jobe, in this garb we ketch em a comin and we ketch em a -goin.” - -Says he: “Betsy, do you intend to wear them things all fall?” - -“I do,” says I. - -[Illustration: “HELLO, MISTUR!”] - -He studied a minit. Then, lookin at me determined like, says he: - -[Illustration: “‘We ketch em a comin an we ketch em a goin.’”] - -“You needent look for me home to-nite.” - -And off he started. - -As he went he kept lookin, fust back at me, then down at his pants. - -Whether or not he was a thinkin that his pants with their patches -represented the platform of his “dear old Republican party” I cant say. -But I jist thought: “If they dont represent his party platform, they are -a good standin advertisement of the greenbacks that have been burnt, and -the bonds that have been issued, and silver that has been demonitized by -them within the last thirty years.” - -Jobe is gone, the Lord only knows where, but Ive made up my mind to -truly represent the divided principles of Dimocracy as it now stands, if -doin so elects Coxey the next governor of Ohio and makes me a grass -widder for life. Feelin that way, I am yours in bloomers. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVII. - “THEM POPULISTS.” - - -IME in trouble. Them Dimicratic bloomers seem bound to split asunder, or -worse. Some days there is only a stitch or two breaks out; other days -they rip half the length of my arm. - -Every time I think of the high interest we are payin and have been a -payin for these many years, of the number of times we have changed -officers from Dimicrats to Republicans, then from Republicans to -Dimicrats, back and forth, time and agin, without any change except for -the worse—every time that I think in all these years not one Dimicrat or -Republican officeseeker or polertician has riz up in Congress and -demanded that the law that permits interest and foreclosin and sich be -abolished, a stitch or two lets go. Yes, neither Dimicrat or Republican -has ever proposed to abolish interest or in any way make it easier for -the hard-workin poor people to git homes and pay for them. And the more -I think of what they did do that they oughtent a done, and what they -haint done that they ort a done, the more I wonder that there are enough -men left of either of them, or, for that matter, of both, to hold a -county convention. - -But then I spose its because they are born that way. - -But talkin of my gold and silver bloomers, nothin seems to strain them -so much or make as long rips in them as a listenin to them Populists -explainin Coxey’s “Good Roads Bill” and them bonds what wont draw any -interest. When I see in my mind people a needin work and a gittin -it—when I can see how under that law Jobe wouldent have to spend time a -borrowin tax-money, but could work for it, them bloomers keep a gittin -more obstreperous all the time. - -The other nite at our school-house they jist kept a rippin and a rippin -as speaker arter speaker went on a showin us what we haint got that we -ort to have; showin us how we had been a throwin our votes away for -these thirty years or more; showin us how that votin for officeseekers -and polerticians and votin for good laws and good government was two -different things; showin us that while Jobe and his likes has been a -doin the votin, the officeseekers and polerticians has been a makin the -laws that takes from us in taxes and interest what we raise, and that it -seems that we are willin to submit just so long as they will let us keep -on a votin for them. - -I tell you its a goin to take a good deal of Brice’s senatorial soin -thread to hold these bloomers together until election day; and arter -election, sooner or later, I know they will split. That white leg side -hates the black leg side worse nor pisen, and here and there all over -the white leg I notice strange-lookin spots the same color as the -clothes them Populists wear. And the spots are a growin and I fear there -will be no bloomer bizness when them spots are big enough to rule that -leg. - -If it ever happens that all the people who have suffered from the hard -times that bad laws have brought them go to flockin together, and votin -for common, decent people to make our laws, there will be a weepin and a -wailin among the high-toned rulin class. The people will quit bein led -around with a ring in their nose by the polerticians and officeseekers -jist like Dave Syke’s Durham bull. But so long as one Dimicratic -convention declares for gold and the other for silver, I suppose Ile -have to try to hold my bloomers together. - -Well, Jobe he come back last Saturday. He had been gone for two -weeks. When I seen him a comin up the lane, I jist felt like I use -to when I was a girl. He dident say a word about my bloomers, but -seemed pleased like to see me. Before he got up to the porch he -says: “Hello, Betsy!” and when he got to me he shook hands and -kissed me (the fust time for nigh onto twenty years)—yes, sir, -kissed me, and me in bloomers—Dimicratic bloomers!—and him a -Republican. Somehow it seems the Republicans do like us Dimicrats -better than they use to. Maybe its because we all hate them -Populists so. - -[Illustration: “I seen him a comin up the lane.”] - -Well, arter Jobe had come in and got his supper and I got my work done -up, we went into the front room and sot down; sot down to have a talk—to -court like. I had to begin the talkin. Says I: - -“Jobe, where have you been for so long?” - -“Well, Betsy,” says he, “Ive been around over the country learnin all I -could about them Populists. Do you know, Betsy, that them Populists are -jist made up of a lot of farmers, and school teachers, and doctors, and -store-keepers, and railroad hands, and mill-workers, and coal-miners, -and carpenters, and stonemasons, and day laborers and sich? Do you know -that the lawyers, and judges, and officeholders, and bondholders, and -polerticians, and monopolists, and bankers, and railroad officials, and -coal operators, and in fact nearly all the fust, high-toned and leadin -citizens of our country—all them that dont work for a livin—them what -are smart enough to live without workin—all sich, they dont belong to -them at all.” - -Says I: “Is that so?” - -“Yes,” says he, “it is. And now, Betsy, what do them Populists expect to -do? Do they expect to elect farmers, and school teachers, and merchants, -and mechanics, and men what work for a livin, as officers? - -“Do they expect to have men what haint got any more sense than to work -for a livin to make our laws? - -“Do you think farmers have sense enough to know what laws farmers need? - -“Do you suppose school teachers has sense enough to know anything about -schools? - -“Does merchants know anything about the store-keepin bizness? - -“Do you suppose mechanics and mill-men and miners know anything about -laborin? No. These men what do all these things dont know anything about -the things they do. - -“We want lawyers, and bankers, and railroad owners, and monopolists, and -speculators, and bondholders, and mine-owners and sich as our -law-makers. These are the fellers what know all about farmin and -teachin, and sellin goods, and diggin coal, and buildin houses, and -workin mills, and makin things. Yes, Betsy, the fellers what do them -things haint got sense enough to know anything about the things they do. -Its the fellers what dont do them that knows all about them. - -[Illustration: “THE FUST TIME FOR NIGH ONTO TWENTY YEARS.”] - -“Now, Betsy, this bein the case, if you are a goin to wear bloomers, I -want you to color that white leg black and work for the strait ticket, -so, if the Dimicrats git in, we will have the same kind of men to make -our laws as we would have if the Republicans git in. We must unite agin -them Populists, Betsy, or the fust thing we know they will be a gittin -in and passin them laws what Coxey is wantin passed, and then people -what work for a livin will go to askin $1.50 a day—and a gittin it. I -repeat it, Betsy, we must unite.” - -I was silent. - -Jobe, continerin, says: - -“Betsy, think over this and lets us two old parties hereafter live in -peace and unite our efforts in keepin things jist as they are, and not -go to complainin of hard times of our own makin.” - -It bein late, and not wishin to git into a argament with Jobe so soon -arter his return to my boozum, I retired in silence, but I cant jist say -that I swaller all of Jobe’s logic without peelin. - -I think I shall defer the colorin of that white leg for a few days, -until we have discussed the subject further, and until I have obtained -the full consent of the white leg side to the colorin act, remainin for -the time ondecidedly yourn. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVIII. - TROUBLE WITH BILLOT. - - -THERE may be hopes of my bloomers survivin the election, but I tell you -it takes stitchin and soin to do it. That State platform ort a been like -the county platform, or else the county platform like the State. Then my -bloomers would a been all alike—both legs made of the same kind of -stuff—and wouldent a needed this whippin and stitchin and soin. - -Jobe is in a fix agin. - -Our interest falls due the 20th of October, and you remember it is -payable in gold. - -[Illustration: “Billot jist laffed at him.”] - -Well, what do you think? Jobe sold his hay and wheat to Billot, the -miller, and took Billot’s note for $37.60, and yisterday, when Jobe went -to git his money, Billot counted him out paper money for the amount. - -Jobe told him that he wanted gold. - -Billot jist laffed at him, and told Jobe that paper money was legal -tender in sich bizness as this. - -[Illustration: “Jobe he got mad and called Billot a Populist.”] - -Jobe told him that we was on a “gold basis,” and that he had to have -gold to pay Banker Vinting his interest. - -Billot said he had nothin to do with Jobe’s interest or Banker Vinting; -that Jobe could take that paper money or nothin. - -Jobe he got mad and called Billot a crank and a Populist and all sich -terrible names. - -Then Billot ordered Jobe out of the mill, and Jobe went off and sued -Billot for $37.60 in gold. - -Jobe says he’ll teach Billot that gold is the money of this country. He -says that Billot thinks that jist because he is a old farmer that he -haint good enough to pay gold to. - -Do you think Jobe will git the gold from Billot? - -I will have to go to the trial next Monday and help Jobe inforce the law -agin Billot. - -Jobe is a full-blooded American citizen and has voted the strait ticket -since he was twenty-one, and Billot will learn by the time he gits done -with that lawsuit that this gold basis bizness is for the low-toned -people as well as the high-toned people. - -The idea of paper money bein money! - -[Illustration] - - - - - CHAPTER XXIX. - “INFORCIN THE LAW AGIN BILLOT.” - - -WHEN we got to the trial, on Monday, we found our witnesses and the -witnesses and lawyers of Billot a talkin, and a laffin, and a whisperin -together. They seemed to have some deep subject which Dimicrats and -Republicans were both in earnest about. - -So I told Jobe to git around among them and listen, and see if they -wasent layin some plan to gain the lawsuit for Billot. - -Soon arter Jobe he come in a smilin and said: - -“They haint a talkin about the lawsuit at all; they are jist talkin -together how to beat them Populists at the election next month.” - -Jobe seemed tickled. He said them lawyers and editors are smart fellers, -and when they git out among them ignorant farmers and laborin class -they’d soon settle all that Populist argament. - -“There wont be any change in this country,” says he, “as long as them -editors and lawyers can help it.” - -He said they were goin at it purty soon, and from what he could hear it -dident make any difference to these leadin fellers who beats, jist so -them Populists dont git in. - -Says I to Jobe: - -[Illustration: “Lawyers a talkin and a laffin.”] - -“They had better git at it, for if them Populists elects a farmer for -representative, a farmer for treasurer, a farmer for commissioner, a -coal miner for sheriff, and a mechanic for infirmary director, and they -all make good officers, the chance of them lawyers and town polerticians -holdin all the offices herearter will be slim.” - -“Why, sich people was never made to hold office,” says Jobe. - -The squire come in at that time and stopped the argament between Jobe -and me. - -The case was begun. - -The fust witness for our side was Sam Moore, editure of the _Times_. I -questioned him. - -Question. “What is your bizness, Mr. Moore?” - -Answer. “Editure and polertician,” says he. - -Q. “Do you believe in the free coinage of silver?” - -A. “If we can git it inside the Dimicratic party, I do. If we cannot, I -do not.” - -Q. “Mr. Moore, is a treasury certificate issued by the United States -treasury money?” - -A. “Well, now, Betsy, I—I—that is, I am not prepared to answer that -question at this time. Cal Bri——” - -“Hold! hold!” cried Lawyer Jim Patrick, jumpin to his feet. (Patrick is -Billot’s lawyer.) Gittin red in the face and pintin his finger at Sam, -says he: - -“Moore, we dont want Cal Brice’s name mentioned durin this camp—cam—or, -or lawsuit, I mean. You know as well as I do that he can never git back -to the Senate if we let the people know that he is after the office.” -Then, turnin to the squire, says he: - -“I object to the gentleman answerin the question.” - -I argued that all we wanted was to git at the truth; that we was -intitled to the truth, if gittin it defeated Mr. Brice or any other -canderdate for office. - -But Jim he out-talked me, and the squire ruled that “the less said about -Cal in open meetin the better for his chances.” As much as to say that -sometimes things could be done better by suppressin the truth than by -tellin it. - -I perceeded: - -Q. “Mr. Moore, how long has it been since you quit advocatin the issue -of ‘good old-fashioned greenback paper money’? How long has it been -since you said time arter time in your noosepaper that ‘the greenback -was the best money we have ever had’?” - -A. “Well, Betsy, I haint advocated paper money for nigh onto a year. Not -since we decided that we wanted Cal Bri——” - -“Hold, hold!” shouted Jim Patrick agin. Says he, jumpin to his feet: - -“Moore, what do you mean? Dont you know you are injurin our cause? Dont -you know that if it gits out that Cal is a canderdate he will be -defeated? Dont you know if he is defeated none of us will git an office? -Sam, I want you to bring his name in this matter no more.” - -That made Sam mad. He riz up and says, says he: - -“Mr. Patrick, I want you to understand that I am under oath now, and not -a editin a free silver paper in the interest of a gold-bug canderdate, -nor am I under the control of the Dimicratic Executive Committee while I -am on this stand.” - -[Illustration: “‘MR. MOORE, HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN SINCE YOU QUIT -ADVOCATIN THE USE OF GOOD OLD-FASHIONED GREENBACKS?’”] - -Sam was gittin madder every minit. - -So I riz to my feet and says: - -“Hear, hear, gentlemen, dont lets drag family affairs into this suit -agin Billot.” - -I saw they was likely to give away the secrets of my party. - -Seein that Mr. Moore was excited, and, if pressed, was liable to swear -agin us instid of for us, I excused him. - -Then Jim took him. - -Q. “Mr. Moore, what is money?” - -A. “Money is anything the law says is legal tender for debts.” - -Q. “Mr. Moore, are not United States treasury notes legal tender? and -then are they not money?” - -Sam begin to color up agin. Answerin, says he: - -“Well, now, look here, Jim, you know what shape our party is in—that all -the big fellers are for a gold basis—and you know, too, that there is no -chance for any of us to git appinted to office if we dont come out for -gold. You know I edit one of the leadin papers; and you know it takes a -great effort to hold the party together. Now, Jim, dont you think you -had better not make me answer that question—under oath? Or if you want -me to answer it, dont you think you ort to git this case abjourned till -after election day?” - -Jim studied a minit, looked wise like, and says: - -“Mr. Moore, youre excused.” - -Sam got down and went out, mutterin as he went somethin about it bein -“hard, these times, for a truthful man to be a Dimicrat.” - -My next witness was Buckannan. - -Q. “Buck, what is your bizness?” - -A. “Lawyer—Dimicratic lawyer and polertician.” - -Q. “Buck, what is money?” - -A. “Gold—gold is money.” - -Q. “Who makes money, Buck?” - -A. “God—God makes money.” - -That was all I wanted. Thats the kind of swearin I wanted to inforce the -law agin Billot. So I turned Buck over to Patrick. - -Jim he looked Buck in the face a minit. Buck he dropped his eyes shamed -like. - -Then Jim perceeded: - -Q. “Buck, what is your bizness and polertics?” - -A. “Ime a lawyer—a Dimicratic lawyer and polertician.” - -Q. “Buck, did you ever study the money question?” - -A. “No, sir; never did; never want to; never will. I know enough. Ime a -Dimicrat—a Dimicratic lawyer—and that suits me.” - -Q. “Buck, dont you know that anything that the law says is legal tender -for debts is money? and dare you swear here under oath that a paper bill -issued by the United States treasury is not money?” - -Buck colored up and looked hurt like. Says he: - -“Patrick, you know the condition our party is in, and you know that our -names would be Dennis if Cal——” - -“Hold, hold!” cried Jim, jumpin to his feet—and, pintin his forefinger -strait at Buck, vicious like, says he: - -“Here, Buck, dont you know that Brice has instructed us to mention his -name as little as possible. Now, I want you to answer this question -without any reference to Cal or anybody else: Is paper money money?” - -Poor Buck, he filled up, and, trimbling like, says: - -“It is, Patrick—it is.” - -And great big tears rolled down his manly cheek and dropped on the lapel -of his Prince Albert coat. - -The squire asked him what was the matter. - -[Illustration: “‘Lawyer—Dimicratic lawyer and polertician.’”] - -He said he was ruined; that he had been tellin everybody that “nothin -was money but gold,” and now if it got out that he swore in the case of -Gaskins agin Billot that paper money is money, nobody would believe him -hereafter. And, poor man, he cried like a child. - -Well, as I had examined what I considered my strongest witnesses, and -they dident swear as they talked to the voters, but jist to the -contrary, I concluded to end the case and let the squire decide it. I -argued that nothin was money but gold, showed how all the noosepapers -said so, and how all the lawyers and polerticians said so (except when -on oath). I showed how Jobe had delivered good wheat and hay to Billot -and took his note for it, how Billot offered Jobe jist common paper -money when the note was due; showed how Jobe demanded gold money and -nothin else, because gold was the recognized money of the world, and -closed by askin the court to give us judgment agin Billot, payable in -gold, and to make Billot pay the costs. I sot down. - -Jim Patrick got up and said they had no testimony to offer except Jobe -Gaskins’ own statement that Billot had offered to pay him with paper -money, and now he tendered to the court the same money Billot had -offered to Gaskins, and asked for judgment agin Gaskins for the costs. - -The squire took the money, counted it and stuck it in his pocket, then -hemmed and hawed a minit and said that Billot had made a full legal -tender of the amount due Gaskins, as in his court paper money allers had -been good and he hoped it allers would be. He then said: - -“My judgment is in favor of the defendant Billot, with the costs of this -case charged to the plaintiff Gaskins.” - -It nearly took my breath. - -The costs was $18.60, all told. - -The squire said that paper money made by the United States was real -money, and if a man offered to pay a debt with it, and the man he -offered it to refused it and tried to make him pay gold, he would have -to pay the cost for tryin it. - -Instid of us inforcin the law agin Billot, it looks to me that we have -had the law inforced agin us. - -Jobe says that Squire Reed is a anacrist and ort to be hung. - -[Illustration] - - - - - CHAPTER XXX. - BETSY DISCUSSES “FIAT” MONEY. - - -LAST Sunday, arter I got my dinner dishes washed up and the kitchen -swept, I went out in the front yard where Jobe was. I found him a settin -at the foot of the big apple tree, sound asleep. - -He had took the noosepaper with him and sot down there to read why it is -better to borrow money from Urope than to make it ourselves, and had -went to sleep over it. Besides he had been out all the nite before to a -big Republican rally and had carried a banner sayin: - - +————————-+ - | GIVE US MONEY | - | GOOD IN UROPE. | - +————————-+ - -And the poor man had to tramp three or four miles through the mud to git -to do it; so I suppose he was tired—tuckered out, as it were. - -Well, I looked at him a minit a sittin there with his head throwed back -agin that apple tree, his legs stretched out, his boots a shinin with -the fresh lard he had rubbed on them jist afore dinner, and his honest -old face turned up toward me, and I says to myself, says I: “There sets -one of God’s noblemen, injoyin the sleep of innercence.” And then I -thought if I could only git him and his likes to understand that they -are a part of this government, and that the government belongs to them -and not to those only who are rich and high-toned—I say, I jist thought -that if I could only git them to see that they had rights that ort to be -respected and the power to inforce them rights, what a different country -this might be. - -[Illustration: “He carried a banner.”] - -Thinking this and feelin the importance of my duty, I decided to begin -to edicate him then and there. - -He has a habit of gittin up and leavin me when I begin to talk to him on -things; so I made up my mind that I would fix him this time so he -couldent git away, and would give him some plain talk on the money -question. - -I got the rope I use as a clothes line, and, slippin up behind him, I -wound it around and around him and the tree from his waist to his neck. -He never flinched. Then I got the check lines from the barn, and, -fastenin them to his feet, I tied one to one gate post and one to the -other, and with the hitchin strap I tied his hands behind him. Then I -got a straw and tickled his nose. - -You ort a seen him try to jump; but he couldent move. - -He opened his eyes and says to me, skeert like: - -“Betsy, what does all this mean?” - -I think he was afraid I was a goin to kill him, but, answerin, says I: - -“It means, Mr. Gaskins, that I propose to discuss the money question -here without interference and without my audience a leavin before I git -done, as is its usual custom.” - -Says he: “Betsy, wont you let me loose?” - -“Not till I git done,” says I. - -Says he: “Why, I cant sit here and listen to you for an hour?” - -“You cant?” says I. “But you will. You can spend all nite, and nite -arter nite, a listenin to argaments in favor of continerin the laws that -makes prices low and interest and taxes high—laws that keeps you poor -and the polerticians rich—but you think you cant spend a hour listenin -to a argament for a law that would make it easier for you to live; that -would give you better prices and lower interest.” - -Then, puttin my hands on my hips and lookin, lovin like, down at him, -says I: - -“Jobe, dear, I guess you will listen this time, and you wont leave till -the speaker dismisses, will you?” - -Says he, half laffin, half cryin: - -“It looks that way, Betsy.” - -So I went and got me a chair, brought it out and sot down in front of -him. When I got seated says he: - -“Betsy, is it Dimicrat or Republican argament that you want me to listen -to?” - -Says I: “It is neither, Jobe. It is neither. It is female—female -argament, based on common sense and bed-rock experience. It is the -argament of a lovin wife to a errin husband. The argament of one who -knows there is somethin wrong and has tried to find somethin better than -what we have got. Are you ready?” says I. - -Jobe tried to nod his head, but couldent. He looked real interestin. - -“Perceed with the argament,” says he. - -So, leanin up strait in my chair and foldin my arms across my boozum, I -perceeded. Says I: - -“Jobe, what is money?” - -“Money?” says he. “Why, money is—is—is—why, Betsy, money is jist money.” - -Says I: “Is that all the answer you can give?” - -“I guess so,” says he. - -Then a thought seemed to strike him, and, lookin up sudden like, says -he: - -“Why, money is gold—thats what money is.” - -I looked at him a full minit. Then says I: - -“Jobe Gaskins, if money is gold, how much money have you seen since you -was a baby? If money is gold, how much have you handled since you become -the husband of Betsy Gaskins?” - -“Why—why,” says he, “I haint handled much gold, but I have——” - -“Hold on,” says I. “Then you haint seen much money, or else somethin is -money besides gold—haint that so?” - -“Yes, I guess there is some money besides gold,” says he. - -“Then you agree that paper money is money, do you?” - -“Yes, I reckon it is,” says he. - -“Well, then,” says I, “we will perceed with the argament.” - -Jobe looked worried. If it hadent a been for them ropes and straps, -about this time Jobe would a had bizness somewhere else. It seems that -some men get very bizzy about the time one is ready to show them how -they can help themselves. But, havin full confidence in that clothes -line, I went on. - -“Money,” says I, “is somethin made by one’s government that we git when -we dispose of somethin we have. If you sell somethin direct to the -government and the government gives you money for it, it is the same as -a receipt from the people that they have received from you somethin of -so much value—and it at the same time is an order on all the people for -them to give you whatever you want of equal value. The officers that -make the money and do the bizness is merely the agents of a big company -of people known as the United States, and each man, be he rich or poor, -is a member of the firm. Instid of havin our money (that is these -receipts) signed by every member of the company, which would require a -very large piece of paper, we have a stamp, and say to our agents or -officers for them to put that stamp on our money and we will stand by -it. The placin of that stamp on a piece of paper by the right officers -is the same as if all the twelve million men had signed it, and the -women too. - -[Illustration: “I got a straw and tickled his nose.”] - -“So, if you sell the government say $10 worth of oats to feed our army -mules on, or if you do $10 worth of work a keepin books or a holdin -office or a bankin up the Mississippi River, and you git a $10 bill for -it—that bill, or your havin of that bill, says that you as a individual -have delivered to all the balance of the seventy million people—to the -company, if you please—$10 worth of value, and hold their paper for it. -Now, if, arter you git that $10 from all the people, you go to Alick -Smith and buy his Chester White brood sow and give him the $10 for her, -your claim aginst all the people has passed from you to him—he has the -receipt for the value you delivered the government and you have his sow. -And, bein a good citizen, he takes the paper $10, because the value you -gave the government was in part for him, and the $10 is an order to him -as one of the twelve million or more pardners. And you bein one of the -twelve million, you are one of the firm also, and stand ready to accept -that same $10 for anything you may have to sell that Alick Smith might -want.” - -Jobe seemed to be a gittin interested. - -“Then,” says I, “we will say that Alick would go to town and buy two -gallons of John Schwab’s rye whiskey. John takes the bill for the same -reason that Alick did. Well, John bein a licker dealer, we—that is, all -the people—charge him $25 a year for sellin rye whiskey and sich. So -John sends that same $10 to the revenue collector at Cleveland for his -revenue tax. The revenue collector sends it to the treasury at -Washington, where it was made, and where it fust come from. Haint it -been redeemed? Haint that money? John Schwab paid for the work you done, -or for the oats the government mules eat, and paid for it with the -receipt you got for the oats or the work. - -“Now, suppose nothin was money but gold, and the government couldent -issue sich receipts or orders, or whatever you want to call them, and -suppose the government dident have any gold—so then you couldent sell -your oats, nor you couldent git the work to do on the river bank, and -you wouldent git any money. If you couldent git the money you couldent -buy Alick’s sow; if Alick couldent sell his sow he couldent buy Schwab’s -whiskey; if Schwab couldent sell his whiskey he couldent pay revenue -tax, and when people cant pay revenue tax the government gits hard up -and has to borrow money. - -“Now, Jobe,” says I, “honest injun, which do you think would be the -best: to make what money this firm of the United States needs or to keep -on a goin deeper and deeper in debt a borrowin money? - -“Speak out,” says I. “Haint that good money?” - -Jobe studied a minit. - -“Y-a-s,” says he, “but haint that fiat money?” - -“Yes, sir,” says I, “that is fiat money, and fiat money is the only -honest, true money we can have. Any other kind is a deceit and a fraud.” - -Jobe twisted and would have got away if he hadent a been tied. As he -couldent git away he snorted out: - -“What good would that money be in Urope?” - -“The very best that could be made, so far as you and your likes are -concerned,” says I. - -“Whats its basis? Whats its basis?” says he, “a hundred cent gold -dollars or fifty cent silver dollars?” - -“Neither,” says I. “And as long as we have so many grains of gold or so -many grains of silver or so many grains of both as a basis, you and your -likes will be a payin high interest with low-priced grain.” - -“What!” says he, “no standard! How are you to tell what your dollar is -worth?” - -“We will have a standard, Jobe, and the best standard in the world, and -the dollar will always be worth one hundred cents, and each cent will be -worth ten mills.” - -Jobe looked puzzled, but inquirin like. - -“Now, Jobe,” says I, “dont you know that the law that says that the -dollar shall be of the value of so many grains of silver or so many -grains of gold is what makes everything you raise low in price? Rich -people can make the gold or silver scarce and dear, and that makes every -dollar, either paper or metal, dear also, and the dearer the dollars the -more of your grain or the more of your work it takes to git them. - -“Now, what ort to be done is this: Make a law callin in all the gold and -silver money, and redeem it in paper money, dollar for dollar, the same -kind of money I spoke about a while ago; give them only six months to -turn it in, and therearter let neither gold nor silver be money or a -legal tender. And if any of them Wall Street gold sharks want to hang on -to their gold money let em hang, and they will find that they will have -to sell it for old metal. Arter the government gits it redeemed let us -sell it to the jewelers and spoonmakers to make watches and spoons out -of. - -“And instid of the law a sayin that each dollar shall be of the value of -so many grains of useless metal, let it say that ‘_The Dollar shall be -of the value of sixty pounds of wheat in the Chicago market_.’[B] - ------ - -Footnote B: - - NOTE.—This may strike the ordinary reader as a strange proposition. - Some of those who have studied the philosophy of money may differ from - Betsy and claim that the unit of value should be a day’s labor. There - are various good reasons, however, which make Betsy’s suggestion - appear not only plausible, but expedient and logical. - - By making a bushel of wheat the unit of value we could establish not - only the value of the dollar, but also the price of wheat, and of - nearly all other commodities. As a rule a bushel of wheat is worth two - bushels of corn, three bushels of oats, four pounds of wool, ten - pounds of cotton, etc. This price ratio of wheat to other commodities - varies very little. Prices of other things rise and fall with the - price of wheat. - - Betsy’s plan would raise the price of wheat and of all other farm - products, and, consequently, would make farming more remunerative. By - making farming more profitable it would start more people farming, and - thus relieve the overcrowded labor markets of the great cities. The - farmers, obtaining better prices for their products, would be able to - consume more of the products of the factory. The increased demand for - factory products would give work to the unemployed and raise wages in - all the industries. Under these conditions, with our money system on a - proper basis, and with trusts and monopolies obliterated, as they soon - would be, we would need no labor unions to maintain the wage scale. - Labor would no longer crouch at the feet of its creature, Wealth, and - strikes would be a thing of the barbarous past. On the other hand, the - workingman of the city cannot prosper so long as the farmer is not - prosperous. - - Again, if one day’s labor will produce two and one-half or three - bushels of wheat, and each bushel is of the value of one dollar, then - a day’s labor will be worth $2.50 or $3.00. Then will wages begin to - go up, more help will be employed, more products will be consumed, and - soon “surplus labor” and “overproduction” will be heard of only in the - reminiscences with which we as grandparents will entertain the curious - of the next generation. - - It is a remarkable coincidence that at the time this chapter is being - put into type (May, 1897) news comes over the wires that the Russian - minister at Washington has submitted a proposition that the - governments of the United States and Russia jointly fix the price of - wheat.—ED. - ------ - -“Now, Jobe,” says I, “if the law said that the dollar should be of the -value of sixty pounds of wheat in the Chicago market, what would be the -value of a dollar?” - -Jobe studied a minit and then looked up sudden like, as - -if something had broke loose in his mind, and says he: - -“Why, it would be of the value of sixty pounds of wheat.” - -“Well, then,” says I, “what would be the value of sixty pounds of wheat -in Chicago?” - -“Why—why,” says he, “it would be worth a dollar.” - -“What would be the price of wheat west of Chicago?” says I. - -“A leetle less than a dollar,” says he. - -“What would be the price of wheat east of Chicago?” says I. - -“Why, a leetle more than a dollar,” says he. - -“You are a good scholar,” says I. “You are a larnin.” - -He tried to git loose agin, but failed. - -“But—but,” says he, “what good would sich money be in Urope? Would that -money be good anywhere in the world?” - -“There you go agin,” says I. “I haint got to Urope yit. We’ll go to -Urope purty soon.” - -“Yes, but that would be fiat money,” says he. - -“Yes, sir, it would,” says I, “and the sooner you and your likes git up -to that word ‘fiat,’ and touch your nose to it and smell of it—the -sooner you pick it up and look at it and examine it, the sooner you will -find that instid of bein a curse it will be a blessin to you.” - -“Fiat money is money made by you and the balance of the people that -makes this government. You make it by puttin your great stamp on it, and -each one of you what are fit to be citizens stand ready to defend it and -uphold it with your lives if need be. It is made by you havin printed -and stamped on money paper the followin: - -“‘This is one dollar, a full legal tender for all debts, public and -private, receivable for all taxes, duties and customs; and any -money-lender, bondholder or other citizen of these United States who -attempts to dishonor or discredit this bill shall be deemed a traitor, -and if found guilty of such attempt shall be hanged by the neck until -dead.’” - -“Dont you think that would be a little seveer, Betsy?” says Jobe. - -“Seveerness of that kind—seveerness for them what are bound to rule this -country for their own benefit or ruin it—is what we need, and the sooner -we git it, and the more of it that we git, the better,” says I. - -So, perceedin with the argament, says I: - -“Now, Jobe, we’ll go to Urope.” - -“Well, hold on,” says Jobe, “lemme loose fust.” - -“Not till we git through Urope,” says I, determined like. - -“Well, shove off, then,” says he. - -I did so by sayin: - -“Jobe, would it skeer you if I was to tell you that the money what is -good anywhere in the world is the very money that we as a people dont -want?” - -I put my elbows on my knees and leaned over and looked him square in the -eyes to note the effect of my question. - -He looked at me, starin like, for a whole minit. - -Says I: “How does it strike you, Jobe?” - -Says he: “Betsy, have you been a drinkin?” - -“Yes, sir,” says I, “Ive been a drinkin—a drinkin in the sad, hard -experience of the last thirty years—a drinkin the dregs of poverty, -hardship and trouble caused by low prices and high interest—caused by -havin money so good anywhere else in the world that the only way we can -git it back when once it gits away is to borrow it back, and put -ourselves in bonds to do it. And, Jobe, when I say that the ‘money thats -good anywhere in the world’ is the very money that we as a nation dont -want to use, I am a talkin sober, hard sense. We want _money that will -come back to us_ and buy our wheat and corn and oats and sich, instid of -goin to Roosia and Germany and France and India and buyin their stuff. -What we want is money that is the best for America, whether it is good -for any other part of the world or not. - -“As it is now, Jobe, when we pay the $300,000,000 a year interest to -Urope, or when our high-toned people buy their Uropean clothes and sich -and give our gold and silver for them, them Urope fellers takes that -gold and silver and go to Roosia and Germany and France and India and -other countries and buy what wheat and flour and oats and corn and meat -and cotton and cattle and wool and manufactured goods they need, while -our wheat and our cotton and our wool and sich lays in the warehouses -along our seashores a waitin a market. And while it lays there a waitin -a market our farmers are gittin lower prices and our workinmen lower -wages, or goin idle, which is worse. - -“Now, if we paid that interest with money that was not good in Roosia -and Germany and France; if our rich people had to pay for their fine -stuff with common everyday paper money, each dollar of which was of the -value of sixty pounds of wheat—money that couldent be melted up and made -into Roosian money or French money or Dutch money or Indian money—if -them Urope fellers would have to send the money they git from us back -here to git its value in breadstuffs or grub or clothes or somethin our -workinmen make, dont you think our warehouses would be emptied? And when -our warehouses are emptied wouldent it require work to fill them agin? -And haint honest work what our people need and ort to have? - -“So, Jobe, you can see that if them three hundred million interest money -was made out of paper and sent to Urope to pay that interest; if the -money spent there by our rich people and all was good greenback paper -money, redeemable in wheat and flour and corn and oats and cotton and -manufactured goods of all kinds made, raised and produced in the United -States, and they had to send it back here to git its value, instid of -sendin to Roosia and them other countries to buy their stuff, and them -warehouses would be emptied, you would find more demand for the wheat -you raise to fill them agin, you would find prices a raisin and times a -gittin better.” - -Jobe was a thinkin hard. - -Says I: “Jobe, can you see the cat?” - -Jobe was silent. The wheels in his head was a beginnin to turn and he -was a listenin to their moosic. Finally says he: - -“Why, Betsy, if each of them dollars was worth sixty pounds of wheat at -Chicago and sixty pounds of wheat was worth a dollar, what would our -leadin men what make a livin and git rich a speculatin in wheat do? They -couldent force it up nor force it down. What would they do?” says he. - -Says I: “They would be like lots of fellers who haint leadin citizens -are to-day—they would be a huntin a job, and would have to ingage in -some honest okepation.” - -“Well, Betsy,” says Jobe, “is that Populist argament?” - -“No, Jobe,” says I, “it haint Populist argament; it is the argament of a -plain, old-fashioned female woman—the one that thinks more of you than -all the polerticians piled in one pile—and I hope you will think on it.” - -“Well, Betsy,” says he, “if it haint Populist it seems to me that it is -worth thinkin about.” - -So, havin for one time held Jobe down to a finish and got him to -thinkin, I unloosed the rope and straps, kissed him out loud on the -cheek and let him up. - -He riz up, stretched out his legs and arms, gapped a time or two and -says: - -“Betsy, Ime glad you tied me down.” - -Then he went out to do up the evenin chores. - -Now, if I could only keep Jobe away from them office-seekers and -polerticians; if I could only keep him a thinkin, I would have some -hopes; but as it is, no tellin how soon the good lesson of his wife may -be overcome by a smooth-tongued canderdate. - -[Illustration] - - - - - CHAPTER XXXI. - JOBE BLOWS A FISH-HORN. - - -JOBE has been so busy tryin to git Mr. Bushnell, the millionair, elected -governor, that he forgot about his interest bein due at the bank. He -stayed to town the nite of the election till the chickens were crowin -for daylite. - -It was nearly mornin when I heerd the patriotic sounds of the fish-horn. - -I got up and looked out of the winder, and there was Jobe a comin up the -lane, with his breadbasket stuck out and his head throwed back, blowin -that fish-horn as though his life depended on it, and every now and then -he would stop, take off his hat and holler for Bushnell, jist as loud as -he could holler. - -Well, he come in and acted the fool worse nor a drunk man, till he -nearly wore my patience out. - -He said the gold basis bizness had succeeded and now one dollar was jist -as good as another, and asked me if I wasent ashamed that I was a -Dimicrat, and all sich fool questions. - -Well, he got to bed at last and went to sleep, and in the mornin dident -want to git up; so I jist let him lay. - -[Illustration: “IT WAS NEARLY MORNIN WHEN I HEERD THE PATRIOTIC SOUNDS -OF THE FISH-HORN.”] - -About 9 o’clock a feller rid up to our gate and hitched, come to the -door and asked if this is where Mr. Gaskins lives. Says I: - -“It is where Jobe Gaskins lives.” - -He handed me a paper and told me to give it to Mr. Gaskins. - -I took it in and waked Jobe up and got him his “specks.” - -[Illustration: “He looked kind a pale.”] - -He unfolded the paper and read it over to hisself. I saw he was worked -up. Says I: - -“What is it, Jobe—an appintment from Bushnell?” - -He looked kind a pale. Says he: - -“No, Betsy, its a summons to court in the case of Vinting, the banker, -agin Gaskins; he has begun foreclosin proceedins agin us, Betsy.” - -I looked at him a minit. He dident look up. - -Says I: “The official returns are comin in quite airly, haint they?” - -I then went back to the door, and the court officer was gone. - -Poor Jobe got up in a little bit, lookin worried. - -When he come out in the kitchen I handed him his fish-horn and says, -says I: - -“Give us a tune, Jobe.” - -He dident offer to toot a toot. He jist looked hurt. - -Well, from that day to this he has been tryin to raise the money to pay -Vinting, the banker, his interest. After payin all them costs in the -Billot lawsuit there was very little left out of that wheat and hay -money, sich as it was. - -He sold our cow, and nearly all our pertaters, and then sold old Tom, -our only hoss, and borrowed $5.50 from Widder Baker, when she got her -penshun money, and took that $63 down to Banker Vinting and handed it to -him at his bank. Vinting pushed it back to Jobe and says, says he: - -“This is not accordin to contract. The contract, Mr. Gaskins, says you -must pay the interest in gold. I must have gold. _Gold_—Mr. Gaskins.” - -Jobe told him he “had no gold, that this money was all good, legal -tender government money, and he would have to take it.” - -Banker Vinting told him, “Gold or nothin.” - -[Illustration: “‘Give us a tune, Jobe.’”] - -Jobe went around to all the stores in town and to all his friends and -tried to git gold for the paper money, and not one of them had a dollar -in gold to help him out with. Everybody said they “hadent seen any gold -for a long time;” that “paper money was good enough for them; that they -was glad to git even it, these times.” - -So Jobe come home, and he haint got that gold yit, and the Lord only -knows when and where he can git it. I dont. - -Jobe he is nearly distracted. - -Now, if the law makes Jobe take Billot’s paper money for wheat, I dont -see why the same law wont make the banker take the same paper money for -interest, especially when a feller cant git any other kind. If the -banker wont take Jobe’s paper money, all I know is for him to go on with -his lawsuit to foreclose us—until the court makes him take it. - -We cant do anything else. It jist seems the world is full of trouble and -sich. - -[Illustration: “‘This is not accordin to contract.’”] - - - - - CHAPTER XXXII. - AT COURT AGAIN. - - -THE lawsuit to foreclose us out of our home is bein tried to-day. We -borrowed Ike Hill’s gray mare and driv to town airly, and found the -lawyers hangin around like buzzards waitin for the arrival of a dead -beast. - -They begin to meet us and shake hands from the time we hitched in front -of Urfer’s big dry-goods store until we got clear inside the fence that -surrounds the judge’s seat and divides the high-toned cattle from the -low-toned breed. They all wanted to know if we had “ingaged counsel.” - -When I told them that our family had counsel of its own blood, in the -person of myself, Betsy Gaskins, wife of Jobe Gaskins, the defendant, -they would kind a sneer and walk off. They looked hurt like, jist as a -feller does when he loses a ten-dollar bill. - -These lawyers seem kind a anxious that the people who are bein -foreclosed should have “counsel,” but I could never see where “havin -counsel” changes the foreclosin act any. - -Well, we got inside the lawyers’ field, the officer opened court and the -judge called the case of “Vinting, plaintiff, vs. Gaskins, defendant, -for money only.” Says he: - -“Are the parties to the case ready for trial?” - -Jim Patrick, the lawyer, nodded his head and says, “Ready,” without even -takin his feet off the table. - -I dident have my feet on the table. But when the judge looked our way I -nodded and says, “Ready.” - -I hadent that word out of my mouth till Lawyer Porter riz to his feet, -and, addressin the court, says: - -[Illustration: “We hitched in front of Urfer’s big dry goods store.”] - -“If your honor please, on behalf of the ‘bar’ of this county, I object -to Mrs. Betsy Gaskins a practicin law before this court. - -“I object for three reasons: First, because she is a woman; second, -because she has not been admitted to practice in this court; third, -because it interferes with the legitimate profits of the legal -fraternity of this county. - -“If your honor please, as you well know, the lawyers of this county have -no other source of income than from the parties to the cases brought to -this court, and if women and persons who have not been admitted to the -bar are permitted to practice in this court, our bizness will be ruined, -and some of us, at least, will have to go to workin for a livin; -therefore I object to permittin this woman to farther participate in -this case, and in doin so I voice the sentiment of every member of this -bar.” - -I riz up. - -[Illustration: “‘Ready.’”] - -The judge looked at me, steady like, over his specks, as if he was a -goin to tell me to set down. Says I: - -“Mistur Court, may I speak?” - -He looked around at the bar. Several heads went east and west. The judge -thought a minit and says: - -“You may speak.” - -Perceedin, says I: “Mistur Court, I am the lawful wife of Jobe Gaskins, -the man you are asked to foreclose and turn out of the home he has tried -hard to hold. We are old people. We are poor. Times are hard and money -is scarce, and, bein called here without our choosin, we came without -money to pay anything toward the support of the ‘bar’ the lawyer spoke -about. - -“All we ask, Mistur Court, is to be heard. We want to save our old home -if we can do so. All I ask is, if there is any speakin that can be done -to persuade you that we hadent ort to be turned out, that you let me do -that speakin, because I feel that I can tell you what we would suffer, -and why we hadent ort to be turned out, as honestly and as earnestly as -any lawyer could who was talkin for only a few dollars pay. - -“God knows, Mistur Court, that what I shall say to you will not be -prompted by a few dollars, but by the love I have for the roof that has -sheltered us, for the fire that has warmed us, and those things about -the place that has caused a lump to come up in my throat whenever I -think we may soon have to leave them forever, or when I wonder where we -would go if you say, Mistur Court, that we must be foreclosed. - -“I know I am a woman—a old woman. I haint a regular lawyer, but I ask to -do the speakin in this case, because we haint the money to pay any of -these regular lawyers to do it, and God knows we have always tried to -pay for everything we have ever got or had done for us.” - -I sot down. - -The judge set a studyin; finally says he: - -“Mr. Sheriff, adjourn court until 1:30 o’clock p.m.” - -And that is where the lawsuit is at this hour. I am waitin to see if I -will be allowed to speak. Yours at court. - -[Illustration] - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIII. - JUDGMENT RENDERED. - - -THE lawsuit is over. The decidin is done, and we are foreclosed. My -heart has been so heavy and Ive been so troubled that I jist couldent -set down and write a letter with any sense to it till to-day. - -You dont know how bad it makes a body feel to know the place you have -looked on and loved as home is a gittin away from you—slippin from under -you, as it were. Everything seems to change. Jobe, poor man, he jist -sets and studies. - -Well, that day at court, arter dinner, the judge come in, took his seat, -ordered court opened, and says, lookin at me: - -“Mrs. Gaskins, I have decided to let you argy this case.” - -At that all them lawyers except Jim Patrick, the one doin the -foreclosin, got up and left the house. - -When everything was ready Jim he got up and handed in the mortgage and -the notes, and stated that he would prove by those papers that last -Aprile Jobe and Betsy Gaskins executed notes and a mortgage to Mr. -Vinting, the banker, for the sum of $1,800, with interest at seven per -cent., payable semi-annually “in _gold_;” that a few days after the -interest fell due Jobe Gaskins tendered to Banker Vinting $63 in paper -money as said six months’ interest, and refused or neglected then or at -any other time to tender gold in payment of the interest as the contract -provided, and upon this evidence he would ask the court to foreclose the -mortgage and sell the premises to satisfy the claims of his client. - -[Illustration: “‘I am a banker, sir, a banker.’”] - -He then called Banker Vinting to the stand and had him hold up his hand -and swear. - -Then he examined him as follers: - -Question. “Mr. Vinting, what is your bizness?” - -Answer. “I am a banker, sir, a banker.” - -Q. “Did Jobe Gaskins, the defendant here, tender you the interest due on -this mortgage as the mortgage provides?” - -A. “No, sir, he did not. He offered paper money—nothing but paper -money—while the mortgage and notes call for gold.” - -Q. “Is this interest still due and unpaid?” - -A. “It is, sir. It is.” - -“You may have the witness,” says Jim. - -Then I examined the banker. He looked very witherin like at me, but I -dident wither. - -Q. “Mr. Vinting, what kind of money did you give for this mortgage and -notes?” - -A. “Paper money, paper money.” - -Q. “Then why haint paper money good enough for interest on them?” - -A. “The contract says ‘gold,’ Mrs. Gaskins—it calls for gold.” - -Q. “Well, haint paper money as good as gold—_now, since the election_?” - -“I ’bject,” says Jim, and then he got up and argyed that my question was -leadin, &c., and the court decided that he needent answer it. - -“We rest,” says Jim. - -Then I got up and stated our case. Says I: - -“Mr. Court, we will prove that Jobe Gaskins sold hay and corn to Billot, -the miller, to git the money, or a part of it, to pay this interest, and -took Billot’s note; that when the time come to pay it Billot offered to -pay it in paper money; that Jobe refused to take it, jist as the banker -refused; that Jobe sued Billot before Squire Reed for the amount ‘in -gold;’ that Mr. Patrick, who is now the lawyer a tryin to foreclose us -for not payin gold, was the lawyer agin us when we was a tryin to git -the gold to pay with. We will prove that the law made Jobe take paper -money or nothin, and made him pay the costs for tryin to collect gold. -We will prove that Jobe took some of that money the law made him accept -for wheat, and more jist like it, to the banker, and offered to pay his -interest; that the banker refused, and on this testimony we ask you to -render judgment agin Mr. Vinting, the banker, for costs, and make him -take this $63 in paper money that I now tender in open court as payment -of the six months’ interest due.” - -At that I handed the $63 to the clerk. He took it and gave me a receipt -for the amount. - -Then I put Jobe on the stand and proved that he had taken the same money -the law made him take for his wheat to the banker and offered it to him; -that the banker refused to take anything but gold; that he had tried to -git the gold, but couldent find anybody that had any gold, and that he -had done all he could to raise the gold and couldent. - -I then proved by Squire Reed that Jim Patrick was Billot’s lawyer, and -had argued and proved by Sam Moore and Lawyer Buchanan and others that -paper money was money and was a legal tender for debts, and that Jobe -was beat in his lawsuit agin Billot and had to pay the costs and take -paper money. - -Then I “rested.” - -Then Jim Patrick got up and made a short speech, statin that “gold was -God’s money;” that He had hidden it away in the vaults of nature for the -use of mankind as money. He showed how Banker Vinting was a Christian -and one of our leadin citizens, and all he asked the court to do was to -inforce his contract agin Jobe Gaskins. He showed how all the bankers -and bondholders and other money-lenders was in favor of gold and gold -contracts; then he showed that it was dishonest for Gaskins to attempt -to pay that interest in any other kind of money than gold as stipulated -in the contract. - -“It is in fact repudiation,” says he, and he made sich a fine argament -for gold and agin other money that I put on my specks to make sure it -was Jim Patrick, the same Jim what argyed so loud and long for paper -money and agin gold the other day, in our case agin Billot for wheat -money. - -His argament was so fine and patriotic that I felt half ashamed for -askin the court to make Banker Vinting take the same kind of money for -interest as the law made Jobe take for wheat. - -[Illustration: “He made such a fine argament for gold and agin other -money.”] - -Well, arter Jim got done I riz up and stated that we was aware that the -interest was due and unpaid; that I knowed the contract called for gold. -I told the court how I kicked agin signin the mortgage last Aprile, when -it was made, jist for the reason that it called for gold. I showed how -it was the banker’s doins, and not ourn, that it called for gold. I told -the court how Jobe and the others laughed at me and called me an -anacrist and all sich names for refusin to sign a gold mortgage. Then I -told him about havin to raise the money then to pay Congressman Richer -to keep from bein foreclosed at that time, and about my succumbin to -their ridicule and signin at last, hopin agin hope that in some strange -way we might raise the gold and save our home. - -I told the judge that I dident believe “gold was God’s money;” that I -dident think God would make a metal to be used to turn people out of -home with; that if it was made for any sich purpose it must a been the -“other feller’s” doins. - -I showed how government officers, through the influence of the rich -people, had called in the paper money and burned it up; how they had -issued bonds agin Jobe and his likes to git it to burn. I showed how the -same men had demonitized silver and brought us to a “gold basis,” all of -which had reduced prices, made money scarce and hard to git, and kept up -interest. I showed him how sich laws had throwed people out of homes and -turned all their earnins over to the money-lenders and sich. - -I showed him how we had paid $3,800 toward our farm, and how, if he -dident make the banker take Jobe’s wheat money, we would be sold out, -and, at the low price land is sellin for, we would have nothin left in -our old age. - -I begged him with tears in my eyes to make the banker take Jobe’s wheat -money and give us one more chance to save our old home. - -Then I sot down, and my eyes would water, no matter how often I would -wipe them. - -Well, the court cleared his throat a time or two and then said: - -“It is a common occurrence for us judges in our official positions to do -unpleasant things. I am sorry for the old people, but the law must -uphold the _sacred rights of contract_. The contract calls for gold. I -will therefore render judgment agin Gaskins, the defendant, for full -amount of mortgage, accrued interest and costs of this case, and order -the sheriff to sell the premises to satisfy the judgment.” - -When them words was spoke I jist felt smothered. I felt so queer I -hardly knowed where I was. - -Jobe he jist sot there a starin, with a pleadin look on his face. We -both sot there numb like till the officer come around and told us the -case was over. - -We kind a come to then and got up. Then I thought of the clerk havin -that paper money, so I told Jobe to go and git it. - -He went, and the clerk told him he couldent surrender the money till the -case was settled; that that money was part of the court record, and the -land might not sell for enough to pay the judgment and all costs. - -So we come home and left our wheat money and hay money and cow money and -the money for poor old Tom and all with the officers of the court. - -Jobe, poor man, from the time he left that court-house till now he has -jist moped around, sighin and moanin. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIV. - THE LITTLE WHITE ROSE-BUSH. - - -WHEN Ike Miller brought Jobe’s paper, the _Advercate_, to us day before -yisterday, the fust thing my eyes fell on was: - -“SHERIFF’S SALE.—Isaac Vinting, plaintiff, _vs._ Jobe Gaskins, -defendant.” - -I tried to look away from it, but, all I could do, I couldent git my -eyes off from them lines. I turned the paper over, but it jist seemed to -me that I could see them words all over that paper. - -I never had anything make me feel so queer in all my life. My head -seemed to be goin round and round, and I couldent see anything but -“Sheriff Sale”—“Vinting—Gaskins—Gaskins—Vinting—Sheriff Sale.” - -“Sheriff Sale.” I had seen them same two words hundreds of times before, -but they never looked like they did that day. - -I was all alone at home, and I thought I would never live to see another -livin bein—I felt so queer. - -Well, I laid that paper down and went out in the yard. Arter a while I -begin to feel better, though nothin seemed to look like it use to—nor -dont to this day. - -When I got out in the yard I could see the trees, and bushes, and -fences, and the house, and the big road, and the little stream down over -the bank; but they looked so queer. Though I had lived by and among them -for years, they dident look like they did when I use to think they would -be around me and near me when I should die. No, they now looked like -somebody else’s trees and bushes and fence and road and sich. - -[Illustration: Little Jane.] - -I felt as though I was not at my own home, but intrudin on other -people’s property, “trespassin,” as them court-house lawyers calls it. -That “sheriff sale” in that paper had changed the looks of things. - -I went over to the little white rose-bush—the bush my little Jane -planted the day she was four years old—the one she had watched and -called hers till she was taken from me two years arter. - -I thought, as I stood there by that little bush, planted by her little -hands, that I could nearly see her little form a squattin down and her -little dimpled fingers pattin the dirt around the roots of that little -bush. I remembered how she plucked the first rose and come a runnin to -me with it, sayin: - -“Mamma, mamma, my bush raised this. How pritty!” - -[Illustration: “I COULD NEARLY SEE HER LITTLE DIMPLED FINGERS PATTIN THE -AIRTH AROUND THE ROOTS OF THAT LITTLE BUSH.”] - -I thought how, every spring, Jobe would pull the weeds and leaves from -around it, and how a many a time I saw him wipin his eyes as he stood by -our baby’s rose-bush. And as I was thinkin this I thought that before -long somebody else would own this ground and that bush, and we could not -take care of it any more for our little girl that is gone. I wondered if -anybody would stand there arter we are turned out and weep for the child -that planted it. I wondered why it was that the law could tear people -away from everything they love. I wondered why there couldent be some -way fixed to make it easier for people to git homes and pay for them. I -wondered why interest was never less than six per cent., and sometimes -more. I wondered why people who paid interest had sich a hard way of -gittin along, while the people who got interest got along so easy. - -[Illustration: “‘Mamma, ... how pritty!’”] - -And as I stood there by our baby’s rose-bush I thought of all the -interest Jobe has paid on this place, of the taxes he has paid year in -and year out, and I got to figurin, and I found he had paid for the farm -nearly twice over. - -And then I thought of that dream I had nearly a year ago, when I dreamt -that Jobe could borrow money of the county treasury at only two per -cent. And I kept on a figurin, and I found that if interest had only -been two per cent. since we bought this farm, the difference between the -interest we have paid and what we would have had to pay at two per cent. -would have let us out. We would have had our farm nearly paid for, and -we could have stayed here and taken care of baby’s little rose-bush and -carried the roses to her little grave each year as long as we lived. - -But interest haint two per cent., and we must leave the little bush, -leave the trees, leave the flowers, leave all and go. Oh! that nearly -chokes me. Where shall we go? Who will take care of baby’s grave? I cant -rite any more. I feel so queer. - -[Illustration] - - - - - CHAPTER XXXV. - JOBE TALKS OF THINGS THAT ARE GONE. - - -JOBE is down sick with “brain fever and nervous prostration.” - -The doctor says it all come from his worryin over bein foreclosed. - -Jobe jist lays and moans and talks to hisself. He is out of his head -most of the time. - -[Illustration: “Jobe jist lays and moans.”] - -Last nite he thought he had Betty, our drivin mare, back (the one we -parted with last spring to git money to pay interest to Congressman -Richer). He thought our little Jane was livin agin, and he was holdin -her on Betty’s back, a lettin her ride. - -[Illustration: “I have to chop all the wood.”] - -He jist kept a talkin fust one thing, then another, all nite. - -I dident git to sleep any, and since he has been sick I have to chop all -the wood and do the chores and wait on him till I am nearly wore out and -not able to write. - -I dont know what I will do if they foreclose us and put us out before -Jobe gits able to go about. - -It jist seems one trouble brings on another. If the law would make the -banker (contract or no contract) take the same kind of money for -interest as it makes Jobe take for wheat, Jobe wouldent be down with -brain fever and sick from worryin. - -I wonder why laws haint made as much in favor of hard-workin poor people -as rich people who sets in offices and dont do any hard work. - -I see Congress and Mr. Cleveland are a goin to issue more bonds on the -people, and sell them at the post-offices to the popular people. Jobe -and me cant invest. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVI. - BILL BOWERS IS ON THE FENCE. - - -JOBE is able to be up. We have been foreclosed, and ex-Congressman -Richer has the farm back. - -We have a notice in writin to vacate these premises on or before the -first day of March. - -Jobe bein sick, neither of us was to town the day our old home was sold -by the sheriff. - -I felt bad all that day—felt jist like somethin awful was about to -happen. Jobe seemed weaker and more restless than usual. - -Bill Bowers rode by our place in the evenin, stopped at the gate and -hollered. - -I went to the door, hopin agin hope that maybe for some unknown reason -the foreclosin hadent been done. But as soon as I laid eyes on Bill I -knode our home was gone. - -He hemmed and hawed and stammered, tryin to say somethin that was hard -for him to say. Says I: - -“Out with it, Bill; we are prepared for the wust.” - -“Well, Betsy,” says he, “its gone. Congressman Richer bought it in, at -jist what the mortgage and interest amounted to, and you people will -have to pay the costs. Mr. Richer seemed pleased to get the old farm -back agin.” - -[Illustration: “‘Out with it, Bill; we are prepared for the wust.’”] - -“Yes, Bill,” says I. “I allow he was glad to git it back. He ort to be. -He has some $3,800 of interest and principal we have paid him on the -farm, before he forced us to borrow the money from Banker Vinting to pay -him last spring. You see, Bill, we paid him $3,800 interest and -principal up to last Aprile; then last Aprile we paid him $1,800 that we -borrowed from the banker, and some $300 of Jobe’s legicy money from his -dead aunt, makin in all some $5,900. Now he takes $1,863 of that money -and buys it back, givin him the same farm we got from him and $4,000 -nearly of money besides that Jobe has airned by hard knocks.” - -“Well, Betsy,” says Bill, “it does look kind a tough.” - -“Yes,” says I, “and it dont look any tougher than it is.” - -“I spose not,” says Bill. - -“No, Bill,” says I; “if the lawmakers only knew how hard it is to be -sold out and turned out of your home, they would surely make laws to -make money plentier and easier to git; they would surely reduce -interest.” - -“They ort to,” says Bill. - -“Yes, Bill,” says I, “we have done all we could to hold the farm, and -hoped to have a home to stay in in our old age. - -“We have give all we raised to Congressman Richer in payments and -interest and taxes and sich. - -“We have done without many a thing we ort to a had tryin to keep our -payments up, hopin that our old age might be spent here among our -neighbors; but every year since we bought the farm times have got -harder, prices lower and money scarcer. - -“We have raised good crops, Jobe has worked hard, and now, arter all the -years of hard work and good crops, we have $512 less than we had when we -bought the farm seventeen years ago. - -“They kept a tellin Jobe that it was ‘better to have less money and -lower prices than to have more money and higher prices,’ and Jobe and -his likes have kept a votin for the fellers that told him sich until -to-day he is sick and sold out. - -“He has done the votin and the other fellers has got the money. They -held the bag, and Jobe and his likes poured in the grain.” - -“Well, Betsy,” says Bill, studyin like, “Ive about made up my mind that -none of us farmers have much to show for our past votin. It looks as -though, while we have been workin hard nite and day, economizin and -savin; while we have been a tryin to lay up somethin for ourselves in -old age, and for our children; while we have been doin all this, and -doin the votin, there has been a lot of schemers and rascals seekin -office and gittin laws made to redeem one kind of money in another, and -then cornerin the redeemin kind, and contractin and destroyin this kind -and that, even issuin bonds on us to git it to burn, and doin everything -so they would be able to take from us what we were a raisin and savin.” - -[Illustration: “‘Ile tell you, Betsy. Ive made up my mind to try them -Populists hereafter.’”] - -Then, leanin over on his horse, says he: - -“Betsy, step up closer to the fence.” - -I walked out to the fence. - -Says he, whisperin like: - -“Ile tell you, Betsy. Ive made up my mind to try them Populists -hereafter. I see they have some purty smart men in the United States -Senate. But for the life of you, Betsy, dont say anything to any one -about my changin.” - -I jist stepped back a step or two and looked at Bill Bowers for a whole -minit. He looked at me. Then says I: - -“Bill Bowers, I am surprised! I am surprised that you, a full-blooded -American citizen, a grown-up man, a man who has made up his mind to do -what he believes to be right, and then hasent the manhood to let the -world know that you are independent, but are afraid that some -officeseeker or polertician who lives off of you will turn up his nose -at you! Bill Bowers, I thought you had more firmness in you than that. -If the party you have been votin for has betrayed you, if the -officeseekers you have helped to elect have used you as a tool, haint it -your dooty as a man and a citizen to let it be known that you are a goin -to quit the gang? Instid of bein afraid of them, you should make them -afraid of you. Thats your dooty, Bill.” - -“Well, Betsy,” says he, “I dont know but what youre right, but Ide -ruther you wouldent say anything about it.” - -Then, changin the subject, says he: - -“Betsy, where do you think of goin to?” - -“Where do I think of goin to?” says I. “The Lord only knows. I dont.” - -At that Jobe hollered for me, and, biddin Bill “good day,” I come in. - -Yourn, nearin the close. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVII. - BETSY FAINTS. A VISION. - - -THE other day ex-Congressman Richer’s lawyer brought a man out to look -at the farm. They driv into the gate, out through the bars back of the -barn, across fust one field then another, the lawyer a pintin and layin -it off, the feller a lookin and noddin his head. - -Arter a while they come back and come up into the yard, the lawyer still -a pintin, the feller still a lookin and noddin. I heerd the lawyer say: - -“We want you to clear this all up. Clear away these bushes, and sow the -yard down in lawn grass.” - -As soon as I heerd that word “bushes,” I thought all of a suddint of -poor “little Jane’s white rose-bush.” - -I felt faint like—smothered—and a tear came a rollin down my cheek and -dropped on the floor before I could git my apron to my eyes, and they -kept a comin, no matter how hard I wiped. - -When I use to read and hear of “sheriff sales” I dident take time to -think what an awful thing it is to have the only place one knows on -airth as “home” sold away from you. But now, when I know of what it is, -I think of all the tears and sobs and heartaches and sich that has been -a goin on around us, and we dident know anything about it. - -Sometimes I find myself stoppin and standin still and lookin up in the -sky and sayin: - -“O Lord, is there no other way to do? Is there no way to save the women -and children and hard-workin men from bein turned out of their homes, -where they have lived and loved and been born?” - -And every time I think I can hear a whisperin voice, jist a little piece -away from me, a sayin: - -“_Yes, by reducin interest._” - -And then in a minit or so it seems as though I hear a ringin in my ears, -in words jist a little further away than the other, a sayin: - -“It—will—be—done. It—will—be—done.” - -If I only knew where we are to go to, and what Jobe can git to do, I -might bear it easier. It seems as though an old man haint wanted to do -work, and it seems every place is taken up. - -Jobe has been out, ever since he has been able to go about, lookin for -work and some place to move to. - -Everybody seems to a heard of our bein foreclosed, and they dont seem to -trust Jobe like they use to, though God knows he is as honest as he ever -was. - -Well, arter the lawyer had gone all around the place, givin his orders -to the feller, he come up to the door and knocked. I opened the door and -says: - -“Come in.” - -“No,” says he, “I jist wanted to know if you intended to git out by -March the fust.” - -Says I: “We will if we can find a place.” - -“Well, you must git out whether you find a place or not,” says he, “as -we want this gentleman to move in and commence spring work.” - -“We will, Mistur Lawyer, if we can possibly find a place,” says I. - -“Well, look here, Mrs. Gaskins,” says he, short like, “we dont want any -‘ifs’ about it. I notify you now, in the presence of this gentleman, -that if you are not out by March the fust, I will see that the law puts -you out. Now, take warnin.” - -And at that he turned on his heel and walked off. - -[Illustration: “‘O, LORD, IS THERE NO OTHER WAY TO DO?’”] - -I am an old woman, and have had many hardships, but, Mistur Editure, in -all my life I never had anything to strike my heart like them words did. -It jist seemed like everything turned black before me, and I sunk down -in the doorway and must a fell to sleep, for arter a while I woke up, or -come to, as it were. - -I had a dream while I lay there that I will never forgit. - -I thought that a great, large man stood before me, and jist behind him -stood two other good-sized fellers. The big man said to me, in a cruel, -coarse voice: “Ive come to turn you out.” I thought I bursted out a -cryin, and turned my eyes up toward the sky, as I had done before, and -right there, a flyin through the air, come my dear little Jane, lookin -jist as she did years ago before she died. I thought she throwed her -little arms around my neck, and laid her little soft face agin my cheek, -and says: “Dont cry, mamma. If no one else cares for you, I do,” jist as -plain as I ever heerd her little voice in life. - -I clasped my arms around her, and begin to feel a thrill of happiness as -I once did, when the big sheriff stepped up and grabbed her by the -neckband of her little dress, and, with a mighty jerk, threw her behind -him, sayin: “Stop this sentimentalism. The law must have its way.” - -I paid no attention to his cruel words, but jumped toward my little -Jane, who laid there with the blood a runnin out of her little head jist -above the left eye. Her eyes were open and starin, and, with a scream of -agony, I cried: “Oh, my child! My child is dead!” - -I was so shocked that it woke me up, and I found myself a layin there in -the door, and, bein cold, I got up and went in, all a shakin. - -From that day to this I can hardly think of anything but my little girl -a comin through the air and throwin her baby arms around my neck. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVIII. - THE PARTING. - - -JOBE is gone. Last Monday morning bright and airly he started for Lorain -to find work. He had hunted and hunted far and near, high and low, -around here for work, but couldent find any. Some one told him there was -lots of work at Lorain, and poor Jobe decided he would go there. - -He only had $2.95. He said he would take the railroad to Medina and walk -the rest of the way. - -Ile never forgit the mornin he left. - -We sot up late the nite before, talkin. We talked over our whole -lives—about when we were fust married; about how different times were -then and now; about the happiness we had then, and the plans we laid. -Jobe was strong and healthy, and so was I. Money was plenty, and people -were always lookin for somebody to work for them. - -We talked of little Jane; of how we loved her, and how she used to love -us. We talked of when she died, and how it nearly killed us; and then we -both jist cried as though our hearts would break. We talked of how hard -we had worked to try to git along in the world, and how our plans had -failed. - -Arter we had talked a good long while, and cried, and felt like cryin, -Jobe he moved his chair over near to mine, and took my hand in his, and -says: - -[Illustration: “He drawed me over in his arms and kissed me.”] - -“Betsy, weve had our little differences. I know sometimes I have been -tryin. Ive had so much to trouble me that at times I was peevish. But, -Betsy, I want you to look over all my failins. You have been a good -woman. You have done your dooty, and more than your dooty. It nearly -breaks my heart to go so far away and leave you behind; but we have to -give up the old farm, Betsy, we have to give up the old farm, and I must -find some place to go to, and something to do. We must live, -Betsy,—_we—must—live_,—and I must find something to do, _to live_. I -hope to be able to find work, and have you to come to where I am before -long. - -“I surely can find something to do some place. I heerd Jonas Warner, -that rich man in town, tell a feller the other day that anybody could -find work that wanted to work. God knows, Betsy, I want to work, and if -Mr. Warner is right, I surely can find somebody willin to give me -something to do.” - -We dident sleep much that nite. Jobe wanted to ketch the five o’clock -train on the C., L. & W. Railroad, and was afraid of oversleepin -hisself. He had to git up airly so as to git to town in time to ketch -it. - -[Illustration: “He was wipin his eyes and blowin his nose as he went -towards town.”] - -That mornin I had his clothes done up in a neat bundle. I had washed and -ironed all his clothes the day before, so he would have enough to do him -till I could go to him. - -He dident eat much breakfast. He said he “dident feel hungry.” When he -got ready to start he come up to the winder where I was a standin, and, -seem that I was choked up, my eyes full of tears, he drawed me over in -his arms and kissed me; then, turnin, walked out of the door without -sayin a word. The moon was a shinin bright, and I stood a lookin at him -as far as I could see him. He was wipin his eyes and blowin his nose as -he went towards town. - -When he was gone from my view I still stood a lookin for some time, then -sot down and cried, and kept a cryin every little bit all mornin. -Everything seemed so lonesome like. Wherever I looked it seemed I could -see poor Jobe a standin there lookin sad like. - -He said he would rite as soon as he found work. I am lookin for a letter -every day. - -Poor Jobe! Little did he think, or me either, some thirty-six years ago, -that in our old age we would be turned from our home by the law of our -country. Little did we think that when we got old Jobe would have to go -hundreds of miles from home, and out among strangers, a beggin for work -to feed us by. - -[Illustration: “Then sot down and cried, and kept a cryin every little -bit all mornin.”] - -Jist to think of all the interest money and payments we have give -Congressman Richer—some $3,800 all told. If interest had been less we -would have had our home, and had it nearly paid for, and Jobe would not -be gone out into the world to hunt work. If we had half or a quarter of -that interest money we could buy us a little home to stay in the few -remainin years of our lives. - -But, then, interest must be kept up, and the law inforced, so as to -enable Mr. Richer and his likes to live in style and assert the dignity -of their citizenship. It has to be done, no matter if the hardworkin -poor people are turned out of their homes and those that love each other -are parted. - -If Jesus was here and a makin laws, I wonder if he would have interest, -and foreclosin, and turnin out, and all that? - -[Illustration] - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIX. - THE PREACHER AND THE SALOONKEEPER. - - -MY heart is so broke that I hardly know how to rite. This is March 3d, -and yisterday arternoon they put me out. - -I had about give up their comin, and was tryin to feel better, when all -of a suddint I heerd a knock at the door. I opened it, and there stood -three strange men. - -Said the one who acted as leader: “Is this where the Gaskinses live?” - -Says I: “One of them is stayin here, and the Lord only knows where the -other one is.” - -“I am a deputy sheriff,” says he, “and have orders to set you out.” - -Says I: “Where is Mr. Richer?” - -“In Washington,” says he. - -“Where is his agent—his lawyer?” says I. - -“In town,” says he. - -“Well, dont they have to be here to put me out?” says I. - -“No,” says he; “the law puts you out for them.” - -“Well, Mistur,” says I, “couldent you let me stay a little longer? -Jobe’s gone to hunt work and a place to move to. If you will let me -stay, as soon as he finds it Ile go out without your botherin.” - -“I cant do it, Mrs. Gaskins,” says he; “the law must be inforced. The -law is no respecter of persons.” - -Says I, pleadin like: “You see, I am a old woman, and not stout. Jobe is -away, and I am here alone. If the law is no respecter of persons, why -should it come here and put me out of a home that we have paid over -$3,800 toward, jist to please the man that we have paid the money to?” - -He shook his head. - -“Where are you a goin to put me?” says I. - -“I am goin to put you out,” says he; “out in the big road yonder, off -these premises.” - -Says I: “Mistur, please dont be so cruel as that. It would kill me to -sleep out there all nite. Please let me stay a little longer—jist a -little longer.” - -“No use a talkin,” says he. “Ile have to do as the law says. Its not me -a puttin you out, Mrs. Gaskins—its not me that is cruel. It is the law, -the law, that is doin it.” - -“Come on, men,” says he, speakin to the other fellers. - -So they come right into the house, the house I had loved so well, walkin -over the floor I have scrubbed on my hands and knees thousands of times, -and begin to tear up my things and carry them out in the big road. - -I jist felt so queer I could hardly breathe. - -They tore down my stove and tore up my carpet, and carried out fust one -thing, then another, and sot them down beside the road, till all I had -was out there. - -When they got it all out, the deputy come in and says: - -“Why dont you go out there where your things are? You have no right -here. You must git out, so I can lock up the house.” - -Says I: “Mistur, is Congressman Richer a goin to move in to-nite?” - -Says he, sneerin like: “Why, Lord no; Mr. Richer wouldent live in sich a -house as this—he lives in Washington; he lives in a _fine_ house.” - -“Well, then, Mistur, let me stay in here till I hear from Jobe.” - -“No,” says he, “you must git out.” - -[Illustration: “They pulled me away from the winder.”] - -Says I, chokin like: “Mistur, I _cant_ go.” - -“Well, youve _got_ to go,” says he. “Are you a goin?” - -“I cant,” says I. - -“Here, men,” says he, “take her out of here and out yonder, where she -belongs.” - -So one of them big men took hold of one arm, and the other hold of the -other arm, and pulled me away from the winder where I was standin (the -same one where I was standin the mornin Jobe left), and pulled me out of -that dear old kitchen door and across the yard and out into the big -road, where they had piled my things, and sot me down on a chair. - -The sheriff had locked the house and follered them out. - -When he came out he says, as though he wanted to be friendly: “Where do -you think of goin to, Mrs. Gaskins?” - -I looked at him to see if he was crazy or what, but I couldent speak, I -was so full. - -Says he: “Do you want the boys to put up your bed for you?” - -I nodded my head. - -They set my bed up and put two jints of pipe on my stove, and then got -in their buggy and went to town. It was nearly sundown when they left -me. - -Soon arter they had gone Tom Osborne come a ridin by and brought me a -letter. - -As soon as he said “letter” my heart leapt. I knew it was from Jobe. - -Tom said he was sorry to see me out here in the road, and the man really -shed tears. He lives some eight miles from here, and wanted me to go -home with him for the nite. But I jist couldent go. So he rode on. - -Arter he was gone I got a lamp and sot down by the fire I had built in -the stove, with some quilts around me, to read poor Jobe’s letter. And -every word seemed to be another knife stuck in my heart. - -Poor Jobe he is havin it hard too. I jist cried like my heart would -break as I read what he writ. I send it to you to read. I want you to -return it, as it is from the only person in the world that cares for me. -Here it is—you can read it for yourself. You see it was writ at -different times and places. - - JOBE’S FIRST LETTER. - - ELYRIA, O., Feb. 22, 1896. - -_To Betsy Gaskins._ - -MY DEAR WIFE:—I have put off ritin to you thinkin I would be able to -rite you somethin to make you happy, but to date I cant. - -I got into Lorain the third day arter leavin you. I found a big iron -works there and lots of men at work, but on the sides of the door to -their office and at all the gates around the big fence they have signs -stuck up, readin: - - +———————————+ - | NO HELP WANTED HERE. | - +———————————+ - -I went into their office, and asked them if they couldent give me -something to do. - -They said: “No, we have all the men we need.” - -I told them how I wanted somethin to do at any price; of our bein -foreclosed and havin to git out and all. They shook their head and said -they “had to turn away hundreds of men every day,” and told me to “look -around,” I “might find work somewhere else.” - -So I left and went from one place to another, and everywhere I went I -saw them signs and was told the same thing. - -I found lots of men huntin work. - -On nearly every street, and down along the river and over by the lake, -were men a campin and a sleepin in railroad cars and outdoors; cookin by -fires built along the banks and on the shore; “waitin,” they said, “till -they could git a job.” - -I got my supper with three fellers that nite that done their cookin that -way. They seemed to be nice fellers. They was from different parts of -the country. - -[Illustration: “At all the gates around the big fence they had signs -stuck up.”] - -That nite I got a bed for fifteen cents, and had forty-three cents left. - -The next day I walked and walked and walked to find work, but couldent. - -At nite I had twenty-four cents left. Not wantin to git clear out of -money, I got into an empty box-car and slept the best I could. It was -cold, and most of the nite I had to walk from one end of the car to the -other, back and forth, to keep myself warm. - -So this mornin I come down here to Elyria, and have been from one end of -the town to the other tryin to find work; but nobody seems to want to -hire me. - -I find men stayin out around town here too. They say they have been all -over the country, and cant find work anywhere. I dont know what I will -do. Ile go over to Berea and see if I cant find somethin there. I will -not send this letter till I git there. - - CLEVELAND, O., Feb. 26, 1896. - BOX-CAR 1406, VALLEY RAILWAY. - -[Illustration: “I asked him for something to eat.”] - -BETSY:—I am here. I will finish my letter. God only knows what it is to -be out of work, out of money and out of home. I am not well. Ive had to -sleep outdoors, in cars and barns and around lumber piles so much that I -have a bad cold. I have not had anything to eat since yisterday mornin. -This cold weather has nearly used me up. I got one day’s work cuttin -ice, and got a dollar for it. That nite I got me a warm supper and slept -in a bed. - -I run out of money at Elyria, and come from there to Berea. - -The first beggin I done was from the farmers on the way. I got one warm -meal and a cold lunch. I was in Berea a whole day and nite without -anything to eat, so I jist had to go to beggin agin. I went to the -Methodist preacher’s house one of them real cold mornins. I knocked, and -the preacher come to the door. I asked him for somethin to eat. He -called to the hired girl and told her to hand me a lunch, and went in, -shut the door, and sot down by the fire. I could see him a settin there -a readin the Cleveland _Leader_, with his feet restin on a plush -foot-stool, and while that girl was a gittin that lunch and I was a -standin out there in the wind a lookin at that good big fire I thought I -would freeze. My teeth shook. - -When the girl brought that lunch I was so cold that I could hardly take -it. It was two pieces of cold bread, with some cold beef shaved off and -laid between. - -I was hungry and tried to eat it; the bites seemed to stick in my -throat, it was so dry and cold. What I did swallow seemed like chunks of -ice in my stomach, and made me colder. I shook from head to foot. I -couldent eat it, I was so cold. So I put what I couldent eat in my -pocket, thinkin I would eat it when I got warmer. - -I thought Ide die with cold. No matter how fast I walked, I dident get -warm. I went on and on till I got down where the bizness houses were. I -could smell coffee and warm meat a fryin. It jist seemed as though I had -to go in and take some, but I knew I darent. It seemed to make me -colder. Finally I saw a sign sayin: - - +————————+ - | FREE HOT SOUP. | - +————————+ - -When I got up to it a man opened the door, a sweepin. I stopped, told -him I had no money and was cold, and asked him if I could go into his -place and warm. - -“Certainly,” says he, “go right in. Ile be in in a minit.” - -I went in—yes, Betsy, went into a saloon, the fust time in my life. Dont -blame me. I had to—I was so cold. The stove was red-hot. When the feller -come in and saw how I was shakin, says he: - -“Old man, this is pretty cold weather to be out.” - -“Yes,” says I, shiverin. - -He brought me a chair and told me to set down. Then he felt my hands and -ears and says: - -“Why, you are nearly froze.” - -I told him about havin to stay out all nite, and about not havin -anything warm for breakfast, the best I could, I shook so. - -He went and got a big woolen cloth, held it to the stove till it got -hot, and wrapped my ears up. Then he went and got a little glass full of -liquor, and told me to drink it and it would warm me up. I told him I -hadent any money, and had never drank a drop of liquor in my life. - -“Well,” says he, “I know you have no money, and, if you had, a old man -like you, in your condition, shouldent pay for it. If you dont wish to -drink it I wont insist, but I thought it would warm you up.” - -So he set the glass down on the counter and says: - -“Ile make you a hot cup of coffee, and then I think you will feel -better.” - -When the saloonkeeper set the glass of whiskey down and went to gittin -me some hot breakfast, I seemed to git colder inside as I got warmer -outside. So, Betsy, I jist made up my mind that Ide drink that glass of -whiskey if it killed me. And I did. Soon after I drank it I felt a warm -feelin inside; and as I sot there it jist seemed as though I could feel -myself a thawin out, with that big fire outside and that glass of -whiskey inside. I sot there till the feller had my coffee and breakfast -ready. It was the best coffee I ever tasted,—though, Betsy, I always -loved the coffee you made,—and the fried eggs and the ham and the hot -cakes jist seemed to melt in my mouth. - -Well, arter I had my breakfast the saloonkeeper came around and sot down -and asked me all about myself, and you too. - -[Illustration: “‘WELL, OLD MAN, SICH THINGS HADENT ORT TO BE.’”] - -And as I told all our trouble, about our foreclosin and sellin out, and -my huntin work and not findin it, big tears would every now and then -leave his big blue eyes and roll down his cheeks, and he kept a -swallerin every little bit. When I had told him all, says he: - -“Well, old man, sich things hadent ort to be.” - -So, when I got ready to go, he shook my hand and wished me good luck in -findin work; and when he took hold of my hand I felt somethin hard in -his, and when he let go I had a silver dollar in mine. I handed it back -to him, and told him I dident know as I could ever return it to him. - -“No matter, pap,” says he, “keep it. If you are never able to return it, -all right, and if you are able and never see me, ‘do unto some other -human brother as I have done unto you,’ and the debt will be paid. Times -are hard, and I have sich high taxes to pay that it makes money scarce -with me, or I would give you more. I hate to see you go out in this -cold; you are welcome to stay if you wish.” - -But, Betsy, I was so anxious to find work and git a place for you that I -couldent stay. So that day and nite I made it to here. This is a big -town, but so far I have found no work. - - Your lovin husband, - JOBE GASKINS. - -When I got done readin that letter I was cryin out loud. Poor Jobe. I -wonder where he was last nite. - -Oh, how I love that man that took Jobe in and warmed him and fed him! - -I love him though he is a saloonkeeper. I could throw my arms around his -neck and cry on his shoulder with love for him and for his kindness -toward Jobe. - -Well, this mornin the world seems strange to me. Last nite arter I had -gone to bed and could look up in the clear sky at the bright stars, it -jist seemed to me, while I laid there in my bed beside the big road, -that every star was a eye lookin down on me with pity. And, thinkin that -they looked that way, I was not a bit afraid and went to sleep, and -slept till daylite. - -Hopin God will forgive them for makin and havin laws to put sich people -as me out of home, I am - - Your troubled and homeless - BETSY GASKINS. - -[Illustration] - - - - - CHAPTER XL. - “THEM ROOMS.” THE “DIRECTOR OF CHARITIES.” - - -THAT mornin arter I wrote you the last time—arter I had built me a fire -in my stove and got my breakfast and washed up my dishes and made my -bed—I sot down on a chair out there by the big road. I never felt so -queer in all my life. Not a sound could be heard, except over on the -hill near Jake Stiffler’s I could heer a cow a bawlin. It was awful -lonesome. No one to speak to, nothin to look at, except my things piled -up there beside the road. - -I couldent help thinkin of poor Jobe—his beggin, and bein cold, and -starvin, and sleepin in box-cars, and sich. - -Well, arter I had sot there a while a thinkin, I felt so bad that I jist -thought I would go up to the house and take a look at them rooms and the -place we had so long loved as our home. - -I felt afraid like to go, but I thought it might cheer me up to look -into them rooms that I had cleaned and papered and swept—the rooms where -Jobe and me had set in and slept; the rooms that had sheltered us in -sickness and in health. - -So I jist throwed a shawl over my head, and walked up the walk that I -had walked up thousands of times. - -There were the currant bushes, the lilac, the dead poppy stalks. And all -the weeds and posies, that used to appear to wear a smile for me, now -seemed to turn from me as if to say, “We haint yours any more. You have -no bizness here now.” - -[Illustration: “I slipped over and put my face agin the glass.”] - -And as I looked at them and felt that feelin, a lump would raise up in -my throat, no matter how much I swallered and tried to keep it back. - -Well, I walked on until I got up to the kitchen winder. When I got there -it jist seemed that I couldent look in, but, knowin I had come there to -see them rooms, half afraid like but determined, I slipped over and put -my face agin the glass. - -Everything was silent and still. There was my kitchen, all empty. Not a -thing to be seen but that dear old kitchen—empty—no stove, no table, no -chairs, no nothin. There was the winder where I stood cryin the mornin -Jobe left. There by that winder I had set a combin my little Jane’s hair -years ago, while she drew pictures on them same winderpanes with her -little fingers. There were the nails Jobe had drove in the wall when we -fust moved in; there was the same floor over which we had walked for -years. Oh, how I longed to be a walkin over it agin! I was locked out—I -couldent git in. - -So I went from one winder to another, lookin in at them rooms. There was -the same grate that had warmed us; there in that corner, evenin arter -evenin, Jobe had set and studied; there in the other corner I had set -and knit, or set and read. It seemed that I could see Jobe there now. -Oh! how I would love to see him there. Poor Jobe! I wonder if he thinks -of the evenins weve spent beside that fire together. There was our -bed-room—empty, silent and still—no bed, no nothin. There in that room I -had set, nite arter nite, with little Jane when she was sick; there she -had throwed her little arms around my neck and put her fevered face agin -mine the last time. From that room Ellen Jane Moore had carried her -arter she was gone. It was empty now. I was locked out. I couldent go -in. - -Turnin from them rooms, I walked around the yard, lookin at the fence, -the well, the coal-house, and the things that had been mine. Then, comin -to the front yard, I come to the little white rose-bush; it seemed to -look at me pleadin like. I started to go on, but I couldent. That -rose-bush seemed to call me back. So I jist got me a sharp stick and dug -it up, and took it down to where my things were and wrapped it up in a -cloth. - -When I got back to the big road, and was settin there wonderin what Ide -do, how long Ide have to live there in the big road, where Ide go to and -sich, Constable Bill Adams come a ridin by. - -When he got up to me, says he: - -“Why, Mrs. Gaskins, what are you a doin with all this stuff piled in the -road?” - -“Ime livin here,” says I. - -“Well, youle have to git this stuff out of the road,” says he. “You -darent obstruct the public highway. Its dangerous to have a pile of -stuff like this in the big road; its liable to scare horses, and -somebody might git hurt or killed. Its aginst the law, Mrs. Gaskins, its -aginst the law, and you will have to move it.” - -“The law put it here,” says I. - -“No matter,” says he; “youle have to git out of here, or youle be -arrested.” - -“Where will I put it?” - -“How do I know?” says he. “Youle have to look out for that yourself. Git -it out of here, and that mighty quick, or you will git yourself into -trouble.” - -And he rode on towards town. - -Well, as he rode away I sot down and begin to think. Here I was, a old -woman, set out in the big road by the Law—put out of the house we had -paid $3,800 towards; the house empty, and now comes the Law and orders -me to even git away from where the Law had put me. What to do I dident -know. I jist sot there a cryin and helpless, when I heerd wagons comin -down the road. I looked up, and there come two wagons and four men down -the hill. - -They drove up and stopped, and there was Tom Osborne, and Charley -McGlinchey, and that fat black-smith, and Jones the baker, all from -Mineral Pint. They had come to move me. - -Tom Osborne had went home the night before and told them about me bein -put out in the big road, and they went together and got teams and come -and moved me to town here. - -They seemed to be nice, kind men, but talked like them Populists. - -They dident talk much to me, but I heerd them talkin to each other, -sayin: “Its a shame,” “a disgrace to civilization,” “wrong,” “wouldent -be if the people could borrow money from the government like they do in -Switzerland,” and all sich. They even said: “The time haint fur off when -it can be done, and the likes of this wont be.” And then they said a -good deal agin the money power and polerticians, and sich, until I was -glad Jobe wasent there to flare up. I was glad he wasent there, though -Ide give the world to know where he is, or to have him with me. - -Well, they brought me to town and rented me this house here at 1412 West -Front Street, and paid the rent for a month; then two of them drove off, -and soon brought me a load of coal. While them two were gone for the -coal the other two set up my stove, and fixed up my bed, and set things -around in pretty good shape for men; then, wishin me good luck, and -hopin Jobe would soon git work and I would git to go to him, they drove -off. They all looked pityin like as they left. - -I went to the post-office the next mornin to tell them I had changed my -place of livin. I got this letter from Jobe. It jist seems there is no -end of trouble for the people who are poor. - -Poor Jobe, how my heart bleeds for him. Here is his letter. Read it for -yourself: - - JOBE’S SECOND LETTER. - - CLEVELAND WORK-HOUSE, - CLEVELAND, O., March 5, 1896. - -_To Betsy Gaskins._ - -MY DEAR WIFE AND ONLY FRIEND:—I am here in this prison—put here by the -law. God only knows my feelins. I am not a criminal. Ive done no wrong. -Betsy, don’t blame me. Pity me. I am a old man. I have worked hard. Ive -been honest. Ive tried to do right. To-day I am in prison, wearin -stripes. I was hungry. I had no money. I asked for bread. They arrested -me. - -[Illustration] - -It was day before yisterday. I had hunted for work all day. I had had -nothin to eat for a whole day and nite. I was passin up Ontario Street, -near Hull & Dutton’s big clothin store. I saw a well-dressed man, with a -high silk hat on, with a hand full of paper money, talkin loud and -offerin to bet $500 that McKinley would git the delegates from Allegheny -County. There were several fellers standin there a listenin and talkin, -and two policemen. I stepped up and asked the feller with the money if -he could give me enough to git me a supper and bed. I was so hungry and -nearly sick by sleepin outdoors. - -The feller turned around and looked black at me. Then, turnin to the -policemen, he ordered them to arrest me, sayin: - -“Ime d—d if I dont intend to break up this beggin on the streets.” - -The policemen took hold of me and jerked me out of the crowd and pulled -me down Champlain Street hill to the city prison, and locked me in a -iron cage. - -I asked one of them who the big man was that ordered me arrested. He -said it was “the Director of Charities, one of the leadin city -officers.” - -You may have read in the papers of him a havin a tramp arrested for -askin him for somethin to buy bread with. - -That tramp, Betsy, was me. - -They say he gits $5,000 a year for bein “Director of Charities.” - -Well, they tried me next mornin and found me guilty. - -I am up for ten days. I cant find any work or a place for you till I git -out. - -They brought me out here in a wagon with a cage on it. They call it the -“Black Mariar.” There was a lot of us in it. Betsy, pity me. Dont blame -me. - - Your lovin husband, JOBE GASKINS. - -Mistur Editure, I cant comment. I feel so bad. - -[Illustration] - - - - - CHAPTER XLI. - A SORE HAND. - -I AM sick. I have been sick since day before yisterday. I have a high -fever. My head bothers me. I cant rite. Here is another letter I got -from poor Jobe. Oh! how I wish he was here. I know he would care for me -and watch over me and do for me while Ime sick. Read his letter and -return it. They seem so near to me. I havent been able to be out of bed -much to-day. If Jobe was only out of that dreadful place. - - JOBE’S THIRD LETTER. - - CLEVELAND WORK-HOUSE, - CLEVELAND, O., March 9, 1896. - -_To Betsy Gaskins._ - -DEAR WIFE:—I got your letter yisterday. I cant tell you how I felt when -I read of them a puttin you out. - -Betsy, I little thought, the day you stood beside me and become my wife, -that the time would come when you would have to sleep outdoors in the -big road. - -I felt then, Betsy, as though I was strong enough, and God knows I was -willin, to provide a home for you as long as we both lived. Dont blame -me, Betsy. Ive done the best I could. You know Ive worked hard, and we -have lived savin, but by some unknown reason all I have aimed is gone. -Mr. Richer has $3,800 of it. Ive done the best I could. - -I have to work hard here in this place, but Ime not complainin, nor -wouldent complain if I was gittin paid for what work I do, so that I -could help you. - -[Illustration: “I have to work hard in this place.”] - -Ime a wheelin coal to the furnace and a wheelin hot cinders away. - -It keeps me bizzy. - -There are lots of men in here. A great many for beggin—jist as I am. -Betsy, dont let the neighbors know they have me locked up. I feel so -disgraced. - -I feel that if that “Director of Charities,” that had me arrested and -put in here, had known that I had feelins; if he had known that I was a -honest old man; if he had thought of the difference between a old man, -hungry, away from home and out of money—I say, Betsy, if he had thought -of the difference between sich a man as I was and a man drawin $5,000 a -year as a leadin city officer, like hisself, I dont think he could have -had the heart to have had me arrested and sent to prison. - -Lots of the fellers in here seem to be honest, kind-hearted people, but -poor and away from home. Not bein known to the officers, they are -arrested and sent out here. - -Betsy, I long to see you. When I git out I will come back. I cant find -any work up here. Nobody seems to want to hire me. - -My hand is sore. I can hardly use it. But then the feller what watches -me work keeps me a goin. He dont allow me to stop a minit from the time -they let me out of my cell in the mornin till they lock me in it agin at -nite. - -The way I come to hurt my hand was—I had a dream. Ive been a dreamin -more or less for some time. Ime so tired and my bed is so hard. I -suppose I dont sleep sound is why I dream so. - -I dreamed I was in this work-house and there was more than a thousand -other men in, and a comin in from ten to thirty a day—mostly for bein -hungry and beggin. - -Well, I thought one bright mornin one of the guards come through the -buildin a hollerin and poundin on a big gong, and tellin all the fellers -“to come into the big yard” that is in this place. He said that they had -some good news for us. “Glad tidings of great joy,” says he. - -I thought we all stopped work and went a hurryin to that big yard, and -when I got there the yard was alive with people, men waitin to hear them -“tidings.” - -Well, when we all got into that yard two nice-lookin men climbed up on -the platform that is in the middle and one of them says: - -“FELLOW-CITIZENS, GENTLEMEN AND BROTHERS: We are delegated by the proper -authority to declare unto you this beautiful morning a new law that has -been made by our brothers, the law-makers at Washington. We solicit your -undivided attention for a few moments.” - -He then read: - -“_Be it resolved, by the Senate and House of Representatives, in -Congress assembled_: That the chief aim of human government should be to -secure to each individual member of such government contentment and -happiness; that this can be done only by securing to all the -unrestricted opportunity to employ the means intended by the Creator for -earning a livelihood—_i. e._, labor. - -“_Therefore be it enacted_, That a fund of $500,000,000 be provided (by -the issue of said sum in full legal-tender greenback notes, in -denominations of one, two and five dollars) and set apart for the -purpose of giving employment to such American citizens as may have no -other employment, and who may go before any board of county -commissioners in the United States and certify under oath that they are -American citizens, are out of employment and desire to perform manual -labor in the service of this government. - -“Thereupon it shall be the duty of said county commissioners to assign -to such citizens work in improving any of the public highways in said -county, or in constructing and equipping any public utility in and for -said county. The wages due each citizen for said services shall be paid -to him, weekly, by the treasurer of the county in which the services are -performed, on the warrant of the county auditor and order of the said -commissioners. A monthly statement of the amounts so paid out shall be -sent by the treasurer of the county to the Treasury Department at -Washington, and thereupon the sum thereof shall be repaid from the fund -aforesaid into the treasury of such county. - -“On and after the passage of this act it shall be unlawful for any -person to beg or ask alms in the United States except in cases of -physical disability.” - -Arter he had read this law says he: - -“Gentlemen, we are aware that most of you are here because you are -victims of the system that has heretofore prevailed—many for asking for -bread when hungry, others for other offenses, which you may have been -forced to commit in consequence of having no employment and being in -want. - -“Our county commissioners have assigned and set apart work, on the -Shaker Hill road and Kinsman Street, sufficient to give employment to -three thousand men for several months, and Governor Bushnell has, by -proclamation, given their liberty to all inmates of the penal -institutions of the State (except the penitentiary) who desire to avail -themselves of the opportunity to work as provided by the law I have just -read. You, gentlemen, are excused from making the oath mentioned. - -[Illustration: “One nice little place that I thought I would rent as -soon as I got my first week’s pay.”] - -“Now, all you who desire to work on these public improvements will form -in line and pass out through the office, giving your correct names and -addresses, as you now become once more respected American citizens. Form -in line, two abreast, out on Woodland Avenue, facing east, and we will -take pleasure in conducting you to the places of employment. There you -will be supplied with the necessary tools, and arrangements will be made -at different places where you can get accommodations until you receive -your first pay for services. Your compensation will be $1.50 each per -day.” - -At that he stopped. Every man in that yard was in line. It seemed as -though a cloud had rose up off from that crowd. Every one looked happy, -cheerful. - -Well, Betsy, we marched out into the open air onto Woodland Avenue, and -each one gave his real name and address to the clerk as we passed out. - -Then we all went out to the place where they were at work. - -There they were—hundreds of them—a plowin, and a shovelin, and a haulin, -a talkin and a laffin, a whistlin and a singin. - -I looked at several houses as we were on our way out, and saw one nice -little place that I thought I would rent as soon as I got my first -week’s pay. - -When the week was up I went, and sure enough it was empty. I hunted up -the owner, and got it for $5 a month. I used $3 of the other four to pay -my board. - -I worked there three weeks, makin $27, and had sent for you. I was -lookin for you on Saturday, and could hardly wait until you come. I felt -young agin. - -[Illustration: “I WORKED THERE THREE WEEKS.”] - -Well, when I got to my boardin place on Thursday night, I went in and up -to my room, thinkin that in two more days you would be with me. When I -opened the door, there you was a comin toward me with your arms -stretched out. My heart leaped. I jumped towards you, throwin out my -arms to embrace you, when—— - -I struck my hand agin the iron bed-post in my cell and nearly broke it. -It woke me up. Everything was cold and dark. You was not there. I felt -so queer that I sot up in bed, and I sot there a thinkin of that -dream—thinkin of how glad I was to git work; thinkin of that law, and -what a grand country this would be if sich was the law; thinkin of that -little house with green winder-blinds; thinkin of you doin your cookin -and sweepin, your dustin and cleanin in that little house; thinkin of me -a makin $9 every week, and a countin the money out to you every Saturday -night in new, crisp greenbacks; thinkin of all these things, and then -thinkin of you a sleepin out there in the road, you a goin hungry and -without shelter because I cant git any sich work; thinkin how happy we -might be and how troubled we are. I jist had to cry. I had to, though -Ime a man. I sot there on the side of that iron bed till I nearly froze; -then I laid down and went to sleep and slept till half-past five, when -the watchman came around to waken me up to go to wheelin coal and -cinders for another twelve hours for nothin. - -[Illustration: “Everything was cold and dark.”] - -I will git out a Monday, and will start back as soon as they let me out. -Somethin tells me I ort to be there; and its no use me tryin to find -work in this place or any other. They either have “all the help they -need,” or else “dont want to hire a old man.” - -Hopin this will find you well, and that some kind person has taken you -in out of the big road, I am, Betsy, - - Your lovin but discouraged husband, - JOBE GASKINS. - -Mistur Editure, the more I think of that letter, the more I think of -that poor old man a carin for me, and a dreamin about me, the worse it -makes my head ache and the higher it makes my fever. If I had the money -I would send for a doctor, but I haint got it; and if I had, I haint got -anybody to go. I jist have to lay here. No fire, no one to look at, no -one to talk to—jist lay here and look at the ceilin and think. Ile have -to quit. - - Hopin your folks are all well, - BETSY GASKINS (Dimicrat), - Wife of - JOBE GASKINS (Republican). - -[Illustration] - - - - - CHAPTER XLII. - HATTIE MOORE. - - - TUSCARAWAS COUNTY POOR-HOUSE, - NEAR NEW PHILADELPHIA, O., March 15, 1896. - -MR. EDITOR:—My name is Hattie Moore. My age is seventeen. My father was -a soldier. My mother is a widow. I was betrayed by one of the leading -city officials, and while he to-day is performing the duty and drawing -the salary of an office of trust and honor, his child and I, its girl -mother, are inmates of this poor-house. - -I write to let you know about Betsy Gaskins. They brought her here -yesterday. She is very sick. She is delirious and talks a great deal in -her sleep, about somebody by the name of Jobe, and about their home and -high interest, and $3,800, and being turned out, and all such things. -Judging from the wrinkles on her face and the hard places in her hands, -she must have been a hard-working old woman. - -I pity her so much that every now and then I steal into the room where -they put her. I stayed in there nearly all night last night, though I -knew it was against the rules. But my baby slept well, and I hated to -let the poor woman lie in that room all night sick and alone. - -I just thought that if my old mother was sick and poor and taken to a -place like this, I would love any girl who would be kind to her and pity -her. I would love her even though she had been betrayed and was in the -poor-house to get away from the taunts of a heartless world. - -I asked the man who brought her here who she was and where she came -from. - -He diden’t seem to know much about her. He said that some people found -her sick and delirious in a small house in the west end and notified the -township trustees; that the trustees went to the prosecuting attorney -and wanted to know what was best to be done with her and if the law -would permit them to hire somebody to go to her house and take care of -her. The prosecuting attorney asked if she had any money or property. -The trustees told him that she had not; that she was very poor—had -nothing. - -“Send her to the poor-house,” says the prosecutor, “send her to the -poor-house. The best thing to do with such people is to get rid of -them.” - -So, the expressman said, they came and got him, and they drove out and -loaded her into his express wagon, and he brought her out here. - -“Her name is Betsy Gaskins,” says he. - -It was cold and stormy, and the poor old soul was in great pain all -night. - -A few minutes ago I went in, and she was breathing so weak that I put my -hand in her bosom to see if her heart was beating, and I found this -letter from “Jobe Gaskins.” It seems she is a married woman, and he has -been away from home and is coming back. I send it to you, and, if you -see him, tell him where he can find his wife. - -Now, Mr. Editor, you had better send this old man’s letter back, so that -if the old lady gets better she will have it. But I don’t know as she -will ever be much better; she seems to be sinking. - -Send the old man out as soon as he gets there. - - From a friend to Betsy Gaskins, - HATTIE MOORE. - - JOBE’S FOURTH LETTER. - - AKRON, O., March 12, 1896. - -_To Betsy Gaskins._ - -DEAR WIFE:—They let me out last Monday. I felt very strange when they -opened them big doors and told me to go. When I got out onto the street -I felt jist like a feller does when he is lost in a big woods. I dident -know which way to start. But I wanted to git back to you. I saw a depot -marked “Woodland Station,” and I went over there—went in and sot down. -Pretty soon a passenger train come in headed south. Everybody got up to -take it, and, I dont know why, but I went with the crowd and into the -car. When the train got started, I thought of havin no ticket or money. - -The conductor dident get around to me until we had passed Newburg. - -I was lookin out at the big buildin where they keep crazy people, when -he teched me on the shoulder and says, “Ticket.” - -I told him I had no ticket nor money; that I was a old man; had been out -tryin to find work and couldent; that my wife was sick and I was wantin -to git back. - -He said: “You cant ride on this train. Youle have to git off.” - -I asked him if he couldent let me ride; that I would pay him some time -if I ever got the money. - -“No,” says he, “my instructions are to carry no one without a ticket or -the money.” - -I told him the people what owned the railroad was rich and wouldent care -if he let a old man ride to Bayard. - -“No,” says he, “you must git off at Bedford. Ime not permitted to carry -you.” - -Well, when they got to Bedford I jist sot still, thinkin he might forgit -me. But when he come in I saw he was mad. He rang the bell, and the -train stopped; then him and the brakesman come and took hold of me and -dragged me out of that train, and when they got me out they give me a -shove, jumped into the train, rang the bell and went. - -[Illustration: “He teched me on the shoulder.”] - -They shoved me so hard that I fell down and struck my knee agin a big -iron pin that laid beside the track, and hurt it so bad that I can -hardly walk. Then I come on till I got to Hudson; then I got onto a -freight train between two cars and rode to Cuyahoga Falls; there they -arrested me for it and was a goin to send me to the work-house agin. But -when I told them all they let me go if I would agree to git out of town -in thirty minits. They went through all my pockets, to see if I had any -money, before they told me that. I got out, and now I am walkin. I will -git there as soon as I can. The soles are off my boots, and my feet are -wet nearly all the time. - -Hopin this will find you better, - - I am your lovin husband, - JOBE GASKINS. - -[Illustration: “I got onto a freight train.”] - - - - - CHAPTER XLIII. - A FAMILY REUNION. - - - TUSCARAWAS COUNTY POOR-HOUSE, - NEAR NEW PHILADELPHIA, O., March 25, 1896. - -MR. EDITOR:—Your letter asking more about Betsy Gaskins received. I will -tell you all I know. Whether Betsy Gaskins is living or dead I cannot -say, and I never will know, though what I do know I never can forget. - -The strange things I have seen since I last wrote you are mysteries that -can only be guessed at; they cannot be solved. - -Betsy had been growing worse every day till the night of that terrible -storm. The rain and sleet and snow, the wind and hail, made it one of -the most dismal nights I ever saw. The roaring in the woods on the hill -back of the poor-house sounded like a storm on the ocean. In every -direction cattle and sheep were bawling. It was so cold, and the noise, -I suppose, kept them awake. - -That night Betsy was worse. She had smothering spells that it seemed she -would die in, and her suffering was terrible. I couldn’t leave her, -though my baby was fretful and kept awake till after ten o’clock. I was -with her almost all the time. - -I had let the window down from the top to let in fresh air, as she -seemed to need it. I had no light except what came in over the transom -of the door from the hall. - -It was about two o’clock that I was sitting there all alone. Betsy -seemed to be getting worse very fast. - -[Illustration: “Pushing back the hair of the sick woman, leaned over and -kissed her on the forehead.”] - -The roaring of the storm, the bellowing of the cattle, the creaking of -the window shutters and the moaning of that old woman made it sad and -lonesome. - -I was sitting there, thinking of what an awful thing it is to be poor -and homeless and sick and friendless,—thinking of the wrong and misery, -the cruelty and crime that is going on in the world against the weak and -helpless,—when for some reason I looked toward the window, and there was -the face of the most beautiful little girl I ever saw, looking in just -over the sash. Her face seemed to shine, it was so bright. Her hair was -the color of gold. I couldn’t speak. - -That face (for the face and shoulders were all I could see) seemed to -float in at that window, and for a minute stood still, like a -humming-bird in the air, in the middle of that room, with its eyes -steadily fixed on the old woman. Then it moved slowly and quietly -downward and lit on the bed beside Betsy, and, pushing back the hair of -the sick woman, leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. At that -Betsy opened her eyes and clasped the little girl in her arms, saying: - -“Oh, my child!” - -The head said, “Mamma.” - -They held each other there a minute or so, when Betsy all of a sudden -threw her arms in the air, half rose up and screamed at the top of her -voice: - -“See! see! Look yonder! Your father’s burning! Go, child! Go!” - -The little girl turned her head, and they both looked toward the west -wall a second, as though they saw something terrible to behold. Then the -child rose as quick as thought, and, like a flash, went out at the -window, screaming in a tone that made the chills run over me, “Oh, my -papa!” - -Betsy fell back upon the bed, and seemed to be greatly troubled and in -much pain. - -I had set there possibly an hour, watching the sufferings of that poor -woman, and thinking of that little girl, when all of a sudden I looked -toward the window, and there again was the face of that little girl and -the face of an old man. The little girl was pointing with her chubby -finger toward the sick woman; the other arm she had around the old man. -He was looking to where she was pointing, troubled like. - -I can’t say I was scared. I just felt speechless. - -When they had looked a little bit, both of them came in at that -window—just floated in—and stood in mid-air. - -Betsy was resting easier, and it seemed they didn’t wish to wake her. - -[Illustration: “There lay Mrs. Gaskins.”] - -I could see more of the little girl than before. Both their faces were -bright, and the lower down you looked the dimmer they got, till they -became colorless. I thought I could see their feet, as clear as glass. - -Well, after they had rested there in the air a few seconds the little -girl took her arm from around the old man, and they both settled down -beside the old woman, one on one side of the bed, the other on the other -side, and they each stroked her hair back with their hands. - -Pretty soon Betsy opened her eyes, and looked up, happy like, first at -one, then at the other; then she stretched out her arms, and they both -laid their faces down beside hers, one on one side and one on the other. - -She seemed to rest easier then, only her breathing was slower and each -time farther apart. Pretty soon I saw a mist or something gathering over -her between the old man and the little girl. I watched it, and it kept -growing brighter and brighter, till I could see the form of a woman; -then I could see that it appeared alive and looked like Mrs. Gaskins, -only happier. Mrs. Gaskins began to suffer now, and was getting her -breath hard. - -[Illustration: “THERE AGAIN WAS THE FACE OF THAT LITTLE GIRL AND THE -FACE OF AN OLD MAN.”] - -Finally the old man and the little girl rose up, and each put an arm -around this form. The form would first look at one, then the other. Then -Mrs. Gaskins gave one long, hard gasp, and straightened out, and the -form broke loose, and all three rose up in the air and floated to the -middle of the room, stopped, turned, and all looked at the bed. Then -they turned and gazed at me. I couldn’t move. They kissed each other and -began to move slowly toward the window, each with an arm around another. -As they went out through the window the little girl began to sing the -prettiest song I ever heard, in a low, sweet tone. - -When they were gone I got up and ran to the window. There they were, -going up through the sky above the barn, the little girl singing at the -top of her voice. - -I stood there looking as long as I could see them. I heard that little -girl still singing as they went out of sight over the hill back of the -poor-house. - -[Illustration: “In the morning there was found a white-haired man.”] - -I felt so weak that I don’t know how long I stood there, but finally I -thought that I must run and tell the superintendent that Mrs. Gaskins -had gone. With that thought in my mind I turned from the window, crossed -the room, and was just opening the door, when I happened to look toward -the bed. And there lay Mrs. Gaskins as she had lain all evening, only -stiller. - -I was scared. I could hardly believe it. I went to the bed. She was -cold. She did not breathe. I rubbed my eyes and hands and face to try to -bring myself to realize what it all meant. Then I went into my room and -lay down beside my baby till morning. - -I straightened out Betsy’s clothes the next morning before they put her -in the box. While doing so, I found a little rose-bush, tied up neatly -in a rag and pinned fast to her skirt. - -This, Mr. Editor, is all I know of Betsy Gaskins. - -Of Jobe Gaskins I know very little, unless it was he that came with the -little girl. - -In yesterday’s daily paper, however, I noticed this item: - -“NEW PHILADELPHIA, O., March 22, 1896.—Last night a supposed tramp -entered the Canal Dover rolling-mill in an almost frozen condition and -asked for shelter from the storm. In accordance with his instruction -from the company, the night watchman ejected him. In the morning there -was found a white-haired man, apparently sixty years of age, lying cold -in death on the ash-heap. The initials ‘J. G.’ were marked on his shirt. -His face was burned so that it scarcely looked like a human countenance. -His feet and body were covered with ice and snow. - -“The coroner’s jury, judging from the time the man was refused shelter -in the mill and from the amount of snow on his feet and body, decided -that he must have died between two and three o’clock the night before.” - -Could this tramp, Mr. Editor, have been the old man who was trying to -get back to his sick wife? - - HATTIE MOORE. - -P. S.—The rose-bush which I found pinned to poor Betsy’s skirt I have -planted on her grave. - -[Illustration] - - - - - CHAPTER XLIV. - AFTER THE WOE, THEN COMES THE LAW. - - -BETSY GASKINS’ sad history and the terrible fate of poor Jobe—for he it -was whose body was found on the cinder-pile—caused great excitement, not -only in Tuscarawas County, but throughout Ohio, and even in many other -sections of the country. One Chicago paper devoted a whole column to -portraying the awfulness of turning an old man from a friendly shelter -on such a cruel night as the one when Jobe Gaskins froze to death. Other -papers in different parts of the Union expatiated on the hardships of -the old couple from the time the hard hand of the law began to push them -from their home until death took pity on them and removed them beyond -the reach of man’s cruelty to man. The lesson of their humble lives was -made the subject of sermons and of editorials everywhere. - -By the time of the campaign of 1896, the people of the United States had -become so wrought up that there seemed to be a spontaneous demand for -the restoration of the conditions which prevailed when it was possible -for Jobe Gaskins and his likes to pay off their debts. So universal was -the demand that three parties nominated the same candidate for -president. He made a brilliant campaign; but, owing to his being -handicapped by a plutocratic, mortgage-holding, interest-taking running -mate, he was defeated. - -Out of the campaign and the knowledge gained by the people, however, -much good resulted. In many States legislatures were elected that were -above the corrupting influence of the money power. The people were awake -to their needs, and many laws were enacted for the betterment of the -conditions of the common people, particularly the poor and homeless. - -Ohio, especially, was active in this direction. It seemed that nearly -every member of the legislature had learned the story of Betsy and Jobe -Gaskins, and had come to Columbus determined, if possible, to provide -laws that would stay the hands of Ohio sheriffs from turning honest -people out of the shelter they had erected by their own industry and -economy, and to make it easier for people to pay for homes. - -It was only the second day of the session when sixteen bills were -presented in the House and four in the Senate, all designed to lessen -the hardships of debtors and the burdens of the oppressed. - -There seemed to be a unanimity of opinion that county treasurers should -be authorized to receive money on deposit in order to protect the -depositor from loss; that money so deposited should be exempt from -taxation, and that legal interest should be reduced to four per cent. -There was some diversity of opinion as to whether or not the treasurers -should do a general banking business; all agreed, however, that money -should be loaned out on first mortgage real estate security at not to -exceed four per cent. interest. The bills were referred to a committee -appointed for the purpose, and the following is the bill reported back -by the committee, the chairman of which, Mr. L. W. Chambers, of -Ashtabula County, became its champion: - - THE BILL. - -“_Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio_: That on -and after the first Monday in April, A. D. 1898, any person so desiring -may deposit money in any sum from one dollar ($1) up, with the treasurer -of the county in which he resides, and receive therefor a certificate of -deposit or a credit on a pass-book, and all such money may be withdrawn -on demand unless otherwise stipulated in the certificate of deposit. The -treasurer may require a notice of sixty days for the withdrawal of any -sum exceeding one hundred dollars ($100). - -“SEC. 2. The county treasurers of Ohio are hereby authorized to receive -on deposit money from the citizens of their respective counties; keep -the same separate from the other funds received by them; place the same -in a special account, to be called the People’s Savings Fund; provide -such extra clerk hire as may be necessary to attend to the business; -lend the money of such fund on first mortgage real estate security to -such citizens as may apply for same, at a rate of simple interest not to -exceed four (4) per cent. per annum. - -“All securities and title of property shall be certified to the -treasurer by the auditor and recorder, and shall be appraised by a board -of appraisers residing in the township where the property is situated. - -“Not more than ninety (90) per cent. of the appraised value of any -property shall be loaned thereon. - -“The trustees of the respective townships of Ohio are hereby constituted -a board of appraisers of the property on which loans may be asked in -such township. For such appraisement, whether the loan is granted or -not, the applicant shall pay said appraisers a fee of two dollars each. -At least two of such appraisers shall go upon and assess the value of -any such property. - -“The borrower shall pay all incidental charges connected with any loan. -The treasurer shall not receive more than one per cent. per annum on the -money loaned, as his compensation for conducting and caring for said -business; all interest received, less expense to said treasurer, shall -be distributed pro rata to the depositors in accordance with the amount -and time of deposit. - -“A failure to pay interest for three years shall work a forfeiture of -any loan made under the provisions of this act, and the property shall -revert to the county without process of law further than order of court -upon sworn statement of the treasurer as to such delinquency; and the -mortgagee shall be permitted to occupy such premises for such a length -of time as the payments made thereon shall amount to a yearly rental of -four per cent. and taxes, after which the said property may be rented at -not less than four per cent. and taxes, or sold at private sale at not -less than appraised value. - -“Any losses sustained by the depositors, through the defalcation or -dishonesty of the county treasurer, or any other officer of a county, -shall be paid by the county in full, and the said officer apprehended, -his property, as well as any and all property transferred or assigned by -him during his incumbency, shall be confiscated, and he shall be hanged -by the neck until dead, without benefit of trial except to ascertain the -certainty of such defalcation or dishonesty. In such cases there shall -be no appeal, pardon or reprieve.” - -No sooner was this law proposed than the telegraph wires were put in use -to notify every banker in Ohio, as well as the principal bankers in -Chicago, New York and other great centers. - -Their hired agents were there. In two days the lobbies and corridors of -the State-house at Columbus were crowded with well-dressed, well-fed, -diamond-studded gentlemen from all parts of the country, crying out -against such a law and picturing the direful results that would follow -its passage. - -Legislators were buttonholed, wined and dined, threatened, abused, -coaxed, cajoled, persuaded and bribed for some five or six days. The -newspapers of the country denounced the bill as “revolutionary,” -“socialistic,” “destructive,” “ruinous,” and suggested that “the militia -should be called out to drive the anarchistic law-makers not only from -the State-house at Columbus, but out of the State of Ohio.” They -bemoaned “the terrible disgrace that had already been brought upon the -fair name of Ohio,” and claimed that “to uphold the honor and integrity -of the State the bill must be overwhelmingly defeated.” Brilliant -lawyers and leading business men were summoned to Columbus to oppose the -bill and to tell the law-makers how bitterly the people were opposed to -it. - -All this time from ten to a hundred homes were being sold weekly by the -sheriff of each county. Thousands were starving in Chicago, New York and -other cities and towns, and all because during all their lives they had -been paying directly or indirectly from six to ten per cent. interest to -these same fat, well-dressed fellows who were now at Columbus trying to -prevent legislation for the relief of the people. - -For days it looked as though the bill would be defeated. Very few spoke -in its favor, but one could hear criticism almost anywhere. Two days -before it was to come up for third reading a thing happened, however, -that gave it new life. Bill-posters in all parts of the city of Columbus -filled the bill-boards and store windows with brilliant posters -announcing that on the following night the famous actor James A. Herne -and his company would play - - “BETSY GASKINS (DIMICRAT), - - WIFE OF - - JOBE GASKINS (REPUBLICAN),” - -at the Grand Opera-house, for the benefit of the poor of the city, and -that the members of the General Assembly of the State of Ohio had been -invited to attend free as the guests of Tom L. Johnson, of Cleveland. -The large posters in the windows and on the bill-boards showed “Betsy -Set Out in the Big Road,” “Jobe in Berea,” “The Cinder Pile,” and -“Little Jane at the Family Reunion.” - -Crowds gathered before the windows and about the bill-boards, studying -the pictures. Strong men and brave women were seen to wipe away the tear -of sorrow as they recalled and rehearsed the sad tale of Jobe and Betsy -Gaskins. - -In the afternoon word got out that the legislature had under -consideration a bill that would make it easier for people to get homes. -By morning of the next day it was the talk of the town. - -The night of the show the large theater could not hold more than -one-fourth of those who had come to see. The doors were closed at seven -o’clock, and the performance began at once, word being sent to the -disappointed crowd outside that Mr. Herne would give two shows that -night, the doors to open for the second performance at nine o’clock, -and, further, that seats would be free to all, only those paying who -desired to contribute to the fund for the needy. - -Immense enthusiasm, tears, and at times laughter, followed the players. -As the hardships, trials and disappointments of poor old Betsy and -innocent Jobe were made vivid and real by the actors, like conditions in -the lives of fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters or friends came to the -memory of nearly every one in the audience, and tears and sobs proved -the interest with which the people were drinking in the great lesson -that was passing before them. Finally, when the curtain fell on the last -act, instead of the crowd rising and hastening to the exits, as crowds -usually do, they sat for some moments as if spell-bound. Then -individuals began to rise in their seats here and there, and, leaning -over, to converse with their nearest neighbors in words and tones of -consolation and hope, as though some great pall hung over them. Women -were crying; the men looked earnest and thoughtful. - -This was the condition of the audience when a great tumult was noticed -in the front of the house; loud shouts of men filled the room, while -above all others and on the shoulders of two brawny men there was lifted -a middle-aged man, pale, nervous, yet seemingly calm. Every one seemed -to be trying to reach his hand or touch his garments. He smiled. He was -borne forward to the stage and placed upon it. At the same time two -other men climbed on with him. When the larger of the two, who I -afterward learned was the representative from Seneca County, vigorously -pounded for order, the crowd settled back in their seats and quiet -reigned. Then the big legislator said: - -“Ladies and gentlemen, we have witnessed to-night one of the most -wonderful plays ever presented to an intelligent public—wonderful in the -fact that it is so true to life that nearly every one in the vast -audience knows some near or dear one who is only Betsy or Jobe Gaskins -under another name; wonderful in the fact that this proud nation of the -United States, after an existence of over one hundred years, should have -a system of laws that works such terrible hardships on her citizens, and -then claim to be civilized or advanced; wonderful in the fact that these -conditions exist on every hand, in every direction, and yet a nation of -Christians has not risen up against them. But, good people, my heart -swells with joy when I tell you that sitting by my side, carried here in -the arms of admiration, is a man who has set out to relieve the people -of Ohio from such slavery—who has introduced in the legislature a bill -which will come up for a third reading to-morrow, and which will relieve -the poor of many of such hardships as poor Betsy and Jobe Gaskins had to -bear—a bill, if you please, that will make it easier for us and our -children to buy and pay for a home. - -“Fellow-citizens, I present to you the Hon. L. W. Chambers, of Ashtabula -County, the chairman of the committee and champion of the bill I have -just referred to.” - -The audience arose _en masse_, climbed on seats, cheered, stamped and -whistled, while Mr. Chambers, without a smile, but calmly and -courteously, bowed and sat down. - -Then the big legislator, after getting the crowd quiet again, said that -the bill he referred to would enable any one with reasonable security to -borrow money from the county treasury at not more than four per cent. -interest, and that in his opinion the play they had just seen had in -part offset the influence of the lobbying bankers who had been hanging -around the Assembly hall like buzzards for nearly a week. - -Mr. Herne then came out and requested the audience to disperse, stating -that four thousand other people were waiting outside for a repetition of -the play. - -The audience left reluctantly. No sooner was the theater cleared than -the second audience made a rush for admission. It was only a few moments -until the house was filled again from pit to gallery. - -The interest manifested was fully as great as that evoked by the first -performance, and the acting again was superb. At 11:20 o’clock the -curtain fell on the last act for the second time that night. - -The next morning early people from all parts of the city could be seen -traveling in the direction of the State-house, in street-cars, -carriages, on bicycles and afoot. All seemed to be intent and anxious. -Fully fifteen thousand people were on the State-house grounds by nine -o’clock. They talked, whispered, argued and made speeches. The sole -theme was Betsy Gaskins and the new law. The antiquated crank was there, -claiming that it “can’t be done,” “better leave things as they are.” -Every now and then a lobbying banker could be seen, slipping along, eyes -cast downward, as though he felt his guilt. - -When the session opened the galleries of the Assembly room were filled -with people. The State-house was full. The gavel of the speaker fell. -The chaplain offered prayer. He prayed that right might prevail; that -the poor and heavy-laden might be unburdened; that the bribe-taker, -together with the bribe-giver, might perish from the land; and, above -all, he invoked the blessings of Divine Providence on the acts of that -particular day. - -After prayer silence reigned a while. It was broken when a tall, partly -bald, large-faced, keen-eyed law-maker over in the northeast corner of -the hall arose in his seat, took a general survey of the house and -galleries, took a large roll of money from his pocket, and, waving it -above his head, said in thunder tones: - -[Illustration: “Behold! See that money!”] - -“Behold! See that money! There sit in this house fifty-three men who -know where that money came from, and what it was given for. They know it -because they each have received from the same hand like sums. They came -here sworn to represent the people who elected them; they would sell -them into slavery instead. They are bribe-takers, and have sold their -votes and influence against the bill that comes up to-day. This hall for -the last week has been surrounded by a horde of lobbying bankers and -bankers’ lawyers, buying the manhood of men that the poor may continue -to be oppressed.” - -Then, turning and pointing toward a banker from Cincinnati who sat in -the south gallery, he said: - -“There is the man! I defy him to deny that he paid me the five hundred -dollars I hold in my hand to vote and work against this bill!” - -The banker was livid. All eyes were turned toward him. He sat looking -straight at the legislator, who pictured the banker as a “thief,” a -“murderer,” a “corrupter of justice,” a “despoiler of government,” and -closed by waving his hand over the hall and exclaiming that such -criminals had by their own acts put themselves beyond the pale of the -law. - -By this time the crowd had become furious. The Assembly arose as one -man, many with rolls of money in their hands, and a cry went up that was -awful to hear—a cry of _lost manhood found_. - -There were repeated calls for order, but there was no order to be had. -Well-dressed, sleek men could be seen hurriedly making their exit from -all the doors of the State-house, and hastening at full speed in all -directions. For more than an hour the tumult continued. - -In the meantime some of the spectators had caught the Cincinnati briber -and a lobbying lawyer from Findlay, and, securing a rope, tied them -together, took them out on High Street, and made them run a gauntlet of -some three hundred yards’ length through a maddened concourse of -American citizens. Some had staves, straps, switches; others, -lamp-black, flour, Venetian red, and whatever they could get to deface -and besmirch the fine clothes, fair faces and dignified appearance of -the two corrupters of the law. The pair trotted up and down that space -until they became so fatigued and crestfallen that they fell prostrate -and begged for mercy. They were permitted to go on sworn promises never -again to come to Columbus to bribe or influence the people’s -legislators. - -After the tumult had subsided and when quiet had been restored at the -State-house, some forty-eight members, seemingly under the influence of -a stricken conscience, took from their pockets various sums of money and -sent them up to the clerk as a contribution to the fund for the needy. -In all there was $21,468. Many admitted that it was bribe money, and -many others, while not openly admitting it, said so by their convicted -looks. It was a solemn occasion. It seemed as though money and dishonor -had been routed and the spirit of human justice reigned in that hall, -touching each heart with unseen hand. - -The bill that would make it “easier for the poor to live and secure -homes” had come to life again. When the bill was read there was a murmur -of general approval. Its champion made one of the most eloquent and -pathetic speeches ever delivered in the State-house at Columbus. He -showed how, at six per cent. interest, all the wealth of the nation may -pass into the hands of the money-lenders every sixteen years, and leave -of the annual increase only enough to support the great mass of the -people with a meager living. He showed how the bankers had conspired -together to rob the nation in time of peril; how they had robbed the -business men, robbed the masses, robbed everybody by their contraction -of the currency and their thieving, unjust laws. He said: - -“We have had demonstrated here in this hall to-day the manner in which -the bankers have looked after the interests of the country for the last -thirty-five years. They know no god but money, and with money they have -corrupted the world. They are of no service to either God or man, and -yet they demand that both man and God bow before their will.” - -He showed how hundreds of millions of dollars had been stolen from -depositors in the banks of the United States by suspension and failure, -the result of the most dishonest, the most unsafe system of banking -known to the world. “The American banker laughs when asked for security; -takes all the money he can get; breaks up at pleasure, and mocks the -grief of the poor depositors.” Closing he said: - -“Fellow-legislators, I appeal to you for the passage of this bill. I -appeal to you in the name of common honesty; I appeal to you in the name -of thousands of hard-working citizens who, desiring to save their -earnings, now have no safe place to put them. I appeal to you in the -name of the millions of husbands and fathers whose shoulders are stooped -under the burdens of high interest and money contraction heaped upon -them by this conspiring horde of money-mongers. Let our motto be: -‘Justice to mankind; equality before the law.’ And let human rights and -human liberty be our ever-burning beacons of guidance.” - -Then followed the member from Sandusky County. He took up the feature of -the bill that favored the exemption from taxation of money deposited in -the county treasury. He showed how a tax on money always fell on the -borrower in the way of increased interest; how, if we take taxes from -money and give the people a safe place to deposit, thousands of dollars, -now kept out of circulation and hidden in the homes of the people, would -come out and be used in the channels of trade to the benefit of all. He -then appealed to the legislators to be men and patriots, and to spurn -with contempt the influence of the lobbying money-lenders and -corruptionists. - -Many others spoke in favor of the bill, and only one or two offered any -opposition. It was evident from the beginning that the opponents to the -measure were routed, and when it came to a vote the bill passed with -only fourteen votes in the negative. - -When the result was announced the scene on the floor and in the -galleries was one of joy beyond description. Liberty, long chained, had -broken her bonds. Men grasped each other’s hands, and women wept with -joy. They saw the dawn of the new day of liberty—freedom from debt. - -The bill passed the Senate the same afternoon and became a law on the -18th day of March, 1898. - -The news was telegraphed all over the world. The county treasurers of -Ohio were instructed to begin on the first Monday of April to receive -the people’s money on deposit and to loan the same to the people at four -per cent. - -In every county seat, in almost every town, post-office or store, around -nearly every fireside, the new law was discussed. When the first Monday -of April came scarcely a man could be found who did not thoroughly -understand this “law for the common good of the common people.” As soon -as the doors of the banks were opened, men began to draw out their -money, carry it over to the county treasuries of the State, deposit it -and depart for home. Others called at the county treasuries, signed -mortgages bearing four per cent. interest, and borrowed money to pay off -their mortgages, held by the banks, drawing seven or eight per cent. -interest, returning home feeling a thrill of new life and new hope. - -No sooner would one borrower pay off an old seven or eight per cent. -mortgage at the banks than would some depositor withdraw the money, -carry it to his county treasurer, deposit it, and another borrower would -deposit a new four per cent. mortgage and pay off an old seven or eight -per cent. mortgage at possibly the same bank. - -This continued for nearly six months, by which time most of the loans on -which the people had been paying seven or eight per cent. had been -converted into four per cent. mortgages, payable to the various -counties. Most of the bankers were honest and continued to take in money -on old mortgages and pay it out to the depositors until their business -was settled up in full. - -In Tuscarawas County the aggregate of the mortgages held by the six -banks was $1,048,692. On this amount the people saved by the new law an -average of three and one-half per cent., or $37,703.22. This sum, -instead of being paid to the bankers of the county each year, was saved -by the borrowers, and, being applied on the principal, helped pay off -the burdens of the people. - -The first man in New Philadelphia to withdraw his deposit was Clem -Waltz. He had $2,200 in the First National. He drew it out at 9:10 a. -m., took it to the county treasurer, deposited it at 9:28 a. m.; and at -9:52 a. m. Seymour Grimes borrowed $1,600 of it on his River Bottom -farm, and paid off a mortgage against him held by the same First -National. About the same time Jacob Moore borrowed $500 on his house and -lot on Eighth Street for the same purpose. So by 10 o’clock $2,100 of -that $2,200 taken out by Waltz was back in the bank, and two -hardworking, honest, industrious citizens were paying only four per -cent. interest instead of seven or eight. And Clem Waltz had all of -Tuscarawas County back of him as security for his $2,200, and would -receive three per cent. interest on his money clear of taxes. - -About 11 o’clock Robert Witt came into the county treasurer’s office -with $2,000 of the same money that had been paid to the bank by Moore -and Grimes, and by noon it was loaned out to other persons who would -rather pay four per cent. interest than seven or eight. In the afternoon -business was still brisker. - -The first day there was $38,000 withdrawn from the various banks; -deposited with the county treasurer; loaned to the same people that owed -the banks; paid back into the banks; taken out and placed in the -treasury, etc. - -The first week loans to the amount of $356,828 were thus changed. -Everybody seemed to be happy except a banker here and there. Many -bankers, however, admitted that they were pleased to see the poor have -more chance in life. - -In six months’ time all the banks except the First National had closed -up their business and quit. Business in all other lines has picked up. -Two of the ex-bankers are clerks in the county treasurer’s office, while -the others, being rich, have decided not to engage in any business for a -while, feeling that it is due themselves and the community that they -take a long-needed rest. - -Betsy’s dream has, at least in part, come true. Jobe’s dream still -remains to be realized. Millions of men are still out of work. But the -people have been aroused. They are thinking hard, and soon they will -act. They will act at the ballot-box, and by their votes they will -declare that “the chief aim of human government should be to secure to -each individual contentment and happiness, and that this can be done -only by securing to all the unrestricted opportunity to labor.” - -“Work for the unemployed” is the issue on which the people will fight -and win the battle of the ballots. - -There is much talk that a memorial be erected to Betsy Gaskins—not to -perpetuate the memory of her hardships, but to ever keep the people in -mind of the fact that every liberty or right we enjoy has cost much -suffering, distress and woe, and, further, that every advance toward a -perfect state of human society as taught by Jesus Christ has been in -spite of selfish and ignorant wealth, and never by its aid. - -Long may the spirit of human justice live, is the prayer of - - THE EDITOR. - -[Illustration] - - BROTHERS ALL. - -[Illustration] - - BROTHER of mine, if one should come, - Should come to your door to-day, - With the marks of the nails in His hands and the scars - Of the thorns on His brow, and say: - - “Brother of mine, I stand in need; - I am He who was crucified; - Will you help me to-day in word and deed? - Will you stand to-day at my side?” - - Brother of mine, I know that you - Would give Him this answer true: - “You died for me, and what can I do - But die, if I may, for you?” - - Brother of mine, if one should come, - Should come to your door to-day, - With the scars of toil on his hands and the marks - Of the sweat on his brow, and say: - - “Brother of mine, I stand in need; - I am being crucified; - I have sought for work from door to door; - I am everywhere denied. - - “Brother of mine, I ask not alms; - I have asked no man to give; - I but ask for work to earn my bread; - I ask the right to live.” - - Brother of mine, what would you say, - What would your answer be - To this lowly brother of Him who said: - “Even so unto me.” - - HENRY BENSON. - - - - - Part II - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -[Illustration: THE WORLD’S OPPRESSOR.] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - PART II - - Present Day Problems - - - - - EDITED BY K. L. ARMSTRONG - - - - - CONTENTS OF PART II. - -[Illustration] - - PAGE - I. The Impending Revolution 277 - II. The Philosophy of Money 283 - III. A Bird’s-eye View of American Financial History. 307 - By Samuel Leavitt - IV. The Eight Money Conspiracies 345 - V. Financial Authorities 352 - VI. Interest and Usury 380 - VII. Debt and Slavery 387 - VIII. The Laws of Property. By Lyman Trumbull 393 - IX. Direct Legislation 401 - - I. - THE IMPENDING REVOLUTION. - - “And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou? Speak - unto the children of Israel that they go forward.”—_Exodus_ - 14:15. - -THE purpose of the following pages is to present in compact form a -series of articles on money and kindred subjects from the point of view -of one who, realizing that a world-wide economic revolution is imminent, -hopes that this revolution will be accomplished by reason and in peace, -not by treason and violence—by book and ballot, not by bullet and -bayonet. It is not intended to make a special plea for the doctrines of -any particular school of economics, or of any political party. The -object is rather to place in concrete the arguments and principles of -many branches of Reform thought which, while widely divergent in respect -of methods, have a common aim in the emancipation of industry. - -The many elements which make up the great and growing army of Reform may -be segregated into two divisions—individualists and collectivists. In -the early history of this nation the men who had battled for its -independence were similarly divided into two great parties—one -advocating the centralization of power in the national government, the -other demanding for each State sovereign independence. The flexibility -of our Constitution is ascribed to the wisdom of the fathers, who sought -out and adopted what was best in the ideas of both. So out of the -apparently conflicting elements of the Reform movement will come the -ultimate solution of economic problems. - -The editor is in thorough accord with the collectivists, whether they be -known as socialists, nationalists or co-operators, in so far as they -advocate the public ownership of monopolies. The people should own and -operate the railroads, the telegraph, the telephone, etc., as they -already own the post-office. The people should also own and operate the -street railroads, water-works, gas-works, electric light plants, etc. -The notorious corruption of our law-making bodies is due almost wholly -to their power to grant special privileges and to sell public franchises -to private individuals or corporations. Legislative reform that ignores -the cause of corruption is never remedial and seldom even palliative. -Public ownership of natural monopolies will abolish the bribe-taker by -making impossible the bribe-giver. - -The editor believes also that it is the duty of the government to -provide for every citizen willing to work full and free opportunity to -earn a livelihood, and therefore advocates government employment for the -unemployed. - -The editor further believes that reforms in these directions can only be -accomplished by direct legislation, and a special chapter is therefore -devoted to that subject. - -The problem which now presses most persistently for immediate solution -is that of money. The crying need of the hour is to provide work for the -unemployed. Tinkering with the tariff will not do this, because you -cannot make a people prosperous by taxation. You can set the wheels of -industry in motion, however, by putting money in circulation. - -And what is money? - -_Money is the public credit_, stamped or imprinted upon, or represented -by, metal, paper, or any other convenient substance recognized by law or -usage, and employed as a medium of exchange and a measure of values. - -Money is money only so long and in so far as it represents the public -credit. Moses, as well as the early fathers of the Christian Church, -undoubtedly adopted this view of money when they denounced usury, which -is the device whereby the drones in humanity’s bee-hive, monopolizing -the public credit, have in all ages exacted tribute from the workers. - -We have seen what money is. Now let us see how we can best circulate it. - -Suppose that this country were governed by a czar, an autocrat, with -absolute power to make what laws he pleased for the government of his -people. Suppose this autocrat should issue an order increasing the -standing army to one million men, these one million men to be armed, not -with muskets and swords, but with pickaxes, shovels, etc., and to be set -to work improving roads, reclaiming desert and waste lands, etc. Suppose -these men were paid $1.50 a day in money issued for that purpose by the -government. What would be the result? - -One million of men would be taken from the overcrowded labor market, and -at the end of each week nine million dollars would be put in -circulation. - -Would it be necessary to pay these men in gold and silver? No. Would not -mere paper money inscribed something like this, in denominations of one, -two, five, ten, twenty and fifty dollars, answer all purposes? - -THIS CERTIFICATE, TO THE AMOUNT OF ITS FACE VALUE, WILL BE RECEIVED BY -THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES IN PAYMENT OF ALL PUBLIC DUES, AND -IS A FULL LEGAL TENDER IN THE PAYMENT OF ALL DEBTS, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE. - -Would not these certificates pass everywhere for their face value? Would -they not have back of them all the power of the law? - -And would they not have the same power if they were issued and ordained, -not by an autocrat holding merely a fictitious authority, but by the -will and the vote of a sovereign people? Would they not be backed by all -the wealth of the nation? - -The right to issue money is a sovereign right and should be jealously -guarded by a sovereign people. To delegate this power to banks and -money-lenders is as grave an error as it would be to confer on a class -the privilege of making laws for the whole community. - -The volume of money should be regulated to suit the requirements of all -the people and not the greed of those who thrive on usury. - -The use of metals for money is unscientific, and they will eventually be -relegated to obscurity with the shells, pelts, tally-sticks and other -cumbrous mediums of exchange employed by our ancestors. But great -reforms cannot be accomplished at once. Gold and silver are the money of -the Constitution. The act of 1873, which made gold alone the basis of -credit, and which, by reducing the volume of money, doubled the burden -of debt, was a violation of the fundamental law of our government. The -wrong perpetrated in 1873 must be righted now. This is the first great -step in monetary reform. - -Following this, the issue of interest-bearing bonds must be stopped -forever. The careful student will find that interest is at the bottom of -all our financial ills. Unselfish patriotism must abolish usury by -substituting the credit of all the people for that of the banks. - -Every physical or moral ill is the result of some breach of natural or -divine law. For generations we have violated the laws of God as they -relate to money and to land. - -“And if thy brother be waxen poor and fallen in decay with thee, then -thou shalt relieve him; yea, though he be a stranger or a sojourner; -that he may live with thee. Take thou no usury of him or increase; but -fear thy God, that thy brother may live with thee.” (Lev. 25: 36-37.) - -Moses, the inspired law-giver, the great soldier-poet-statesman, who led -a semi-barbarous people from the slavery of Egypt and made of them a -nation which endured the longest in the world’s history, wrote these -words. - -We also read: “The land shall not be sold forever; for the land is mine -[saith the Lord]; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me.” (Lev. -25: 23.) - -Let the Christian world cease bickering over questions of dogma and -study again the inspired law of Moses, the law which Christ came to -fulfill, and a solution of all the many questions which now vex us will -soon be found. - -Under the Mosaic law, slaves were emancipated, human life was made -sacred, debtors were liberated every seven years, inherited property was -divided and paternal inheritances were alienated, luxury and -extravagance were discouraged, and by forbidding land-monopoly and usury -(in the Bible usury and interest are synonymous) disproportionate -fortunes and vast accumulations of wealth, which have caused the decline -of the world’s great empires and are now threatening the foundations of -modern civilization, were made impossible. - -Chattel slavery no longer exists in any part of the civilized world, -imprisonment for debt has been abolished, the right of the people to -rule is established, but humanity is still bound in chains of servitude -as galling and oppressive as in any period of its history. The rule of -kings is passing away, but the autocracy of money and monopoly is seated -on the throne and swaying a more imperious scepter. - -But the people have it in their power to overthrow their oppressors. In -this country, at least, we have the ballot. The duty of the hour is to -study political economy, so that this weapon may be wielded -intelligently and effectively. “Education” must be our watchword. It is -only by education that we may hope to gain the three great essentials -for perfect liberty and equality: _direct legislation_—_direct -money_—_direct taxation_. These will establish forever the sovereignty -of the people. - -[Illustration] - - II. - THE PHILOSOPHY OF MONEY. - - “The American people must learn the lesson of money or they - are lost.” - - -THE word “money” is derived from the Latin _moneta_ (from _moneo_, to -warn), meaning “warned” or “admonished.” _Moneta_ was a surname for -Juno, because she was believed to have warned the Romans by means of an -earthquake to offer sacrifice. In the temple of Juno Moneta coins were -made; hence _moneta_, meaning either a mint, or coin, or coined money. - -The English word “money” is defined by Webster as “any currency usually -and lawfully employed in buying and selling;” and the word “currency” is -defined as “that which is in circulation or is given and taken as having -or representing value.” - - Varieties of Money. - -Until recent times many substances entirely foreign to our modern ideas -of money were used as measures of value, among which were: - -_Leather._ In Rome and Sparta 700 B. C., and in Persia, Tartary, France -and Spain as late as the sixteenth century. - -_Bark._ China used the inner bark of the mulberry tree in the fourteenth -century. - -_Base Metals._ Iron was used by the ancient Spartans, Romans and -Hebrews; tin was used in ancient Syracuse and Britain, while lead is -still used in Burmah and brass in China. - -All of these forms of money were stamped with some sort of design -indicating their exchangeable value and by whose authority they were -issued. - -_Wood._ Several ancient governments used money made of wood. From the -time of Henry I. (A. D. 1273) up to the foundation of the Bank of -England, in 1694, a period of over four hundred years, England -circulated a legal-tender money make of wood, called “exchange tallies.” -The “tally” issued by the British Exchequer was a stick or bit of peeled -rod upon which notches were cut, indicative of an account, pledge or -other commercial transaction. It was split in such a way as to divide -the notches. One-half the “tally” was given to the payer and one-half -was retained by the Exchequer; and the transaction might be verified at -any time by fitting the two halves together, when the notches would be -found to “tally” with each other if the check had not been tampered -with. Jonathan Duncan said that these wooden representatives of value -circulated freely among the people and sustained the trade of England. - -_Wampum._ One of the prevailing forms of money in use among the New -England colonies was wampum. This was simply strings of white and black -beads made from sea-shells found along the New England coasts. In 1641 -Massachusetts made these beads a legal tender at the rate of six for a -penny up to the sum of £10; and they were receivable, at that rate, for -all judgments and taxes. In 1643 the limit of this legal tender was -reduced to 40 shillings. In 1649 the colony passed a statute forbidding -the receipt of wampum for taxes, and its use as money rapidly declined, -though it still circulated in a limited way in several of the colonies -as late as 1704. - -_Tobacco._ The people of Maryland and Virginia, before the Revolutionary -war and for some time after, in default of gold and silver, used tobacco -as money, made it money by law, reckoned the fees and salaries of -government officers in tobacco and collected the public taxes in that -article. - -_Peltries._ In an early day several of the Western States made peltries -a legal tender. In 1785 the people of the territory now called Tennessee -organized a State called “Franklin” and passed the following act, which -is illustrative of similar acts in other States: - -“Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Franklin, and it -is hereby enacted by the authority of the same: - -“That from the first day of January, 1789, the salaries of the officers -of the Commonwealth be as follows: - -“His Excellency the Governor, per annum, 1,000 deer skins. - -“His Honor the Chief Justice, per annum, 500 deer skins. - -“The Secretary to His Excellency the Governor, per annum, 500 raccoon -skins. - -“The Treasurer of the State, 450 raccoon skins. - -“Each County Clerk, 300 beaver skins. - -“Clerk of the House of Commons, 200 raccoon skins. - -“Members of the Assembly, per diem, 3 raccoon skins. - -“Justice’s fee for signing a warrant, 1 muskrat skin. - -“To the constable for serving a warrant, 1 mink skin. - -“Enacted into law the 18th day of October, 1788, under the great seal of -State.” - -_Gold and Silver_ have been used as money metals from the earliest times -of recorded history. The Bible has many references to the use of both -gold and silver as early as the age of Abraham. - -_Paper._ The first printed bank notes of which we have any record were -issued by Palmstruck, a banker of Sweden, in 1660. - - Intrinsic Value. - -No kind of money, as such, has any intrinsic value, for the instant the -material of which the money is made is used for another purpose it -ceases to be money. As money, the sole value of the material arises from -its function as a circulating medium; and even the value of gold and -silver as used in the arts and sciences will be largely determined by -the demand for them for money purposes. Of recent years the general -demonetization of silver by the principal nations has depreciated the -value of that metal about one-half, and there is but little doubt that -if gold were similarly demonetized it would correspondingly decline in -value. This was the opinion of Cernuschi. He says: “If all nations -should demonetize gold it would be worth more than copper, but it would -not be worth much more.” - -Appleton’s American Encyclopedia (XI, p. 735) says: “After the discovery -of gold in California, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany all -demonetized gold and adopted silver as the legal tender at a fixed rate. -In those countries gold only circulated as a commodity, subject to daily -fluctuations in value; and as a consequence, deprived as it was of legal -support as money, it was but little used.” - -Upon the subject of intrinsic value the following authorities are cited: - -“Congress shall have power to coin money and regulate the value -thereof.”—_Constitution of the United States._ - -“To coin money and regulate the value thereof as an act of sovereignty -involves the right to determine what shall be taken and received as -money; at what measure or price it shall be taken; and what shall be its -effect when passed or tendered in payment or satisfaction of legal -obligations. Government can give to its stamp upon leather the same -money value as if put upon gold or silver or any other material. The -authority which coins or stamps itself upon the article can select what -substance it may deem suitable to receive the stamp and pass as money; -and it can affix what value it deems proper, independent of the -intrinsic value of the substance upon which it is affixed. The currency -value is in the stamp, when used as money, and not in the material -independent of the stamp. In other words, the MONEY QUALITY is the -authority which makes it current and gives it power to accomplish the -purpose for which it was created.”—_Tiffany, Constitutional Law._ - -“Whatever power is over the currency is vested in Congress. If the power -to declare what is money is not in Congress, it is annihilated.... We -repeat, money is not a substance, but an impression of legal authority, -a printed legal decree.”—_U. S. Supreme Court (12 Wallace, p. 519)._ - -“The gold dollar is not a commodity having an intrinsic value, but -_money_ having only a statutory value; and every dollar has the same -value without regard to the material. The gold dollar has not intrinsic -value.”—_Supreme Court of Iowa (16 Iowa Rep., p. 246)._ - -“Money is the medium of exchange. Whatever performs this function, does -the work, is money, no matter what it is made of.”—_Walker, Political -Economy._ - -“An article is determined to be money by reason of the performance -by it of certain functions, without regard to its form or -substance.”—_Appleton’s Encyclopedia._ - -“Money is a value created by law. Its basis is legal, and not material. -It is, perhaps, not easy to convince one that the value of metallic -money is created by law. It is, however, a fact.”—_Cernuschi._ - - Specie Basis. - -Where paper money is made redeemable in gold or silver the paper money -is said to rest on a “specie basis.” This monetary scheme now prevails -throughout the civilized world. In almost every commercial nation a -large portion of the currency in use is paper money, convertible in -theory, at least, into metallic money, at the option of the holder. This -financial system is framed upon the violent hypothesis that real money -can only be made of the precious metals and that paper bills are not -money, but only representatives of money. Those who are addicted to this -theory are in the habit of designating coins made of the precious metals -as “primary money,” “redemption money” or “standard money;” while paper -bills are called “secondary money,” or “credit money,” and are worthless -except as they may be redeemed in “primary money.” The specie basis may -be gold or silver or both. Since the world-wide demonetization of -silver, gold only is the basis in the leading nations of the earth. - -The specie basis theory is open to the following weighty objections: - -1. It is contrary to the fundamental law of the United States—the -Constitution. - -Judge Tiffany, in his work on Constitutional Law, expounding the right -of Congress “to coin money and regulate the value thereof,” says: - -“The authority which coins or stamps itself upon the article can select -what substance it may deem suitable to receive the stamp and pass as -money; and it can affix what value it deems proper, independent of the -intrinsic value of the substance upon which it is affixed.” - -This learned opinion, which annihilates all necessary distinction -between “primary” and “secondary” money, was followed by the United -States Supreme Court in the celebrated Greenback cases, and hence has -all the authority of law. (See 12 Wallace’s Reports, p. 519.) - -2. The specie basis theory is contrary to the facts of history, some of -which will be recited in succeeding pages. Many instances are recorded -in which paper and other material have been successfully used as money -where no redemption in coin was promised or possible. - -3. The specie basis theory postulates that a certain amount of -“redemption money” will support or float a proportional amount of -“credit money;” as the specie increases the paper money may be safely -increased; and as the specie decreases paper money must also be -decreased—a philosophy that would lead to the absurd conclusion that -when all specie disappears the people can have no money of any kind. Mr. -R. H. Patterson, a distinguished English economist, truly puts the -paradox as follows: - -“The gospel of monetary science now is, that when a country does not -want paper money, it ought to have a great supply of it; and when it -does require paper money it shall have none. When a country has enough -of specie it ought to double its currency by issuing an equal amount of -bank notes; and when there is no specie there should likewise be no -notes. Is it necessary to discuss such a theory? In order to be rejected -it needs only to be stated; in order to be rejected it only needs to be -understood. It is a theoretical monstrosity against which common sense -revolts—a burlesque of reason which even the present generation will -live to laugh at.” - -4. The specie basis is insufficient in volume to redeem the credit money -which is necessarily used in business. The entire circulating medium of -the United States is, approximately, sixteen hundred millions of -dollars, of which about one-third is gold, one-third silver and -one-third paper. Since silver was demonetized it is now only credit -money; hence we have but one dollar of redemption money (gold) with -which to redeem two of credit money, or, taking into consideration, as -we should, the vast volume of checks, drafts and other credits which -must finally be redeemed in gold, it is perfectly apparent that the -United States has not one dollar of redemption money with which to -redeem one hundred dollars of credit—and thus the whole theory of -redemption becomes a mere figment incapable of practical realization. -And what is true of the United States is true of all other countries. - -5. The specie basis is a breeder of panics. In times of prosperity and -confidence credits are safely increased to accommodate the increasing -volume of business, and the specie basis is sufficient merely because it -is not put to the test, the people preferring paper money because of its -superior convenience. But at such a time a pebble may start an -avalanche. A startling failure occurs somewhere, creditors press for -liquidation, the banks are besieged, and, being unable to redeem their -promises to pay gold, they suspend—and the panic is complete. Such is -the recurrent history of finance in all civilized lands. - -Charles Sears, an eminent authority, says of the gold basis: - -“Within the last fifty years, say, a money crisis has come quite -regularly every ten years. Something—any one of a dozen causes, few know -what—sets gold to flowing out. Fifty millions withdrawn in a short time -from its usual place of deposit is quite sufficient to make the whole -volume of coin disappear from ordinary circulation as completely as if -it had never existed. The metallic basis is gone—slipped out; the pivot -of the system is dislocated; somebody wanted it and took it, and the -pyramid tumbles down, burying in its ruins three-fourths of a business -generation.” - -To the same effect is the opinion of the famous American jurist, Judge -Walker. He says: - -“The whole paper scheme is founded on the presumption that the holders -of these bills will not generally ask for specie at the same time; and, -therefore, the amount of specie kept in reserve bears but a small -proportion to the notes in circulation. And this is the great evil of -the system. A general and simultaneous demand for specie cannot possibly -be met, and disaster must follow. To enforce a universal performance of -these promises is to insure their being broken. Every sudden panic, -therefore, must produce wide-spread calamity.”—_Walker’s American Law, -p. 152._ - -6. The specie basis affords a means by which greedy speculators work “a -corner” in gold and thus extort large sums in profits which the people -eventually have to pay. The laws and official rulings, for instance, -which require the maintenance of a gold reserve in the Federal treasury -and the payment of duties and interest on the public debt in gold, -create a special and imperative demand for the yellow metal; and as the -supply for that kind of money is almost entirely in the hands of a few -great banking firms, the latter can, at their pleasure, extort such -terms as they please when applied to for gold. An instance of the kind -occurred on Feb. 8, 1895. On that day, in order to maintain its gold -reserve, the United States government purchased of M. Rothschild & Sons -and J. P. Morgan & Co., bankers of London, 3,500,000 ounces of standard -gold coin of the United States at the rate of $17.80441 per ounce, and -paid for it in United States four per cent. thirty-year coupon or -registered bonds, interest payable quarterly. These bonds were taken by -the British bankers at $1.04, and were sold by them within ten days at -$1.18, by which the foreign gold exploiters made a net profit of about -eight million dollars—to be eventually paid by the people. - -7. The specie basis must inevitably become more and more insufficient -with the lapse of time, and the disasters due to it in the past become -more frequent and distressing. The population of the world is -increasing, barbarous nations are becoming commercial, and commercial -nations are extending their commerce with unexampled rapidity from year -to year. With this increasing business must come a necessity for a -corresponding increase in the medium of exchange—money. But no material -increase of the precious metals is possible. On the contrary, as the -mines successively become exhausted, or deeper and more difficult to -work, it is clear that the annual supply of gold and silver must become -increasingly insufficient to replace that which has been lost or -consumed in the arts and sciences; and hence the difficulties of the -specie basis will of necessity become more and more aggravated as time -goes on. - -Considerations such as the foregoing have led to the rapid development -of a new school of finance which, rejecting the specie basis as -antiquated and no longer tenable, professes to find a sufficient -guarantee for the stability of money in - - The Legal Tender Basis. - -President Grant said: - -“My own judgment is that a specie basis cannot be reached and maintained -until our exports exclusive of gold pay for our imports, interest due -abroad, and other specie obligations, or so nearly as to leave an -appreciable accumulation of the precious metals in the country from the -product of our mines.”—_Message, Dec. 1, 1873._ - -Plentiful experience has demonstrated that a paper money based upon the -authority, faith and credit of the government and made by law a full -legal tender for all debts will serve all the purposes of a staple -circulating medium as effectually as gold itself. - -The effectiveness of legal-tender paper depends upon two circumstances: - -1. Government can by law compel the people to take it in satisfaction of -private debts, by refusing to enforce contracts payable in any other -kind of money. - -2. The government may receive such legal-tender paper in satisfaction of -all kinds of taxes and duties, thus giving such money a positive value -equal to gold. - -The United States Supreme Court, in the celebrated Greenback cases, -says: - -“Making these notes legal tender gave them new uses (or functions), and -it requires no argument to prove the value of things as in proportion to -the uses to which they may be applied.”—_12 Wallace Reports, p. 519._ - -Benjamin Franklin, defending the Pennsylvania colonial paper money -before a committee of the English Parliament, in 1764, said: - -“On the whole no method has hitherto been found to establish a medium of -trade, in lieu of coin, equal in all its advantages to bills of credit -founded on sufficient taxes for discharging it at the end of the time, -and in the meantime made a general legal tender.” - -Thomas Jefferson, in his letter to Mr. Epps, said of government paper -money: - -“It is the only resource which can never fail them, and it is an -abundant one for every necessary purpose. Treasury bills, bottomed on -taxes, bearing or not bearing interest, as may be found necessary, -thrown into circulation, will take the place of so much gold or silver.” - -President Jackson, in his message, 1829, said: - -“I submit to the wisdom of the legislature whether a national one -[currency] founded on the credit of the government and its resources -might not be devised.” - -John C. Calhoun, in a speech in the United States Senate, December 18, -1837, said: - -“It appears to me, after bestowing the best reflection I can give the -subject, that no convertible paper—that no paper that rests upon a -promise to pay—is suitable for a currency. It is the form of credit -paper in transactions between men, but not for a standard of value to -perform exchanges generally, which constitutes the appropriate functions -of money or currency. No one can doubt but that the credit of the -government is better than that of any bank—more staple and safe. I now -undertake to affirm, and without the least fear that I can be answered, -that paper money issued by the government, to receive it for all dues, -would form a perfect circulation which would not be abused by the -government; that it would be uniform with the metals themselves.” - -Legal-tender paper money is usually issued in times of war, when gold -and silver are hoarded or exported from the country; and, as a -consequence, such legal tender is put to the severest possible tests, -those of an imperilled government, disturbed industry and impeded -foreign trade. Nevertheless, history abounds with instances to prove the -entire sufficiency of this kind of money. - -In 1156 the Republic of Venice established a system of paper credits -which served as the principal circulating medium of that country until -1797. This money was always at par and frequently at a premium. In 1770 -the Russian government issued its own notes, which sustained the -government through two wars and commanded a premium over coin. In 1797 -to 1823 England issued $225,000,000 full legal-tender paper with which -to carry on war against Napoleon. In his “Political Economy,” John S. -Mill says of these notes: “After they were made a legal tender they -never depreciated a particle.” - -During the colonial period of American history several of the colonies -issued and successfully maintained legal-tender paper money. One -instance is illustrative of them all. In 1739 Pennsylvania issued -$400,000 in legal-tender paper not redeemable in coin, but receivable -for taxes, which was loaned directly to the people on security of land -and plate. This money continued in circulation until it was prohibited -by the British government in 1775. Commenting on the success of this -system, Dr. Franklin said: “Between the years 1740 and 1775, while -abundance reigned in Pennsylvania and there was peace in all her -borders, a more happy and prosperous population could not, perhaps, be -found on this globe.” - -During the Franco-German war France issued an enormous volume of -legal-tender paper money, of which Victor Bonnet, the eminent French -economist, says: “In the midst of the greatest calamities that ever -befell a nation, with an enormous ransom to pay a foreign nation, and -with great domestic losses to repair, a credit circulation was -maintained four times as large as its base, without depreciation. This -circulation reached $600,000,000.” - -During the war of the rebellion in the United States (1861-5) the -government issued a volume of legal-tender “greenbacks” which, on July -1st, 1865, was outstanding to the amount of $432,687,966. - -The first $60,000,000 of this paper money, issued under authority of the -acts of July 17th and August 5th, 1861, and February 12th, 1862, called -“demand notes,” was made a full legal tender for all debts public and -private. This issue never fell below and often was above par as compared -with gold. In a speech delivered in the United States Senate, July 4th, -1862, Hon. John Sherman said of these “demand notes”: - -“The notes are now held and hoarded. The first issue of $60,000,000 were -issued with the right of being converted into six per cent. twenty-year -bonds and with the privilege of being paid for duties in customs. They -are now far above par and hoarded.” - -In Schuckers’ Life of Salmon P. Chase, p. 225, the author says: - -“The demand notes, being receivable for customs the same as coin, kept -pace with the advance in the price of coin.” - -All of the greenbacks except the first $60,000,000 were purposely -depreciated by the “exception clause;” that is, they were made a legal -tender for all debts, public and private, _except duties on imports and -interest on the public debt_, which latter were required to be paid in -coin. This exception clause created a special demand for coin, and as a -consequence metallic money rose to a great premium, at one time (July, -1864) being at a premium of $2.85 in greenbacks to $1 in coin. That -these greenbacks were purposely depreciated stands upon the evidence of -Hon. John Sherman, who, in a report as chairman of the Senate Finance -Committee, made on the 12th of November, 1867, said: “But it was found -that with such a restriction upon the notes the bonds could not be -negotiated, and it became necessary to depreciate the notes in order to -make a market for the bonds.” - -Speaking of the amendment by which the “exception clause” was passed, -Hon. Thaddeus Stevens, said in a speech delivered in the House, February -20th, 1862: - -“It has all the bad qualities that its enemies charged in the original -bill and none of its benefits. It now creates money and by its very -terms declares it a depreciated currency. It makes two classes of -money—one for the banks and brokers, and another for the people. It -discriminates between the rights of different classes of creditors, -allowing the rich capitalists to demand gold, and compelling the -ordinary lender of money on individual security to receive notes which -the government had purposely discredited.... But now comes the main -clause. All classes of people shall take these notes at par for every -article of trade or contract unless they have money enough to buy United -States bonds, and then they shall be paid in gold. Who is that favored -class? The bankers and brokers, and nobody else.” - -This conspiracy of the lawmakers, by which the soldier in the field was -paid in depreciated greenbacks while the Wall Street usurer received -gold, did not deprive the paper money of its splendid functions. While -coin rose to a great premium, owing to the special use made of it in -payment of customs and interest on the public debt, the legal-tender -money carried on the great war and conducted the business of the most -prolific and prosperous epoch in the history of the United States. - -As a matter of fact the greenbacks, discredited by legislation as they -were, did not depreciate in comparison with commodities, but gold -_appreciated_ owing to the special demand created for it by law. The -people never lost confidence in the government paper money, even in the -darkest hours of the panic of 1873, as shown by the language of -President Grant. He said: - -“The experience of the present panic has proven that the currency of the -country, based, as it is, upon the credit of the country, is the best -that has ever been devised. Usually, in times of such trials, currency -has become worthless or so much depreciated in value as to inflate the -values of all necessaries of life as compared with currency. Every one -holding it has been anxious to dispose of it on any terms. Now we -witness the reverse. Holders of currency hoard it as they did gold in -former experiences of like nature.”—_Message, December 1, 1873._ - - The Functions of Money. - -The functions or uses of money are three-fold: - -It is a measure of value. - -It is a medium of exchange. - -It is a means of storing wealth. - -As _a measure of value_ money determines in what proportion commodities -and services shall be interchanged. The yardstick measures the quantity -of fabrics; but some fabrics are more valuable than others. A bolt of -silk, for instance, is more valuable than a bolt of muslin—a difference -which the yardstick, alone, cannot indicate; it merely measures -quantities, not values. Here the money measure becomes necessary. The -abstract unit which we call a dollar measures the _values_ of both silk -and muslin, and determines how many yards of muslin should be exchanged -for a yard of silk. - -Money is _a medium of exchange_. Smith has a horse and buggy which he -wishes to exchange for a piano belonging to Brown. Brown is willing to -part with the piano, but does not want a horse and buggy; he does want, -however, a gold watch. Jones has such a watch, but wants to dispose of -it for clothing. Wilson has clothing, but he wants coal. For these four -parties to find out each other’s wants and effect an exchange of actual -commodities and adjust the difference in value between the articles -would involve time and labor and make so many difficulties that the -transactions would be greatly delayed, if not defeated. Here money -performs its beneficent offices as a medium of exchange. Smith sells his -horse and buggy for money, and with it purchases Brown’s piano. Brown -buys the watch he wants, and thus money goes from hand to hand, -effecting innumerable exchanges, not only in the small neighborhood, but -in great commercial circles, thereby bringing the antipodes together and -enabling them to supply each other’s wants with the least possible loss -of time and labor. - -Money is, also, _a means of storing wealth_. Jackson has a valuable -farm, but is getting too old or infirm in health to work it. He might -exchange it for a great quantity of food, clothing, and other -necessaries sufficient to last him the remainder of his life; but these -articles could not safely be stored so as to preserve them for future -years, and some representative, that can be stored, must be found. Money -is that representative. Jackson sells his farm for money, and with the -money purchases from time to time the necessaries required. - -From a brief study of these three great functions performed by money may -be readily determined what should be the characteristics of a perfect -currency, one that would most effectually and justly serve mankind. - -As a measure of values and as a means of storing wealth it is clear that -money ought to be stable, that is, it should as nearly as possible have -the same purchasing power from year to year and in all sections of the -country; for when money fluctuates in purchasing power it is obvious -that some men will gain and some will lose without any merit or fault -upon their part, but simply in consequence of the fluctuations in the -value of money. This is particularly true in case of debt, for if a debt -be contracted when money is cheap, and paid when money is dear, the -debtor will evidently lose by the change, and if the circumstances be -reversed the creditor will lose. - -To secure such stability or uniformity of purchasing power no measure or -method is so effectual as for the government to make all its money a -full legal tender for all debts, public and private. - -As a medium of exchange the volume or quantity of money in circulation -should be sufficiently large to accomplish the transaction of business -without waste or delay. In estimating the necessary volume it is proper -to take into consideration the numbers of population, the magnitude of -business transacted, and, since a nimble dollar will perform the work of -several slow ones, the “effectiveness” or rapidity with which money -circulates; and, since population and business are, upon the whole, -constantly increasing, and the rapidity of circulation (until some -swifter method of locomotion be discovered) remains unaltered, the -volume of money, clearly, ought to be increased from year to year. Few -who have not patiently studied the problems of finance understand the -mighty effects of an expansion or contraction of the money volume upon, -not only the material, but the moral well-being of mankind. - -The very heart of the complex money question, the center of all its -divergent issues, is the question of - - The Volume of Money. - -The volume or quantity of money in circulation is always hard to -determine, principally because banks, brokers and their allies in -official and journalistic positions are generally interested in -concealing or misstating the facts on purpose to mislead the public; so -that, not infrequently, a period of financial disaster steals upon the -people unaware and they are compelled to endure all the miseries of such -an event without being able to detect the cause or apply the remedy. In -such circumstances the masses may dimly perceive that they are being -robbed, yet, unable to detect the means of their spoliation, they -attribute it to every cause but the real one, and thus the spoliators -are enabled to repeat their robbery again and again, undetected by any -save a few whose complaints are regarded as the extravagances of -uninformed or fanatic minds. - -To fully comprehend how the exploiters of money may enrich themselves -and impoverish others by merely manipulating the currency, it is -necessary to understand the primary fact that _an increasing volume of -money brings rising prices and business activity, while a diminishing -volume of money causes falling prices and business stagnation_. Upon -this proposition the following authorities are cited: - -David Hume, the English historian, in his essay on “Money,” says: - -“We find that in every kingdom into which money begins to flow in -greater abundance than formerly, everything takes a new face; labor and -industry gain new life, the merchants become more enterprising, the -manufacturers more diligent and skillful, and the farmer follows his -plow with greater attention and alacrity. The good policy of the -government consists of keeping it, if possible, still increasing as long -as there is an undeveloped resource or room for a new immigrant, because -by that means there is kept alive a spirit of industry in the nation -which increases the stock of labor, in which consists all real power and -riches. A nation whose money decreases is actually weaker and more -miserable than other nations which possess less money but are on the -increasing hand.”—_Essays and Treatises, vol. I, p. 283._ - -Henri Cernuschi, an ex-banker of Paris, and recognized as, perhaps, the -most eminent of the French writers on finance, says: - -“The value of money depends upon its quantity. It is the same with gold -as with greenbacks. If the stock in circulation is augmented the -purchasing power of every greenback is diminished; and so with gold and -silver. The purchasing power is always in relation to the quantity of -the money.”—_Nomisma, p. 15._ - -“That commodities would rise and fall in price in proportion to the -increase or diminution of money I assume as a fact that is -incontrovertible. That such would be the case the most celebrated -writers on political economy are agreed.”—_Ricardo, Political Economy._ - -“If the whole money in circulation was doubled prices would double. If -it was only increased one-fourth, prices would rise one-fourth. The very -same effect would be produced on prices if we suppose the goods (the -uses for money) diminished instead of the money increased; and the -contrary effect if the goods were increased or the money diminished. So -that the value of money, all other things remaining the same, varies -inversely as its quantity; every increase in quantity lowering its value -and every diminution raising it in a ratio exactly equivalent.”—_J. S. -Mill, Principles of Political Economy._ - -Wm. H. Crawford, Secretary of the Treasury, in his report, February, -1820, says: - -“All intelligent writers on currency agree that when it [money] is -decreasing in amount poverty and misery must prevail.” - -By joint resolution of the United States Congress, August 15th, 1876, a -“United States Monetary Commission” was appointed to inquire into the -prevailing “hard times.” It consisted of Senators John P. Jones, Lewis -V. Bogy and George S. Boutwell, and Congressmen Randall L. Gibson, -George Willard and Richard P. Bland; to whom were added Hon. Wm. S. -Groesbeck of Ohio, Prof. Francis Bowen of Massachusetts, and Geo. M. -Weston of Maine, the three latter acting as secretaries of the -commission. On March 2, 1877, the commission reported. The following -extracts are taken from the report: - -“While the volume of money is decreasing, though very slowly, the value -of each unit of money is increasing in a corresponding ratio, and -property and wages are decreasing. Those who have contracted to pay -money find that it is constantly becoming more difficult to meet their -engagements. The margins of securities melt rapidly, and their -confiscation by the creditor becomes only a question of time. All -productive enterprises are discouraged and stagnate because the cost of -producing commodities to-day will not be covered by the price obtainable -for them to-morrow. Exchanges become sluggish, because those who have -money will not part with it for either property or service, for the -obvious reason that money alone is increasing in value while everything -else is decreasing in price. This results in the withdrawal of money -from the channels of circulation and its deposit in great hordes where -it can exert no influence on prices. Money in shrinking volume becomes -the paramount object of commerce instead of the beneficent instrument. -Instead of mobilizing industry, it poisons and dries up its life -currents. It is the fruitful source of political and social disturbance. -It foments strife between labor and other forms of capital, while -itself, hidden away, gorges on both. It rewards close-fisted lenders and -filches from and bankrupts enterprising producers. An increasing value -of money and falling prices have been and are more fruitful of human -misery than war, pestilence or famine; they have wrought more injustice -than all the bad laws ever enacted.”—_Report of United States Monetary -Commission, vol. I, p. 10 et seq._ - -Pointing out how a contraction of the money volume increases the debt -obligations of the past, R. H. Patterson, especially commended by -Gladstone as one of the ablest of English writers on finance, says: - -“And what is such a dearth of money and rise in the measure of value but -an injustice to the many to the gain of the few—an unfair exaltation of -the power of the past over the present, an unfair and undesirable -aggravation of the poverty of the poor and the wealth of the rich—a -stereotyping of classes according to wealth, until they tend to become -permanent? We have seen how powerful and beneficial was the influx of -the precious metals from the New World four centuries ago in breaking -the social bondage which had settled over Europe during the long night -of the Dark Ages, enabling that generation to escape from the heritage -of the past and bound forward upon the new career then opening to -mankind. Such times come from the hand of Providence, and with an -exceeding rarity even in the long career of civilized mankind. But at -least let us avoid the opposite and never allow successive generations -to be unfairly—nay, most unjustly, though it may not be so -meant—handicapped, each in its own race, owing to a growing dearth and -dearness of money.”—_The New Golden Age, vol. II, p. 500._ - -President Grant said: - -“To increase our exports sufficient money is required to keep all the -industries of the country employed. Without this, national as well as -individual bankruptcy must ensue.”—_Message, December 1, 1873._ - -Hon. John Sherman, in a speech in the Senate, January 27, 1869, said, in -opposition to a bill to contract the currency by retiring the -greenbacks: - -“It is not possible to take this voyage without the sorest distress. To -every person except a capitalist out of debt, or a salaried officer, or -annuitant, it is a period of loss, danger, lassitude of trade, fall of -wages, suspension of enterprise, bankruptcy and disaster.... It means -the ruin of all dealers whose debts are twice their business capital, -though one-third less than their actual property. It means the fall of -all agricultural productions without any great reduction of taxes. When -that day comes every man, as the sailor says, will be close-reefed; all -enterprise will be suspended, every bank will have contracted its -currency to the lowest limit; and the debtor, compelled to meet in coin -a debt contracted in currency, will find the coin hoarded in the -treasury, no representative of coin in circulation, his property shrunk -not only to the extent of the depreciation of the currency, but still -more by the artificial scarcity made by the holders of gold. To attempt -this task by a surprise upon our people, by arresting them in the midst -of their lawful business and applying a new standard of value to their -property without any reduction of their debts, or giving them an -opportunity to compound with their creditors, or to distribute their -losses, would be an act of folly without an example in evil in modern -times.”—_Congressional Globe, 1869, p. 629._ - -In a speech in the United States Senate, March 17, 1874, General John A. -Logan pointed out the cause of the panic of 1873 as follows: - -“But, sir, that the panic was not due to the character of the currency -is proved by the history of the panic itself.... No, sir, the panic was -not attributable to the character of the currency, but to a money -famine, and to nothing else. In the very midst of the panic we saw the -leading bankers and business men of New York pressing and urging the -President and the Secretary of the Treasury to let loose twenty or -twenty-five millions more of the same paper for their relief—the very -same men who to-day denounce it as a disgrace to our government. It was -good enough for them when they were in trouble. - -“Why is it that representatives forget the interests of their own -section and stand up here as the advocates of the gold-brokers and -money-lenders and sharks, the same class of men whose tables Christ -turned over, and whom he lashed out of the temple at Jerusalem?... Carry -out the theory of the contractionists, and what must be the inevitable -result? Every enterprise and industry must be dwarfed in like -proportion. The busy hum of the spindle will cease its sound in many a -mill which now gives employment to hundreds of active hands and supplies -the comforts of life to many a happy home. The bright blaze of many an -iron foundry which gives life and cheerfulness to the grand scenery -along the streams of Pennsylvania will cease to gild the night with its -rays. And the same industry in my own State, and that of the Senator -from Missouri, which has been so rapidly increasing of late, will be -crippled, and hundreds who now find employment there will be compelled -to seek a home elsewhere for want of work. The undeveloped resources of -the South and West, which we have just begun to appreciate, will rest in -abeyance until a wiser policy shall bring them into use.... Why, sir, -the people were never freer from debt in proportion to the business done -than in 1865, at the close of the war, when Mr. McCulloch began his -system of contraction, and at the very time when eleven million more -people were to be supplied. Was it to be supposed that the activity and -energy which the adequate supply of money had put in operation, and -which was giving prosperity and happiness to the country, would suddenly -dwarf itself to suit financial notions without a struggle? The -inevitable result was an expedient to meet the consequent want, and -credit was expanded. At the very moment above all others when adequate -supply was needed, the opposite course was adopted; and right here lies -the true cause of the late panic, which resulted from a money famine and -not from an excessive supply.... Sir, turn this matter as we will, and -look at it from any side whatever, and it does present the appearance of -being a stupendous scheme of the money-holders to seize the opportunity -of placing under their control the vast industries of the nation. -Therefore I warn Senators against pushing too far the great conflict now -going on between capital and labor.... Capital rests upon labor; but -when it attempts to press too heavily on that which supports it in a -free republic, the slumbering volcano, whose mutterings are beginning -already to be heard, will burst forth with a fury that no legislation -will quell.” - -From the foregoing, which is but a small fragment of the immense -literature in harmony with the opinions cited, the following conclusions -may be digested: - -1. A diminished volume of money always causes a proportional diminution -in the price of labor and commodities—or, to express it otherwise, money -becomes dear and everything else cheap. - -2. This redounds to the advantage of the capitalistic class, who are -thereby enabled to exact more for their money in services and -commodities, to purchase all kinds of stocks and properties at -diminished rates, and to foreclose mortgages and collect other forms of -debts under such conditions as to make “hard times” a harvest for the -creditor class. - -3. The debtor class is compelled not only to yield more services and -commodities for the money which it receives or has previously received, -but suffers the further hardship of languishing business and enforced -idleness or diminished wages; and it should be remembered that every -producer is a debtor, even though he has no specific obligations -outstanding; for he will have to aid those who _have_ such obligations -by receiving less prices and wages and by paying relatively increased -taxes, salaries, rents and profits to those members of the debtor class -who are immediately above him in the social scale, and who will seek to -save themselves by shifting the burden of their obligations onto those -who are below. - -[Illustration] - - - - - III. - A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF AMERICAN FINANCIAL HISTORY. - - BY SAMUEL LEAVITT, - _Author of “Our Money Wars,” “Dictator Grant,” etc._ - - “I am astonished at nothing in our business life so much as - the absence of an earnest, determined endeavor on the part - of our men of brains to find the cause of these chronic - crises and hard times and then set upon the track of some - remedy therefor.”—REV. HEBER NEWTON. - - -WHAT may well be called the American system of money has been gradually -evolved, during three hundred years, from the bitter experiences of the -most practical people that ever trod this globe. Franklin, Jefferson, -Jackson, Calhoun, Clay, Gallatin and Benton were its prophets. But it -first began to take definite shape during our civil war under such men -as Edward Kellogg, Thaddeus Stevens, Henry C. Carey, Stephen Colwell, -Pliny Freeman, Ben Wade, Oliver P. Morton, Henry Wilson and John -Thompson; and later, Warwick Martin, Peter Cooper, Thomas Ewing, Wendell -Phillips, John E. Williams, George Opdyke, John G. Drew, John P. Jones, -William D. Kelley, B. F. Butler and others. - -What first strikes the observer in a bird’s-eye view is that the whole -modern movement toward a rational money system was started by that -much-maligned genius, John Law, in France, in 1715. His system was one -of the first recent revolts against the tyranny of metal money. He was -the real founder of the Bank of France and the present French system. -The _Encyclopedia Britannica_ calls him an “unequaled financier.” His -great thought was plenty of government paper money, and France has kept -that thought. Law was finally beaten by politicians and the King’s -mistresses when he tried to improve his system. - -Turning homeward, we find the first American coin money, succeeding the -wonderfully useful wampum, came very curiously—coin usually does. In -1652 a mint was set up in Boston to coin silver into “pine tree” money. -The silver came mostly from the West Indian trade. Our rulers in England -then, as now, only busied themselves in stealing from us any good money -we could get hold of. Singularly enough we depended largely then upon -another class of pirates—the buccaneers of the Spanish main, who spent -most of their plunder on our shores, where were the nearest civilized -ports. This was a great blessing—“a blessed providence”—to our Puritan -ancestors and the coin money economists of those days. - -In 1745 we had another blessed influx of silver. Governor Shirley, of -Massachusetts, and his pious Puritans, went over and captured Louisburg, -Cape Breton, from the French, with fire and sword, and made a big loot. -This so tickled Mother Britain that, for once, she sent us a lot of -silver to “ransom” Louisburg. This enabled Massachusetts to steal away -the trade of Rhode Island. - -In 1690 the first issue of paper money was made in Massachusetts. This -was before the establishment of the Bank of England. It was for £7,000. -In 1703 £15,000 was issued, which was made a legal tender for private -debts. In 1716 another issue to the amount of £150,000 was authorized. -Mark the style of it, as compared with the wild-cat projects of the -present Congress, and see which is the most reasonable and conservative, -and then inquire if the Farmers’ Alliance plan is so foolish: “The bills -were to be distributed among the different counties of the province, and -to be put into the hands of five trustees in each county, to be -appointed by the legislature, to be let out on real estate security in -the county, in specific sums, for the space of ten years, at five per -cent. per annum.” Another act for £50,000 in bills was passed in 1720, -“which resulted in clearing Massachusetts of debt in 1773.” - -In 1723 Pennsylvania led a number of States in issuing paper money. In -this year a great crisis occurred in England and the Bank was suspended. -The coin of the American colonies was required, and drawn over, in -England’s selfish and peremptory way, to prepare the bank for -resumption. All coin left Pennsylvania, though the State possessed laws -raising its value. Then the State issued treasury notes, and kept them -in use until 1773, when English jealousy caused Parliament to make all -such issues void. Some of the money was issued, says Adam Smith, on land -security of double the value, and redeemed in fifteen years. It was made -legal tender and remained at par with coin for forty years. The -necessary notes were redeemed, by their payment for taxes, without loss -to any one. This is the familiar history of Pennsylvania and the -statement of Franklin. The cutting off of this money was the chief cause -of the Revolution. The tea-party in Boston harbor was only a side-show. - -Continental money was issued by Congress when we had no government—no -power to tax. Yet if made full legal tender, with no mad promise of -coin, fifty million dollars might have been enough. Gallatin says: “It -saved the country.” Jefferson: “It expired without a groan.” Calhoun: -“It is the ghost conjured up by all who wish to give private banks -control of government credit.” It was used in place of a war tax, and -the people so regarded it. - -French assignats broke the spell of royal tyranny in Europe. Such is the -power of a live nation to use and absorb money that nine billion -dollars’ worth of it was issued before it broke down. Even then the -cause of the tumble was that it had no suitable foundation. It was -founded on land taken from the priests, and naturally fell when that -land was returned to the churches. - - Our Coin for a Century. - -We come now to the coin money of the last half of the eighteenth and the -first half of the nineteenth century. Through ignorance of it, some -silver advocates are dismayed by the fact that so little silver was -coined here before 1878. The great point to be shown is that we had no -need to coin, because so much came from abroad. The way metal money -flowed here during the wars between England and Spain reads like a fairy -story. The treasures of Mexico and South America passed through here and -gave many temporary and flitting coin deposits. Then from the opening of -the Napoleonic wars until 1820 the most of Europe, including England, -was using paper money. So coin came and stayed here. In fact, coin -stayed back in our Western wilds often when it was scarce in Eastern -sections and large cities. Through all smashes and wild-cat times, -Western banks paid coin until 1820. Those were good times for planters -on new soil. The old Virginia planter, in his blue swallow-tail coat -with brass buttons, and his ruffled shirt, always had a pile of -doubloons in his desk. He did not know that European war and paper money -put them there. - -The banks, warned by wild-cat experiences, grasped at all coin as they -do now at gold. One bank sucked all there was in North Carolina and -owned the State. It was so plenty in the twenties, in New England, that -they shipped it to Europe. - -A point never to be forgotten by silver men, in answer to the gold man’s -statement about small coinage of silver, is that from the foundation of -the United States money laws were passed giving legal value to foreign -coins. Our mistaken ratio of 16 to 1, instead of 15½ to 1, made it -generally useless for us to coin silver, when we could have plenty from -abroad that was legal tender. One fact alone shows how immensely we were -using our own silver and foreign silver and gold—viz.: the panic of 1857 -was largely due to the demonetization of our small silver and those -foreign coins. In 1853 Congress demonetized all silver halves, quarters -and dimes in sums of over $5.00. Much of the reserves of the banks was -in these fractional silver coins, which had been full legal tender, and -in larger gold and silver coins of the United States and other -countries. The silver dollars of Spain, Mexico, South America and the -United States were worth a premium over gold, and were bought by the -Rothschilds and sent out of the country, though they did big service -while they stayed here. But the banks did not hold them as reserves. So -the demonetization of our small silver deprived the banks of a large -portion of their reserves and of paying their circulation therein. - -Up to February, 1857, all foreign gold coins and the silver coins of -most nations were, in the United States, full legal tender with our -coins at the values fixed by our laws; and gold being, since 1834, -overvalued in the United States, immense quantities of these gold coins -came here and remained. Another reason why we did not coin silver -dollars is found in this fact: gold was superabundant. These gold coins -were also held by the banks as reserves in large quantities. - -But on February 21, 1857, Congress demonetized all foreign coins. This -took them out of the banks. They went abroad never to return. And this -was one chief cause of the panic of 1857. The facts above given, -properly circulated, should forever silence the quibbles of the gold men -about the non-use and non-coinage of silver up to 1878. From 1861 to -1878 we used but little coin. - -The gold men sneeringly ask if we want to go on a 50-cent dollar like -Mexico. It is true they have worked their diabolical will on some of -those weak nations, where the currency is thrown into horrible confusion -thereby, and foreign business is made almost impossible by the rise in -the gold dollar to a $2.00 dollar. They have come near Mexicanizing us -in this respect, but have failed as yet. Their plea for the deposits of -workingmen in savings banks is like the howl the mortgage people are -always raising about the poor widows and orphans of the East, to whom -the Western farmer should willingly pay high interest. Wise nations -legislate for producers, rather than for interest-suckers—male or -female. - - United States Banks—Wild-Cat and State Banks. - -Ever since the Revolution there has been war between Jefferson’s -treasury notes and the sharp fellows who wish to collect interest on -their debts. In the lush wild-cat times bankers did not care whether -they made their scoop by shoving out bank notes so far that they would -hardly ever come back, or lending interest-bearing credit to their -neighbors. Now the telegraph, railroad and redemption banks would make -hard sledding for State wild-cats. - -The United States banks (private) were so mixed with the wild-cats for -fifty years—1791 to 1841—that they need describing. The first, in 1791, -was got up by Federals who hated treasury notes. But fortunately there -was much honesty then, and it was so managed that its notes were like -full legal-tender greenbacks. Those were halcyon days. The wild-cats -were around, but got little game. They made their first big inflation in -New England. The Yankees thought they could swing out to any degree when -the Anglo-Spanish and the Napoleon wars made coin so plentiful?’ here. - -There was a great rush of banks between 1811 and 1816, when the second -United States Bank came in. It was a fraud from the start, violated its -charter and was founded mostly on personal notes. But it swung its -twenty years. The great plan of the wild-catters was to get its treasury -notes, good as gold, and drawing interest, for their red dogs. Right -here let us affirm that, for short, all State bank money may be called -wild-cats, red dogs and shinplasters. For such it always proves in panic -times. The Chicago _Tribune_ says that the Democrats are “committed upon -both principle and tradition against a Federal currency—committed also -to State banking.” Not so. Jefferson was strong for Federal money, _i. -e._, treasury notes. The Whigs were always as much given to wild-cats as -the Democrats. Again the _Tribune_ tells of 34,000 who took the benefit -of the bankruptcy act in 1841-2-3, but says nothing of the hundreds of -thousands who failed between 1873 and 1890, under the crush of -Republican gold resumption, without any such release. Intelligent -Democrats could show billions of loss from Republican financiering -against hundreds of millions under Democracy. Give the poor devil -Democrat his due. He makes a clumsy attempt now to cover his rascality -in voting against silver bills by all his talk of returning to -wild-cats. The cheeky Republicans offer no shadow of a real remedy for -our financial ills. - -To return to the time of the twenties. The new, hopeful country kept -having booms in spite of bad money. After the close of the war of -1812-15, “blessed peace,” said Matthew Carey, “came and brought two -thousand merchant buyers to Philadelphia.” Fortunes were made. It was -funny as a circus. The brokers stuffed the United States treasury full -of shinplasters, not good thirty miles from home. Congress said “resume” -in 1817. Banks said, “Go to the devil.” With twenty-two millions “on -hand,” Congress had to borrow half a million to keep house on. The big -bank was given over to favorites, bribery and corruption, but ruled the -land. There was a whirligig between the branches of the big bank and the -little banks. The latter bought, with their red dogs, from the branches, -drafts on Eastern cities. The drafts bought European goods. Meanwhile -the branches socked it to the wild-catters up to five and ten per cent. -a month, till they redeemed their red dogs with the proceeds of another -crop. - -In 1818 the president of the big bank resigned when it was near ruin. A -new president, Cheves, saved the bank, in the Bank of England fashion, -by ruining a lot of small banks and merchants. In 1820 came “stay laws” -and a “relief system.” Men could redeem their lands and negroes in two -years by paying ten per cent. down. North Carolina had an awful time. -Robber bankers of Newbern became the practical owners of the State and -sucked its blood. Were ruling still in 1833. - -In 1825 the great Nick Biddle took the presidency of the bank, and ran -the whole country, till knocked out by Jackson. Biddle was the biggest -boss yet; moved crops; lent ten millions at a time to the government. -Some thought he gave the rising sun a boost. When there was a run, he -only allowed his branches to cash their own drafts. In 1832 was high -water time for this fine old Philadelphia gent. President Jackson, who -hated all undemocratic high kicking, made him pay the government debt -from his government deposits. Jackson stopped the abnormal boom in wild -lands by his “specie circular,” ordering only specie to be taken for -United States lands. Then, to check the torrents of extravagance, he -ordered the useless thirty-seven millions that he had foolishly put in -State banks distributed back to the people of the States. The -wild-catters paid eighteen millions, and then all broke, beginning in -New York in May, 1837. That was a grand smash. Jackson had a glimpse of -the greenback remedy in his muddled head. Jefferson and Calhoun always -had it. - -Parallel with all this was the Mississippi tomfoolery of 1830 to 1840. -That State borrowed thirty millions on the old personal note plan from -Holland, and fooled it away in ten years. Slaves were then the only good -assets. These were run off to Texas, and “Gone to Texas” (G. T. T.) was -a familiar inscription. - - The College Professor and the Facts. - -Prof. Laughlin of Chicago University said in his recent speech before -the Sunset Club and the Bankers’ Association: - -“It seems to me that one of the greatest misfortunes that this country -ever suffered was that temporary, and to the present time lasting, -intoxication connected with the issue of United States notes or -greenbacks. From the foundation of our government, in 1789, to February, -1862, the United States government never issued any paper money.” - -The Chicago _Herald_ of December 10 voiced the same falsity thus: - -“In fact, the government never did anything of the kind until 1862, when -Congress authorized an issue of legal-tender notes.” - -Are these men simply reckless liars, or are they ignorant of the facts? -Here are the facts: From 1812 to 1860 U. S. treasury notes were issued -at least twenty times; that is, in every time of emergency, when the -bankers’ wild-cat money could not possibly keep business going. These -notes were receivable for all debts due the government, including -interest on the public debt and custom-house dues; and that fact made -them universally acceptable by the people—better than gold. In these -respects they were better than the greenbacks; for never until the -infernal exception was put upon them, in 1862, did the government refuse -to receive its own treasury notes. - -Here are most of the dates and amounts of those issues—all by acts of -Congress readily traced: June 3, 1812, $5,000,000; February 25, 1813, -$10,000,000; March 4, 1814, $10,000,000; December 26, 1814, $25,000,000; -February 14, 1815, $25,000,000; October 12, 1837, $10,000,000; March 21, -1838, $10,000,000; May 31, 1840, $5,000,000; June 30, 1842, $5,000,000; -August 31, 1842, $6,000,000; July 22, 1846, $10,000,000; June 28, 1847, -$23,000,000; December 23, 1857, $20,000,000; December 17, 1860, -$10,000,000. - -Is that lie nailed? The above treasury notes were hampered in various -ways. The money-lenders persuaded Congress that it would be “contrary to -the laws of the Medes and Persians” if the notes drew no interest. So -they were generally heavily handicapped in that way. Sometimes they only -drew one mill per annum, sometimes nothing. When they drew none the -Shylocks at once cried that the country was ruined. They liked them well -enough plus interest, because they were sharp enough to get hold of them -and pull in the interest, while they managed to cram the United States -treasury full of their wild-cat stuff. - -To thoroughly verify these serious statements, let us look at the -statutes under which these issues were made and the particulars of their -issue: - -_Act of June 3, 1812 (Statutes 2, p. 366)._—This law authorized the -issue of $5,000,000 treasury notes, to run one year, bearing five and -two-fifths per cent. interest. They were made receivable for all debts -due the government, and were to be paid to such public creditors and -other persons as were willing to receive them. They might also be used -to procure loans, or might be placed to the credit of the treasury in -banks at par and accrued interest. - -_Act of February 25, 1813 (Statutes 2, p. 801)._—This law authorized the -issue of $10,000,000 treasury notes to mature in one year, bearing five -and two-fifths per cent. interest per annum. Terms same as act of June -3, 1812. - -_Act of March 4, 1814 (Statutes 3, p. 100)._—Authorized an issue of -$10,000,000 on same terms as above. No charge to the government was to -be made by the banks which credited the notes. - -_Act of December 26, 1814 (Statutes 3, p. 161)._—Authorized the issue of -$25,000,000 treasury notes in place of a loan of $25,000,000 previously -authorized. Ten millions of these notes were to be applied to the -payment of $10,000,000 previously borrowed. Otherwise they were like the -above. - -_Act of February 14, 1815 (Statutes 3, p. 213)._—This law authorized the -issue of $25,000,000 treasury notes in addition to other issues. Up to -this time the Secretaries of the Treasury, Mr. Gallatin and Mr. -Crawford, had complained that the treasury notes so far issued were made -too large for common circulation, though their standing among the people -was good and the people were desirous of having them. They said treasury -notes had taken the place of coin and equalized the exchange throughout -the country. To meet the wishes of these secretaries and of Jefferson -and Madison, as well as the people, these $25,000,000 treasury notes for -circulation were authorized and issued. The most of them were required -to be less than $100 in denomination, and to be payable to bearer, while -those of $100 and over were to be made payable to order and to pay by -indorsement, and were to bear five and two-fifths per cent. interest. -The smaller ones were to bear no interest. They were also, for the first -time, made receivable for six per cent. bonds. They were made to -circulate as money, and to have the characteristics of coin, but they -were not redeemable therein. They were legal tender to the United -States. These notes, after being paid into the treasury, were to be -reissued. - -When these $25,000,000 treasury notes of small denominations were made -to circulate as money, and to bear no interest, the indignation of all -the banks in the country was aroused. They saw that if those notes went -out among the people, and became the money of the country, there would -be an end to the circulation of bank notes. Such was the truth. There -was, therefore, a general combination in New England, New York, Delaware -and Pennsylvania to kill them off. The old Bank of the United States, -chartered in 1791, the charter of which expired and which was not -renewed in 1811, was then, as the law allowed, closing up its affairs. -The debts of the people to this bank were very large. The bank was -pressing for payment. The people presented these treasury notes, which -did not bear interest, in payment. The bank, to destroy the credit of -the notes, and to force the recharter of a national bank, refused to -receive the notes of the government in payment to the bank. As the bank -would not receive the notes from the merchants, the merchants were -reluctantly compelled to refuse to receive them for debts due and for -goods sold. The New England banks, and those of Delaware, were also -deeply involved in this conspiracy to destroy the credit of these -treasury notes, as all such are now. The embargo and non-intercourse -laws of Jefferson and Madison had destroyed the carrying trade of New -England, and had caused a suspension of the New England banks in 1809 -and 1810. The people of New England were, therefore, greatly opposed to -the war with England. They did all they could to cripple the government -in carrying it on. They refused all loans, even of bank notes, and were -very hostile to all treasury notes, especially to those intended to take -the place of bank notes, as were those of 1815. - -By a general combination between State banks, the old national bank -bondholders and bullion brokers, these notes of the United States were -forced to a discount for a short time. One of the strongest arguments in -favor of having all treasury notes made full legal tender is here -presented. Had they been legal tender to the people, as well as to the -government, all the efforts of the banks and brokers to reject them and -reduce their value would have been fruitless. If the legal tender -character were removed from the greenbacks the national banks would at -once discredit them to-day. - -Immediately after these efforts of the banks to discredit treasury -notes, an application was made to Congress for a charter for another -United States bank, which proposed to take from the government, as part -of its capital, $15,000,000 of these same treasury notes, to withdraw -them from competition with bank notes. (Just as the rascally -conspirators at Washington are now trying to do with three hundred and -forty-six million greenbacks.) - -Mr. Madison vetoed the bill, principally on account of this provision. -But $28,000,000 of bonds were substituted for treasury notes, as capital -of the bank; and by a combination of the Federal party and a few -Democrats it was chartered. The charter provided that no other such bank -should be chartered by Congress for twenty years. This implied, also, -that all treasury notes intended to circulate as money should be -withdrawn, and that this bank should furnish all the national paper -circulation for twenty years. - -For this privilege the bank paid $1,500,000. The contract on the part of -the government was disgraceful, but, having been made, it had to be -carried out; and it was carried out, as the following acts of Congress -show: - -_The Act of March 3, 1817 (Statutes 3, p. 377)._—The second Bank of the -United States had just gone into operation. Congress was compelled to -comply with its part of the contract. It, therefore, passed this law, -which repealed all laws authorizing the reissue of the “treasury notes -of 1815.” But the people had these government notes, and they preferred -them to bank notes or coin. They knew that the repeal of the law -authorizing their reissue could not affect the value of those then in -their hands, for a valuable consideration paid the government. They, -therefore, held on to the notes (as our people should now, in spite of -Sherman, Gage & Co.) Instead of paying them into the treasury, where the -law required them to be destroyed, the people held on to them, and used -them in business, greatly to the annoyance of the bank and of the -Secretary of the Treasury, then a bank man (Mr. Dallas). This officer -ordered the collector of revenue to refuse to receive these notes for -duties on imports, supposing that by this means he could injure their -credit and force their presentation at the treasury for payment in coin -or national bank notes, that they might be canceled. This gave rise to a -suit in Boston. A firm presented treasury notes in payment of duties on -imports, for which the law creating them provided that they should be -received. The government refused to receive them, and brought suit for -the duties. The defendants pleaded a tender of treasury notes. The -government answered that they were not legal tender. Judge Story, in -1819, heard the case, and decided for the defendants. The decision is -that “Treasury notes are legal tender for everything for which the -government makes them receivable.” This decision is in 2 Mason, pages 1 -to 18. This decision, though against the government, was never appealed -to the Supreme Court. It, therefore, stood as the law of the land. - -_The Act of May 3, 1822 (Statutes 3, p. 675)._—Treasury notes still -remained out among the people, to the annoyance of the bank and the -Secretary. The decision of Judge Story raised instead of depreciating -them in the estimation of the people, and increased the anxiety of the -bank and the Secretary respecting them. The notes did not come to the -treasury for destruction. (Just so the people acted when John Sherman -tried to make them take 5-20 bonds and give up the greenbacks.) They -remained among the people until May 3, 1822, when Congress again came to -the rescue of the bank and passed the law of that date, which provided -that these treasury notes should not be received by any collector of -revenue in the United States, and that they should be received and paid -at the treasury only. All that came into the treasury were to be -destroyed. The people wished to retain these notes; but the bank forced -Congress to act against them; and Congress, by destroying their -receivability, compelled their surrender by the people. We hear no more -of treasury notes thereafter until 1837, when, as usual, the necessities -of the government again called them into being. - -_The Act of October 12, 1837 (Statutes 5, p. 201)._—The banks had all -suspended, with nearly $40,000,000 government bonds. Not one year before -the law had made these banks public depositories, with their promise -that they would always pay coin for all liabilities. The government had, -in 1835, paid off the last dollar of the national debt. The surplus then -in the treasury was nearly $40,000,000. This was in the banks. The -government had no money to pay ordinary expenses, unless the treasury -used suspended bank notes. This Mr. Van Buren, the President, refused to -do. He called Congress together to meet the emergency. Its remedy for -the emergency was treasury notes (as it should now be), which Jefferson -says are the only reliance of a nation. This act of October 12, 1837, -provided for the issue of $10,000,000 treasury notes, in denominations -not less than $50, running one year. The law left the interest which -they were to bear discretional with the President and the Secretary of -the Treasury; but in no case was it to exceed six per cent. Congress -appeared too timid to make these notes money bearing no interest. The -Secretary, knowing that the people needed them as money, complied with -the law by making many of them bear one mill interest per annum. As such -they circulated freely as money, and the people were delighted to get -and use them. They answered all the purposes of coin, and equalized the -exchanges throughout the country. The banks did not, at that time, -possess sufficient power to injure them. Men now living remember them -and their usefulness, although, imitating the foolishness of the Bank of -England, they were never paid out of the treasury but once. - -_The Act of May 21, 1838 (Statutes 5, p. 228)._—This act authorized the -reissue of the $10,000,000 treasury notes issued under the act of 1837, -which had been canceled. They should have been used till worn out, and -then replaced _ad infinitum_. It has taken time and a great war to open -the eyes of the people and Congress to see what Jefferson saw in 1813. -And now, again, many are forgetting the facts. - -_The Act of May 31, 1840 (Statutes 5, p. 370)._—This law renews the act -of 1837, relating to the issue of treasury notes, and makes the -following modifications: 1. That they were to be issued in place of -those redeemed; not to exceed in this issue $5,000,000. 2. They were to -be redeemed in less than a year, if the treasury was in a condition to -redeem them. 3. When ready to redeem them, the Secretary of the Treasury -was to give notice. 4. After due notice, these notes should cease to -bear interest, if they remained out. This act was to continue only one -year. It is evident that Congress supposed the necessity for issuing -treasury notes would soon cease. But it was mistaken. Treasury notes -continued to be issued up to 1848. - -_The Act of July 4, 1840 (Statutes 5, p. 385)._—This was the first -independent treasury act of the days of Van Buren. It had good features, -but was badly bungled. The money of the government was to be kept by the -government (instead of the banks), in the mints, custom-houses, -post-offices and treasury building. The fool part of it was that after -January 3, 1843, no payment should be made to the government in anything -but gold and silver coin. The banks were suspended. The government was -being sustained by treasury notes. But still this law provided that -after January 3, 1843, treasury notes should be excluded from the -treasury as well as bank notes. An appeal was made to the people, in -that year’s election, upon this law, and Van Buren and his coin payments -were knocked out by Harrison with wiser plans. - -_The Act of July 21, 1841 (Statutes 5, p. 438)._—This was among the -first Whig acts, and they in turn made fools of themselves. They favored -a national bank, but opposed treasury notes. The law provided for the -issue of $12,000,000 six per cent. bonds. The principal purpose was to -redeem the good treasury notes of the Democrats. A Pittsburg man was -sent to England to sell the bonds. Though the United States had paid its -national debt in 1835, the bonds were no go. The Whigs, having failed to -found a bank and sell these bonds, were compelled to rely upon the -much-despised treasury notes of the Democrats. - -_The Act of April 15, 1842 (Statutes 5, p. 473)_, was a final effort to -shove the bonds. They were increased to $17,000,000, the time extended -indefinitely up to twenty years. They could be sold at less than par. -The rich, strong young nation could not do it, though taxes and duties -were pledged for payment. The war was going on between the Whig Congress -and sensible President Tyler. The latter advocated the issuing of all -the paper money as well as metallic money by the government; but -Congress wished the money issued by a national bank. The President -vetoed the bank bill. Congress, by way of heading him off, passed the -act to make treasury notes bear six per cent. interest, to hinder their -being used as money. - -_The Act of June 30, 1842 (Statutes 5, p. 766)._—This provided for -$5,000,000 treasury notes to run one year. Interest five per cent. -Otherwise like most of the others, as to legal tender, payment to public -creditors and placing them in banks. - -_The Act of August 31, 1842 (Statutes 5, p. 581)_, shows a lingering -hope of selling the bonds. If not successful, the government was to -issue $6,000,000 more of treasury notes (trotting out the despised -pack-mule again), which might even be reissued. What a let-up! Br’er Fox -Shylock, he lie low! - -_The Act of March 3, 1843 (Statutes 5, p. 614)_, authorizes the issue of -new treasury notes to supply the place of those redeemed. - -_The Act of July 22, 1846 (Statutes 5, p. 39)._—The Democrats resumed -power in 1845. This act authorizes $10,000,000 treasury notes in place -of those destroyed. - -_The Act of August 6, 1846 (Statutes 9, p. 59)_, finally established the -independent treasury on a sensible basis. It made all treasury notes and -gold and silver coins equal in payment of all debts to the government. -This held till 1861, and many of the provisions are still law, but badly -enforced, as when our recent Presidents deposited many millions in -banks. - -_The Act of January 28, 1847 (Statutes 9, p. 118)_, authorized -$23,000,000 (more than $500,000,000 now) to fight the Mexican war. No -interest was fixed. They mostly drew one mill, and the people gladly -used them as money. - -_The Act of December 23, 1857 (Statutes 11, p. 237)_, provided for -$20,000,000 treasury notes to take the place of coin, the banks having -suspended with the coin in their vaults. (Heaven, or something, -generally saves the banks.) These were, like most of the previous -issues, with nominal interest. The plain people took them gladly. - -_The Act of December 17, 1860 (Statutes 12, p. 121)_, provides for -$10,000,000 treasury notes, running one year, at six per cent. The -interest was to run and the notes remain out until sixty days after -notice of readiness to redeem. Otherwise they had the old provisions. - -_The Act of February 8, 1861_, authorized the issue of treasury notes, -or a loan of $25,000,000 to take up treasury notes. - -_The Act of March 2, 1861 (Statutes 12, p. 178)_, provides for a loan of -$10,000,000 to take up treasury notes and for government expenses. Same -old story. If bonds not sold, then more notes. - -This brings us to the act of July 17, 1861, when the gigantic -$250,000,000 of loans and notes came up. The further history is well -known. That just given will surprise those who thought treasury notes -began with the rebellion. - - Safety Fund—Suffolk and Redemption Banks. - -As many of the foolish propositions now put forth for “reforming the -currency” are only feeble imitations of the Safety Fund, Suffolk System -and Redemption Bank System that arose before the Rebellion, a brief -account of them will be given here. In the thirties and forties there -were as many so-called systems as there were States. The Suffolk System -of Massachusetts, among those first started, alone deserved the name of -system. In 1829 that State decreed that no bank should operate unless -fifty per cent. of its capital was paid in coin. Notes must not exceed -twenty-five per cent. of the capital. Liabilities, except deposits, must -not exceed twice the capital. Such provisions, however, amounted to -little, because, much of the loans being simple credits, there was small -inducement in the strong banks to overissue notes. As no provision was -made for reserves, the coin to set a bank in motion could be bought and -sold again right after the organization. The Redemption system, -afterward adopted, was much better, but, as will be shown, only a harm -in panic times. - -The New York banks were placed mostly in New York City and the Hudson -River towns. In 1829 the Safety Fund System arose there. It allowed the -banks under it to issue notes to twice the amount of their paid-up -capital, and loans to twice and a half the amount. Every bank under it -had to pay the State Treasurer, annually, one-half of one per cent. upon -its share capital—these payments to continue till each bank had a sum -equal to three per cent. of its share capital. The amounts so paid were -to be held as a common fund for the discharge of notes or other -liabilities of any bank of the system. - -In 1841 and 1842 eleven of the Safety Fund banks failed, making a loss -to the creditors of $2,588,933. The fund was then $86,274. The whole -amount of the fund to September 30, 1848, was only $1,876,063. The -balance of the loss was provided by the State, which was to be -reimbursed by further additions to the fund. That was very nice for the -banks. In 1842 the act was so amended that the fund became chargeable -only with the losses to the public on the note circulation, just as it -is the case with the national banks now. - -In 1838 New York founded the “Free Banking System,” by which banks could -be formed without application to the legislature. These associations -were required to deposit with the State Comptroller United States or -State stocks equal to a five per cent. stock, or bonds and mortgages on -improved real estate worth twice the sum secured, and equal in amount to -their note circulation. The Comptroller issued the notes to them. Up to -1843 twenty-nine of these banks failed—circulation, $1,233,374; nominal -value of securities, $1,555,338. These produced $953,371, or 74 per -cent. of the circulation secured. The law was then amended to exclude -all but United States stocks, and those of the State, which must be -equal to six per cent. - -A wiser provision had been adopted in 1840, requiring all the State -banks to redeem their notes, either in New York City, Albany or Troy, at -a discount of one-half of one per cent. In 1851 this discount was -reduced to one-quarter of one per cent. After 1851 two New York banks -started the Redemption System. The notes of such of the country banks as -kept deposits with them were returned, the redeeming banks dividing the -discounts between themselves and the issuers. This system was useful, as -it forced a constant redemption; but see how it worked in 1857. - -After 1838 no more Safety Fund banks were chartered, and the system -gradually lapsed. But a curious story could be told of how it ran -through the West. That region was deluged with “safety” money—all but -the safety. In 1846 the new Constitution of New York took from the -legislature all power to pass any act granting any special charter for -banking purposes; such organizations to be under general laws. After -1850 bank stockholders were to be liable to the amount of their shares -for all the debts, and holders of notes to be preferred creditors. - -Now, for the redemption banks in 1857. These banks, useful in their way -in ordinary times, did harm in that panic. A few years before a new -source of profit was suggested to some New York banks. If the redemption -that was distributed among the money-brokers could be monopolized by one -or two institutions it would yield a rich revenue; and it could easily -be attracted by reducing the rates of redemption so low as to exclude -individual competition. The system was based somewhat upon the Suffolk -system. Coupled with the payment of interest on country deposits, it had -grown into astonishing activity before 1857. It worked admirably as a -piece of machinery, with the popular commendation that it restricted the -bank currency by enforcing prompt redemption, and saved the merchants a -heavy brokerage. It was a great convenience in the first days of the -panic, when private capital was withdrawn from the purchase of currency, -and when the merchants, but for the redeeming banks, would have been -overburdened with unavailable notes. - -But the redemption system, like everything else that was susceptible of -abuse, was turned aside from its legitimate purpose and made to answer a -mischievous end. The low rate at which the bills were taken in New York -accelerated their return _in bulk_, as a basis of exchange, or for -credit in account. Thus their distinctive character as circulation was -in a great measure destroyed. The cheap redemption, so desirable in a -common state of the market, became virtually a premium on the currency -of New York. The tendency, then, was to take it out of a healthful -circulation and throw it back to its source, whereby it profited nobody -so much as the stockholders of the express companies. The country banks -might keep their own bills in a perpetual circulation, by exchanging -them with each other, and thus creating a trade in them. The same -packages were not unfrequently kept unopened in the circuit, and -reissued in bulk, as often as they were needed to supply balances. - -In a panicky time such redeeming banks must either put more capital into -the service or reject the bills. In 1857, in spite of the best -management, the currency circuit was kept up; the bills of one bank were -paid for the bills of all the others. - -Another evil arose from these banks. The credit given to an unsecured -currency by their indorsement gave it a wide circulation, to the -displacement of bills that were based upon State and United States -stocks. It was now seen that this credit had no other basis than a -current deposit by the issuing bank, which deposit was in very small -proportion to its outstanding bills; and that the redeeming bank was -prompt to the hour in repudiating those bills if the deposit was not -maintained. This was a fallacious credit, entirely independent of the -separate ability of the issuing banks. The general result was that bills -were _likely to fail in transit_, and they would not then be admitted as -a deposit, which would involve the rejection of others. And so the row -of bricks began to tumble in both directions. - -There was no incident of that panic that spread its terrors abroad with -such sure and rapid steps as the rejection, by the redemption banks, of -bills which they had been accustomed to receive on deposit. If it had -been possible to remove all other causes of excitement, that alone would -probably have involved the suspension of specie payments. It filled all -the shops of the country with alarm. It created mobs in the savings -banks, and pushed forward the panic, by exciting the fears of the -multitude. - - The Example of France. - -Professor Laughlin has the gall, as few of his confreres have, to appeal -to “the example of France,” after the Prussian war of 1871, in not -“interfering with her media of exchange.” It is hard to tell whether his -statement is based upon impudence or ignorance. She interfered with all -the ideas of propriety entertained by his clique in a way that has been -secretly their despair ever since. Yet hear his glorification of a -scheme that cuts all the ground from under him. He says: - -“France borrowed largely, collected large amounts of capital by the -creation of her national debt, and, on the other hand, retained her -circulating medium in so perfect a condition that the moment the war was -over she slipped along smoothly upon the wheels of industrial success -and prosperity, without any derangement of her business. And, during -that time, she carried through one of the most magnificent schemes of -exchange, in the form of the payment of indemnity, that has ever taken -place in history. She actually paid that foreign indemnity of the war to -Germany practically without deranging the rate of exchange in France.” - -He don’t tell how. Don’t tell that she flooded all the avenues of trade -with her paper money, and thus made her goods so plenty and cheap that -Germany bought them instead of her own, and was then in turn nearly -bankrupted; so that France paid three quarters of the “milliard” in -French goods! - -But hear the true story from Wendell Phillips, an all-round, up-to-date -reformer, whose motto was, “Act in the living present.” When the -monopolizers of black men were beaten he turned to face the monopolizers -of all men and women. Here is his eloquent picture: - -“France has just paid Germany one billion dollars. Her chief cities have -been sacked and plundered. Humiliated by defeat, torn by civil -dissensions, she laughs, while all the rest of Christendom wade through -the mire of bankruptcy. Her ships are full busy, and what little other -nations do is in carrying to and fro her manufactures. Her homes are -happy, her streets crowded with passing trains loaded with goods; all -her mills hurrying night and day to get even with her demand upon them. -Labor walks rejoicing and capital sleeps easy, fat with its gains. What -magician has done this? Paper money. Like the rest of the nations, she -ran to its protection during the stress and strain of her German war. -Unlike and wiser than the rest of us, she has not hurried back to coin. -Wiser than we, she received the paper she offered to others. This -honesty has its reward. Her paper is, to-day, more valuable than gold.” - -Among the great results of this policy were an abundance of gold and -silver coming from abroad, until $1,200,000,000 was found to be in the -country. - -Lest some may doubt the statement about the Germans only getting a -little gold for that indemnity, an extract is here given from “Our Money -Wars,” p. 152. - -“Ivan C. Michels says: ‘The indemnity from France to Germany, after the -war of 1870-71, including interest at five per cent. per annum, amounted -to $1,060,209,015. After crediting France with the value of certain -railroads in Alsace and Lorraine, the amount of indemnity due Germany -was $998,172,069, or 4,990,860,349 francs, which was paid by the French -government through the Bank of France. At my request the Bank of France -furnished to me several years ago the following statement as to the mode -of having paid said indemnity: - - Francs. - In bank notes of the Bank of France 125,000,000 - In French gold coins 273,003,050 - In French silver coins 239,291,875 - In German bank notes 105,039,045 - Bills of exchange drawn in thalers 2,485,513,729 - Bills drawn on Frankfurt in florins 235,128,152 - Bills drawn on Hamburg in marksbancs 265,216,990 - Bills drawn on Berlin in reichsmarks 79,072,309 - Bills drawn on Amsterdam in florins 250,540,821 - Bills drawn on Antwerp and Brussels in francs 295,704,546 - Bills drawn on London in pounds sterling 637,349,832 - ——————- - Total francs 4,990,860,349 - -“‘The patriotic people of France raised the vast sum by a loan in less -than six months from the time the government appealed to them. Germany -expected to receive for years to come five per cent. per annum on the -indemnity bonds; but the Bank of France, through the French bankers, -drew on Germany, England, Scotland and Belgium, and in four months’ time -the whole indemnity was paid. Never in the history of the world has this -financial transaction been equaled, and I doubt that any other banking -institution could have succeeded so well as the Bank of France. Germany -expected the payment in gold coin or bullion, having previously and -purposely demonetized silver. But the fact remains that actually in gold -only 273,003,050 francs, equal to $54,600,610, was paid by the Bank of -France, and that sum only left France, was remelted in Germany and -coined into reichsmarks. England, with her gold standard, had to part -with her gold to the amount of 637,348,832 francs, equal to -$127,469,964. Bills of exchange on the German bankers throughout the -German empire, especially on Hamburg, Berlin and Frankfurt, came to -3,064,901,180 francs, equal to $612,986,236, nigh on two-thirds of the -whole amount of the indemnity. This magnificent stroke of finance on the -part of the Bank of France and the French bankers came near ruining the -leading German bankers; and forty-one banking houses throughout the -German empire had to suspend temporarily, not being able to honor the -drafts made upon them. The extravagance of the German people during the -war of 1870-71 brought them into debt to France for luxuries, wines, -etc., to an enormous extent; and when the Bank of France purchased bills -of exchange from the French bankers, who drew on their German -correspondents, a panic ensued, and the Germans suffered more than is -generally supposed.’” - -The above from Michels shows that he saw but dimly what Phillips saw so -plainly, that government paper money, nourishing all industries, gave -France that victory. Michels catches a glimpse of the truth when he -speaks of luxuries, wines, etc. - -To get a clear view of the French financial genius we have to go back to -1848, when Louis Philippe abdicated and the republic was founded amid -great confusion. The French have an instinct for finance far superior to -anything yet shown—by our rulers at least—in England and America. -“Paris,” says Victor Hugo, “is the city of the initiative.” It is not -afraid to start things. It is not, like Washington and New York, always -asking what London would do or think. Taking Louis Blanc’s advice in -1848, it started national work-shops to insure the employment of surplus -labor. Those did good for a time, but they were soon perverted and -destroyed by a treacherous Jew who got hold of them. - -Another new departure was more successful. “Besides its regular -financial operations,” says the London _Times_ of February 16, 1849, -“the Bank of France made vast advances to the city of Paris, to -Marseilles, to the Department of the Seine, and to the hospitals, -amounting in all to 260,000,000 francs. But even this was not all. To -enable the manufacturing interests to weather the storm, at a moment -when all sales were interrupted, a decree of the National Assembly had -directed warehouses to be opened for the reception of all kinds of -goods, and provided that the registered invoices of these goods so -deposited should be made negotiable by indorsement. The Bank of France -discounted these receipts. In Havre alone 18,000,000 francs was thus -advanced upon colonial products, and in Paris 14,000,000 on merchandise. -In all 60,000,000 francs was thus made available for all the purposes of -trade. Thus the great institution had placed itself, as it were, in -direct contact with every interest of the community, from the Minister -of the Treasury down to the trader in a distant part. Like a huge -hydraulic machine, it employed its colossal powers to _pump a fresh -stream into the exhausted arteries of trade_, to sustain credit and -preserve the circulation from complete collapse.” - -How like “a grimacing dance of apes” our American way of handling -financial crises looks, in comparison with the above. - - The Bank of England. - -Prof. Laughlin showed the usual gold-bug worship of British finance in -this: - -“In the Bank of England the first moment of stringency the rate of -discount is raised. That has the effect of preventing all unnecessary -loans. The borrower who has good collateral will get the money if he is -willing to pay an increased rate. Our system is such that we can loan -until we come to the legal limit; and is deficient in that respect, as -we cannot loan at a greater discount because of the iniquitous action of -the usury laws. You can help a customer by increasing the rate. Just at -the moment of the greatest stringency our American system is deficient.” - -Ordinary decorous language would fail to characterize that infamous -statement. The fact is that the British system is utterly brutal. Our -“iniquitous usury laws” prevent a man from giving everything he has to -the banks in hard times. The British system is that of Jay Gould in his -gold corner of 1869. He settled with his debtors by “taking all they -had.” He was merciful, and forgave them the balance; which is the usual -stock exchange style. - -In coin-paying eras corrupt governments and Shylocks have debased coins -to make them go further. In these credit-mongering times they try to -bring their coin basis down to one metal, gold, and clamor for extreme -fineness of that, in order to make their inverted pyramid of credit go -further and sell dearer. The policy of Great Britain, for instance, has -been to make gold, its standard, so dear and inaccessible to the -foreigners and debtor class that they would find the other commodities -in the market cheaper than the gold in the market, so that settlements -in other commodities would be preferable. The retention of gold in the -Bank of England, by raising discounts in panicky times, though murderous -(“kindness,” says Mr. Laughlin) to individual active business men, is a -necessary factor in this piratical scheme, and the fulcrum upon which -England derricks into her treasure vaults the plunder of the whole -world. Business is made a lottery, turning out dazzling prizes that keep -merchants from rebellion. Long-headed American Shylocks hope to see the -United States as much more successful in plundering the globe, in this -way, as our country is larger than England. - -Finally, as to Laughlin, with what bitter scorn this statement from the -“closet scholar” will be greeted by the thousands of manufacturers who, -during panics, have had to shut their factories for lack of cash “to pay -the hands”—though they had all but gilt-edge collateral: - -“The monetary function has to do solely with exchanges of goods; it -hasn’t anything to do with their production.” - - The Washington “Currency Reformers.” - -In finishing this bird’s-eye view of the financial history of this -country, a brief review of the current financial plans cannot well be -avoided. It may be said of them, in a general way, that no other set of -robbers ever before attempted to secure a law guaranteeing them -unrestricted right to plunder with unlimited government protection. The -out and out black-flag pirates, as represented by Walker of -Massachusetts, have a plan as simple and explicit as a patent medicine. -It runs thus: “Retire the greenbacks, kill silver once for all, and let -the bankers manage the currency.” This obsolete idea, that banks should -issue money, is showing all the vim of a death struggle. But a thousand -columns of speeches in the _Congressional Globe_ on the safety of the -national bank system are answered by this solitary fact: In the year -1893, three hundred and sixty banks west of the Alleghanies, owing -$125,000,000, went to smash, and about a dozen bankers are now in prison -or exile, while many more escaped as by fire. - -THE BALTIMORE PLAN, which a while ago had the sanction of the -Comptroller, Secretary of the Treasury and the President, is, in a word, -a scheme for issuing circulating notes by both national and State banks, -otherwise than upon the pledge of government bonds as now. The banks are -to issue notes upon their own assets, supplemented by a deposit of a -certain amount of greenbacks, as a safety and redemption fund. The -theory of this plan is that when any special demand for currency arises -the banks will make a special issue of notes to supply it; and that as -soon as this demand ceases the banks will retire the notes it has called -out. Thus the quantity of currency available will, it is assumed, never -be either deficient or excessive; and there will never be at any point -either a monetary stringency or a monetary plethora. Were the function -of currency exclusively that of facilitating exchanges, such a system -(like that of 3-65 interconvertible bonds) might be useful. But currency -serves the additional purpose of measuring the price of commodities; and -since its relation to those commodities is determined by its volume, any -change of its volume changes its value also, and consequently impairs -its stability as a measure of prices. - -Again, as to the State bank feature of the Baltimore plan, the idea -prevails extensively in the agricultural districts of the West and South -that the chief business of a bank is to lend money to borrowers. That is -why they clamor for the removal of the ten per cent. tax on State banks. -An abundance of greenbacks and silver would do away with most of the -need of borrowing from banks. That’s what’s the matter with the banks. - -No further mention is needed here of the schemes of Carlisle, Springer, -Vest and others. They seem all dead at this writing, and they certainly -should be damned. Even the New York _Tribune_, a monopolists’ own, says -of one of the safety-fund schemes: - -“The bankers are to have free issue; and when one fails the government -is to collect from the other banks and redeem its currency. But in time -of panic the government would not and could not do that.” - -On the other hand, the New York _Sun_, edited by a man who was a radical -socialist in his youth, and now a bitter, hardened, cruel cynic, -although lately a Greenback paper, is as rabid as the New York _Evening -Post_ in advocacy of gold and gold only. It says of the latest -safety-fund humbug: - -“The new bill, like the old one, authorizes an inflation of our paper -currency, by at least $550,000,000, without providing for its redemption -in gold, and without any effectual provision for diminishing the volume -of outstanding legal tender. Our New York financial magnates, who have -put up, this year, $116,000,000 in gold, _to save the treasury from -suspending gold payments_, ought to bestir themselves in opposition to -this latest administration folly, if they would not see all their -efforts go for naught and the catastrophe which they have labored to -avert rendered inevitable.” [!!] - -In Chicago we have Lyman Gage’s plan. Mr. Gage is a man of intellect who -resembles some of those orthodox clergymen who, by a long course of -theological dissipation, _i. e._, reasoning from false premises, have -impaired their naturally fine faculties. Mr. Gage, if we must credit him -with sincerity, has come to the same condition by financial dissipation. -But his plan is not as vicious as some. To furnish the needed foundation -for national bank circulation he would have the treasury issue -$250,000,000 of 2½ per cent. bonds, for which greenbacks or Sherman -notes should be paid. The money paid would not become an asset of the -government. It would be canceled, destroyed, burned up. Of his scheme -the Chicago _Times_ well says: - -“Like other bankers, he thinks the chief end to be sought is to relieve -the government of the duty of issuing the circulating medium of the -country. Upon this point we must note an emphatic disagreement with Mr. -Gage, and with the whole school of financiers of which he is a type.” - -A specimen of the demoralization and danger of the times is seen in a -recent statement of Senator Gorman, that he and Quay had settled in -their minds that a certain government bond scheme, like that of Mr. -Gage, in eight items, including some about silver, was about the only -proposition that could pass the present Congress. No. 3 among the eight -items coolly dismisses the greenback thus: “The legal tenders to be -retired and canceled as the bonds are put out.” - -On the other hand, the Chicago _Inter Ocean_, which is repenting of some -of its financial sins, and remembering what a good Greenback paper it -was in 1878, says: - -“One of the perils of the present financial situation is the disposition -shown to reopen the greenback question. It took fifteen years to fight -the great battle. Secretary McCulloch attempted to take snap judgment -against legal-tender notes, paying them off at a rapid rate. Illinois, -through one of its Congressmen, E. C. Ingersoll, stepped in the very -first day Congress convened after that payingoff process had begun with -a resolution which stopped it. Then began the intriguing of the Eastern -bankers to destroy the greenbacks, and when the last decisive conflict -occurred Illinois was again in the leadership, G. L. Fort being the -especial champion of the greenback cause as against both the -contractionists and the expansionists. There was a great victory. For -half a generation the anti-greenbackers have been quiescent. They have -come to the front again with this session of Congress. The knock-out -received in caucus Monday ought to satisfy them that the greenback is -here to stay. There never could be a better money. It is good for its -face the world over. In that uttermost end of the earth, China or Japan, -the United States legal-tender note is good for its face value, and, -whatever changes are made, that part of our currency should remain -intact. Should the current of Congressional events occasion a show of -hands in the Republican party on this question, no doubt an overwhelming -majority would say, as did the Democratic caucus, let the greenbacks -alone.” - -An extraordinary scene in the House between Representatives Hepburn and -Hendrix so fairly illustrates the muddled stupidity and impudence of the -gold-bugs that it deserves notice here as a sign of the situation. Mr. -Hepburn described Mr. Hendrix as a self-heralded national banker, who -came here with oracular utterances to tell the House what to do. Mr. -Hepburn said his self-laudation was impaired by the recollection of his -speech sixteen months ago, when the same conditions existed. Mr. Hendrix -then found the panacea for all financial ills in the repeal of the -Sherman silver law. - -Before describing this discussion, attention should be called to the -fact that the panic of 1893 was immediately brought on by the bankers -because Secretary Carlisle undertook to perform about the only good deed -he has ventured upon as Secretary, _i. e._, to pay the Sherman treasury -notes according to the letter of the act of July 14, 1890, in silver, -_just as France would have done_. Now mark how Hendrix “opened his mouth -and put his foot in it,” and how, finally, Hepburn tripped him. - -Mr. Hendrix described at some length the process by which the gold was -withdrawn by speculators for shipment abroad, and then proceeded to -contrast this with the situation in France, where the Bank of France -refused to pay, except where actually necessary, more than five per -cent. of gold on its demand obligations. These aggressions on our gold -reserve must be stopped, and if the pending bill would stop them, afford -relief, take the government out of the banking business, as it has been -taken out of the silver business, he would vote for it. - -“Does the action of the Bank of France, in refusing to pay more than -five per cent. in gold,” asked Mr. Hepburn, “impair the credit of that -bank?” - -“No.” - -“Then would the credit of the United States be impaired if the United -States should exercise its discretion and redeem the Sherman notes in -silver?” - -“Yes, I believe it would at this time,” replied Mr. Hendrix. - -“Why?” - -“Because of the general distrust of the government’s ability to pay in -gold. One hundred and fifty-nine million dollars of Sherman gold -promises [?] to pay cannot be met without gold.” - -“But the notes are redeemable in coin, not in gold,” was Mr. Hepburn’s -parting shot. - -Mr. Hepburn declared that Mr. Hendrix had pointed out unwittingly the -remedy for the present evil when he told the House that the great -banking houses of Europe exercised their discretion about depleting -their gold vaults. “Why will not the Secretary of the Treasury exercise -the same discretion?” he asked, amid a round of applause. “The exercise -of this discretion did not impair the credit of European banks. Who -dared to say that the credit of this country, with 65,000,000 people -behind it, and an unlimited taxing power, would be impaired because it -refused to kneel at the demands of the Shylocks?” - -“Why have not the Republican Secretaries of the Treasury exercised that -discretion?” asked Mr. Pence of Colorado. - -“I have not been Secretary of the Treasury,” replied Mr. Hepburn hotly. -“When I am I will answer. I am as fully convinced, however, as I am that -I am alive, that if the Secretary of the Treasury were now to exercise -his discretion and pay gold when legitimate redemptions were asked, and -refuse it to sharks and speculators, the evils from which we suffer -would cease to be.” - -A broader view is that the prime motive of the Secretary in exercising -his discretion should be the welfare of the government; and gold should -be refused where its payment is likely to hurt the treasury. - - ---------- - -In the foregoing pages we have attempted to give such a bird’s-eye view -of American money and finance as would serve as an example and warning -for the future. We behold in this short story how our finances were -continually run upon the rocks and shoals of a false “political -economy,” so-called, and how they were occasionally pulled off—though -remaining most of the time stuck fast in the most dismal way. - -As to the general aspects of the money question this is added: - -Our financial kings have kept two purposes in view. _First_: To have our -money issued by and for the special use of private institutions called -banks; and to have this money scanty in quantity and of fluctuating -value. _Second_: To issue, foster and maintain, by all possible means, -bonds and other interest-bearing obligations, as the most convenient -means of transferring to the few the product of the industry of the -many. - -To maintain these humbugs, they use learned language, like doctors -writing prescriptions in Latin. All the expert handlers of money, -stocks, etc., hate nothing so much as that which is best for the other -classes, viz., steady values. Their delight is in ups and downs; and -then, if speculators, their effort is to be on the winning side. With -brokers, every change is profitable. With them it is: “Heads I win, -tails you lose.” Copernicus said of the work of these traitors: “It is -not by a blow, but little by little, and through a secret and obscure -approach, that it destroys the state.” Further back in the ages Plato, -Lycurgus and Solon saw this most plainly. - -The new American system of money is plainly and briefly this: Abundant -government fiat paper money—founded upon the wealth and credit of a -great, stable nation; such money to be kept at a steady purchasing power -by the increase and decrease of its volume; and to be quite void of -intrinsic value, and quite free from particular commodities as bases for -the monetary units. - -For the present we wish free coinage of gold and silver at 16 to 1. The -ultimate of gold and silver will probably be free coinage for all who -bring them to the mints, into suitable coins stamped with their weight -and fineness, and returned to the owners to be used as they choose. And -no one will lie awake nights for fear the metals will go abroad. - -When we get that “honest” fiat paper dollar, nothing will call for an -extra session of Congress quicker than any prospect of a change in its -purchasing power, after we have once got it to a generally satisfactory -point, say about the buying power of our dollar in 1866. While any kind -of a change, up or down, suits many gamblers and speculators, the steady -increase in the buying power of the dollar, for thirty years past, has -been destroying the producers of this country and largely creating the -pestiferous breed of millionaires. - -The bulk of our money wars have been crowded into the past thirty years. -We might call them “Our Thirty Years’ War.” Its history has been -utterly, wofully and willfully misrepresented by such pseudo-historians -as Sumner of Yale and David A. Wells. - -Those years nearly cover the great and little panics of 1837, ’47, ’57, -’60, ’73, ’84, ’85, ’90 and ’93. Vast tomes might be written concerning -the manifold causes. One cause has always been foremost in them—scarcity -of legal-tender money. - -At times our rulers have tried to deceive us by a great show of abundant -currency. Such were the fifteen kinds of money thrust upon the nation to -confuse it during the civil war, by McCulloch and Sherman. - -Why need we here repeat the many-times-told tales of the craft of the -national banks, demonetization of silver, the mystery and raised value -of gold, Rothschild tricks, the control of our finances and politics by -Europe, and the gradual merging of the gold Democrats and Republicans -into practically one party? - -The bankers’ rebellion of 1881, which conquered President Hayes. The -whirling of stock values up two billions then and down again in 1883. -The deluge of trusts and syndicates in full tide in 1887. The bogus -silver bill of 1890. Cleveland’s object-lesson of ruin and misery in -1893. The counting out of victorious Bryan in 1896. And now the ghostly -attempt to bring prosperity by tariff bills and Lyman Gage “currency -reform,” while millions of deceived, disappointed, dazed, discouraged, -almost maddened Americans suffer all the tortures of poverty. - -And the end is not yet. - -[Illustration] - - - - - IV. - THE EIGHT MONEY CONSPIRACIES. - - “When I stand in the United States Treasury, I stand on - English soil.”—NATHANIEL P. BANKS. - - -“HUGH McCULLOCH hamstrung the whole nation. His management of the -finances, while it enriched him and made him a great London banker, has -cost the American people more than the war did.” These words were -uttered by Hon. William D. Kelley, and they are true as gospel. They -would be equally true if the name of John Sherman were substituted for -that of Hugh McCulloch. - -That the constant aim and object of the manipulators of our financial -legislation since the war has been to contract the currency and to -burden the people with interest-bearing debt, thereby enriching the -usurers and impoverishing the producing classes, is evidenced in the -following brief summary of the eight principal enactments affecting -money which passed Congress since 1861: - -1. =The Exception Clause.= (Feb. 25, 1862.) In 1861 and 1862 demand -treasury notes to the amount of $60,000,000 were issued by the -government and made legal-tender money for all debts, public and -private—equal to coin. Wall Street could not gamble in legal-tender -paper money; so, as soon as the legal-tender act passed the House and -was sent to the Senate, the Shylocks placed on the greenback what is -known as the “exception clause”—“Except duties on imports and interest -on the public debt.” This practically demonetized the United States -treasury note, and cost the producing classes millions of dollars. The -greenback “went down,” or, more correctly speaking, gold “went up,” -until $1 in paper money was valued at only 37 cents when compared with -gold. John Sherman said: “We purposely depreciated the greenback, to get -sale for our bonds.” He was willing to destroy the people’s money to -appease the greed of gold gamblers at home and abroad. - -2. =The National Bank Act.= (Feb. 25, 1863.) This scheme was introduced -in the Senate and advocated by John Sherman in the interest of -bondholders and capitalists, just one year after legal-tender notes were -authorized by law, and before sufficient time had been given to test -their utility. The express object was to have the bank notes supersede -the legal-tender notes, after the investment of legal tenders in bonds. - -“I look upon the national bank, as now recognized by law,” says Myers in -his “Money, Its History and Functions,” “as one of the most gigantic -schemes for robbing the people ever devised by man. I cannot conceive of -a single reason for perpetuating the system one day beyond the time -required to settle its affairs. The national banks of this country have -cost the people, in thirty years of their existence, over -$6,000,000,000. The credit which the banker sells at from 7 to 15 per -cent. costs him only 1 per cent. on actual circulation; hence it is -virtually a present to him. He draws interest on this credit; on what he -himself owes. His note is not money, nor is it in any sense a legal -tender between man and man. It is simply a ‘promise to pay.’ The banker -_lends his credit_, with which he has supplied himself by gift from the -government, and the borrower _pledges his wealth_; the banker being far -more secure than the holder of the banker’s paper. The banker takes pay -for something he does not furnish; for the capital (wealth) is furnished -by the borrower. So the banker gets something for nothing, and the -borrower pays for that which he never receives.” - -Banks are run on the deposits, rather than on any capital the banker -himself may have. The patrons of the bank furnish the capital, and also -the security. The banker lends other people’s money to other people; on -this he draws interest; he conducts his business on _your_ money and -_his_ credit, which _you_ furnish him. - -Now, if the government can afford to let the banker have _credit_ at 1 -per cent. on actual circulation, why can’t the treasury supply all the -people with legal-tender money at the same rate? Why not issue the money -direct to the people and then pay interest into the United States -treasury, instead of into the coffers of corporate institutions? -National banks are expensive luxuries which we don’t need. So let the -people unite in demanding their abolition at once, and then institute in -their stead United States banks, sub-treasuries if you please, backed by -all the people, and hence absolutely safe. This would make a government -for the _people_, instead of for the corporations. Let us do business on -the credit of the people—on the credit of the government; not, as we are -now doing, on the credit of banks and bankers. - -3. =The Funding Act.= (April 12, 1866.) Commonly called contraction. -This law authorized the Secretary of the Treasury to retire the -legal-tender notes by investing them in 6 per cent. bonds. Contraction -continued until some $1,500,000,000 were destroyed, and a corresponding -amount of 6 per cent. bonds issued. The treasury notes, or legal -tenders, were nearly all non-interest-bearing. This reduction of the -currency was an outrage upon the people. The volume should have been -increased to keep pace with an increasing population. But Shylock must -have interest. - -4. =The Credit-Strengthening Act.= (March 18, 1869.) This law provided -that the legal-tender treasury notes be paid in coin, as also all -interest-bearing obligations of the government. Prior to the passage of -this law public obligations had been payable _in the lawful money_ of -the country; the greenback was lawful money, redeemable the same as gold -and silver coin, except duties on imports and interest on the public -debt. The credit of the nation was good, and needed no strengthening. -The war was over, and the country was prosperous and the people -contented. Why, then, add another burden? - -5. =An Act Refunding the Public Debt.= (July 14, 1870.) This act -authorized the issue and sale of $1,500,000,000 United States bonds, to -refund 5-20 bonds and make them conform to the law of 1860. To fund -means to put public obligations into stocks and securities, making them -interest-bearing. - -The public debt should have been paid, as at first provided, in the -lawful currency of the country, gold, silver and treasury notes. The law -of 1869 added $500,000,000 to the 5-20 bonds, by making them payable in -_coin_; then to refund the bonds, just to please English Shylocks, is -villainy unnamed and unnameable. - -6. =The Demonetization of Silver.= (Feb. 12, 1873.) The act of 1869 had -made all public obligations payable in coin, gold or silver; while the -act of 1873, clandestinely passed, by omitting the silver dollar from -the list of coins enumerated, practically demonetized silver, making the -public debt, interest and all, as well as the paper currency, payable in -gold coin—a further contraction of the volume of currency. - -The silver dollar was created by the Congress of the United States on -April 2, 1792, and made the unit of value. It contains 412½ grains of -standard silver, nine parts pure silver, one part alloy. At that time -the mints of all the principal nations of the world were open to the -free coinage of both gold and silver. That is, all of such metal -presented to the mints could be converted into money without any charge -except the actual cost of coining. The ratio then was about 15½ to 1; -that is, one ounce of gold was equal to 15½ ounces of silver. January -18, 1837, the ratio between gold and silver coins of the United States -was changed to 15.988 to 1, commonly referred to as 16 to 1. - -The act demonetizing silver was understood by few, and, in fact, many of -those who voted for it, and President Grant, who signed the bill, were -unaware of its actual meaning and effect. The money speculators of -England, backed by cupidity and ignorance on this side, were its real -instigators. There was every reason in the world why England should -desire the demonetization of silver here. She is a creditor nation, and -her capitalists hold vast amounts in government and other securities -abroad. From this country alone the capitalists of Great Britain derive -each year more than five hundred millions of dollars for interest on -their investments, all of which is paid in gold or its equivalent. The -United States produces an enormous quantity of silver, but we very -humbly submit to the gold standard as set up by Great Britain. We deny -ourselves the right to use a metal of which we have an abundance and -adopt one more scarce and, consequently, more expensive. By this policy -we are forced to purchase gold abroad, thus adding constantly to the -burden of a perpetual, interest-bearing national debt. - -By accomplishing the demonetization of silver in this country, England -gained a double victory, for the governments of the Latin Union, France, -Belgium, Italy, Switzerland and Greece, were soon afterward forced to -suspend silver coinage. The gain to England and the loss to the other -countries involved, especially to the United States, by this general -demonetization of silver, can hardly be estimated. The loss, of course, -was the heaviest in this country, where the production of silver is very -large, where so many are engaged in agricultural pursuits, and where a -large and freely circulating volume of money is so essential to -commercial activity. - -Before silver was demonetized, we were under the burden of an enormous -national debt, but every dollar of this was payable in silver. The -stimulated demand for gold, and, consequently, its increase in value, -was not the only gain to England. She now buys our cheap silver bullion, -exchanges it at its coinage value for products in the silver-using -countries of Asia, Africa and South America, and nets a profit of over -one hundred per cent. by the transaction. We then buy from her at gold -prices and pay with gold or products at prices which, by forcing us into -competition with the world, England fixes herself. - -7. =The Resumption of Specie Payment.= (January 14, 1875.) This law -provided for the retirement of the fractional currency ($45,000,000) and -the legal-tender treasury notes, their places to be supplied by national -bank notes, which are not a legal tender between man and man. The name -“specie payment” is simply a blind; it does not mean anything; to get -rid of the much despised greenback was the real object of the act. The -moneyed aristocracy had long ago confessed their inability to “control” -the “greenback as it is called.” Had the provisions of this law been -carried out, it would have added to our annual interest charge about -twenty millions of dollars. - -8. =The Sherman Purchasing Clause.= (July 14, 1890.) This act was a -miserable makeshift or substitute for a free coinage bill. It provided -for the purchase of not less than 2,000,000 nor more than 4,500,000 -ounces of silver bullion per month, 2,000,000 ounces of which was to be -coined each month into silver dollars until July 1, 1891. Instead of -redeeming the treasury notes issued in the purchase of silver with their -equivalent in silver, upon the demand of the holder, the Secretary of -the Treasury was required to redeem these notes in gold or silver coin -at his discretion. The legal-tender power of the silver dollar was -modified so as to read: “Except otherwise expressly stipulated in the -contract.” In 1893 President Cleveland called Congress together in -extraordinary session to consider the financial condition of the -country. November 1, 1893, the Sherman law was repealed, leaving us on a -single gold basis. - -[Illustration] - - - - - V. - FINANCIAL AUTHORITIES. - - “Above all things good policy is to be used, that the - treasures and money of the state be not gathered into a few - hands; for, otherwise, a state may have great stock and yet - starve. And money is like muck, not good unless spread. This - is done by suppressing, or at least keeping a strait hand - upon the devouring trade of usury, engrossing, great - pasturages and the like.”—BACON. - - -THE following is a carefully prepared collection of quotations from the -writings and speeches of eminent statesmen, jurists, financiers and -economists, ancient and modern, foreign and American. It will be found -not only interesting and instructive to the casual reader, but of -extreme value to the student for reference: - -_Alexander Hamilton_ (report on the mint, 1791): “To annul the use of -either of the metals as money is to abridge the quantity of the -circulating medium. It is liable to all the objections that arise from a -comparison of the benefits of a full with the evils of a scanty -circulation.” - -_Benjamin Franklin_, April 3, 1792 (Jared Sparks, page 255): “Want of -money in a country reduces the price of that part of its products which -is used in trade. A plentiful currency will occasion the trading produce -to bear a good price.” - -Page 185 of his autobiography (speaking of his pamphlet on “The Nature -and Necessity of a Paper Currency,” for the purpose of increasing the -circulation): “It was well received by the common people in general, but -the rich men disliked it, for it increased as well as strengthened the -clamor for more money. The utility of this currency by experience became -so evident as never to be much disputed, so that it grew soon to be -£55,000, and in 1879 to £80,000, since which it rose to £350,000, trade, -buildings and inhabitants all the while increasing.” - -_Daniel Webster_: “A contraction of the currency, even if not sudden, -contracts business, discourages enterprise and restrains the commercial -spirit. A sudden contraction aggravates these circumstances.” - -_Henry Clay_ (debate on the sub-treasury, 1840): “The proposed -substitution of an exclusive metallic currency to the medium with which -we have been so long familiar is forbidden by the principles of eternal -justice. Assuming the currency of the country to consist of two-thirds -paper and one of specie, and assuming, also, that the money of a -country, whatever may be its component parts, regulates all values, and -expresses the true amount which the debtor has to pay his creditor, the -effect of the change upon that relation, and upon the property of the -country, would be most ruinous. All property would be reduced in value -to one-third of its present nominal amount, and every debtor would, in -effect, have to pay three times as much as he had contracted for. The -pressure of our foreign debt would be three times as great as it is, -while the six hundred millions, which is about the sum now probably due -to the banks from the people, would be multiplied to eighteen hundred -millions!... A man, for example, owning property to the value of $5,000, -contracts a debt of $5,000. By the reduction of one-half of the currency -of the country, his property in effect becomes reduced to the value of -$2,500. But his debt undergoes no corresponding reduction.... But if the -effect of this hard money policy upon the debtor class be injurious, it -is still more disastrous, if possible, on the laboring classes.... Of -all the subjects of national policy, not one ought to be touched with so -much delicacy as that of the wages—in other words, the bread—of the poor -man. In dwelling, as I have often done, with inexpressible satisfaction, -upon the many advantages of our country, there is not one that has given -me more delight than the high price of manual labor. There is not one -which indicates more clearly the prosperity of the mass of the -community.... - -“The revulsions of 1837 produced a far greater havoc than was -experienced in the period above mentioned. The ruin came quick and -fearful. There were few that could save themselves. Property of every -description was parted with at sacrifices that were astounding, and as -for the currency, there was scarcely any at all. In some parts of the -interior of Pennsylvania the people were obliged to divide bank notes -into halves, quarters, eighths, and so on, and agree from necessity to -use them as money. In Ohio, with all her abundance, it was hard to get -money to pay taxes. The sheriff of Muskingum County, as stated in the -Guernsey _Times_, in the summer of 1842, sold at auction one four-horse -wagon at $5.50; ten hogs at 6¼ cents each; two horses (said to be worth -from $50 to $75 each) at $2 each; two cows at $1 each; a barrel of sugar -at $1.50, and a store of goods at that rate. In Pike County, Missouri, -as stated by the Hannibal _Journal_, the sheriff sold three horses at -$1.50 each; one large ox at 12½ cents; five cows, two steers and one -calf, the lot at $3.25; twenty sheep at 13½ cents each; twenty-four hogs -for 25 cents for the lot; one eight-day clock at $2.50; a lot of -tobacco, seven or eight hogsheads, at $5; three stacks of hay at 25 -cents each.” - -_Horace Greeley_ (“Political Economy,” page 65): “They [false -economists] assume that if half the money in a country leaves it for -goods imported, the residue will perform the functions previously -devolved on the whole, save only that there will be a general reduction -of prices. I, on the contrary, issue an appeal to the experience of -mankind to sustain me that in such cases the remainder, so far from -subserving the end formerly answered by the larger volume of currency, -will not even subserve half of it, for it will all but cease to -circulate at all.... In its absence the people will quite generally be -driven back to barter, a discouragement of industry and a long stride on -the downward road to barbarism.” - -_Treasurer Spinner_ (that portion of his report for December, 1873, -which was suppressed by President Grant): “When ... legitimate money -becomes more and more abundant, credits are asked for and given on -shorter and shorter time, until the time comes when there is money -sufficient to transact all the legitimate business and to effect all -necessary exchanges of the merchantable commodities of the country; then -private credits will be almost entirely unknown, as will commercial -revulsions and consequent panics.... Inflation can only be when the -people are excessively in debt. Such is not the position when money is -plentiful; for when money is plentiful people get out of debt and -acquire habits of promptness, punctuality, and pay as they go.” - -_George S. Coe_ (“Financial History of the War”): “As the war progressed -and the country became poorer, the currency increased. It is strange -that all other property was eagerly sought for in preference to this, -and that prodigal expenditure became the law of the land.” - -_Report of George S. Coe, John J. Knox, James Harsen Rhoades and W. P. -St. John_ (committee of New York Chamber of Commerce, 1891): “The -enlarged volume [of legal-tender money], besides disturbing the -equitable relations of men to each other, at once adjusts itself to the -prices of all commodities and relatively enhances their cost, so as to -absorb at once whatever advances their cost.... This is why thoughtful -men see in any issue of legal-tender notes the way to inevitable -destruction.” - -_Robert G. Ingersoll_: “We have passed through a period of wonderful and -unprecedented inflation. For years every kind of business has been -pressed to the very sky line. A wave of wealth swept over the United -States. Tatters became garments and garments became robes. Walls were -covered with pictures, floors with carpets, and for the first time in -the history of the world the poor tasted all the luxuries of wealth. But -monopoly changed that paradise into hell by creating a money famine.” - -_John J. Ingalls_: “No people in a great emergency ever found a faithful -ally in gold. It is the most cowardly and treacherous of all metals. It -makes no treaty it does not break; it has no friend it does not sooner -or later betray. In times of panic and calamity, shipwreck and disaster, -it becomes the agent and minister of ruin. No nation ever fought a great -war by the aid of gold. In the crisis of the greatest peril it becomes -an enemy more potent than the foe in the field.... In our own civil war -it is doubtful if the gold of New York and London did not work us -greater injury than the powder and lead and iron of the rebels. It was -the most invincible enemy of the public credit. It was in open alliance -with our enemies the world over, and all its energies were evoked for -our destruction. But, as usual, when danger has been averted and the -victory secured, gold swaggers to the front and asserts supremacy.” - -_Hugh McCulloch_, Secretary of the Treasury (1866): “The process of -contracting the circulation of the government notes should go on just as -rapidly as possible without producing a financial crash.” - -_John A. Logan_ (Feb. 17, 1874): “You may theorize and argue to the -farmers until you are hoarse, and you will fail to get them to prefer -low prices to high ones for their products.... The people have and do -realize that their most prosperous times were when currency was the most -plentiful.... - -“I can see the people of our Western States, who are producers, reduced -to the condition of serfs to pay interest on public and private debts to -the money sharks of Wall Street, New York, and of Threadneedle Street in -London, England. And this will be accomplished by withdrawing the -treasury notes from circulation, and destroying them until the banks can -control the entire volume of money.... It was the contraction and -increased want of currency, and not a superabundance, which produced the -necessity for running in debt. - -“Falling prices and misery and destruction are inseparable companions. -The disasters of the dark ages were caused by decreasing money and -falling prices. With the increase of money labor and industry gain new -life. - -“I can see benefit only to the money-holders and those who receive -interest and have fixed incomes. I can see, as a result of this -legislation, our business operations crippled and wages for labor -reduced to a mere pittance. I can see the beautiful prairies of my own -State and of the great West, which are blooming as gardens, with -cheerful homes rising like white towers along the pathway of -improvement, again sinking back to idleness. I can see mortgage fiends -at their hellish work. I can see the hopes of the industrious farmers -blasted as they burn corn for fuel, because its price will not pay the -cost of transportation and dividends on millions of dollars of -fictitious railway stocks and bonds.” - -_Preston B. Plumb_ (Senate, April, 1880): “The contraction of the -currency by 5 per cent. of its volume means the depreciation of the -property of the country three billions of dollars.” - -_The Chicago Tribune_ (1878): “Straight along for four and a half years -the dollar has grown dearer and larger, the debts heavier and harder to -pay, and the value of property has withered; business has been done at a -continual loss. Real estate—lands, lots and improvements, the foundation -of all wealth—has gone down year after year in value, while the -mortgages have devoured it, wiping out equities and all that had been -paid thereon, and annihilating multitudes of fortunes.” - -_President Grant_ (message, 1870): “Immediate resumption, if -practicable, is not desirable. It would compel the debtor class to pay -beyond their contracts the premium on gold at the date of their purchase -and would bring bankruptcy and ruin to thousands.” - -Message of 1873: “The experience of the present panic has proven that -the currency of the country, based as it is upon its credit, is the best -that has ever been devised. - -“To increase our exports, sufficient currency is required to keep all -the industries of the country employed. Without this, national as well -as individual bankruptcy must ensue.... - -“Prices keep pace with the volume of money.” - -_John Sherman_ (1869): “The contraction of the currency is a far more -distressing thing than Senators suppose. Our own and other nations have -gone through that process before. It is not possible to take that voyage -without the sorest distress. To every person except a capitalist out of -debt it is a period of loss, of danger, lassitude of trade, fall of -wages, suspension of enterprise, bankruptcy and disaster.” - -_William D. Kelley_ (House of Representatives, Jan. 3, 1867): “The -experiment [on contracting the currency], if attempted as a means of -hastening specie payments, will prove a failure, but not a harmless one. -It will be fatal to the prospects of a majority of the business men of -this generation, and strip the frugal laboring people of the country of -the small but hard-earned sums they have deposited in savings banks. It -will make money scarce and employment uncertain. It will increase the -purchasing power of money, and by thus unsettling values will paralyze -trade, suspend production and deprive industry of employment. It will -make the money of the rich man more valuable and deprive the poor man of -his entire capital, the value of his labor, by depriving him of -employment. Its final effect will be widespread bankruptcy.” - -_Toledo Blade_ (May 17, 1877): “In financial crises the thing men want -is money; that which everybody must receive in payment of debt or -forever thereafter forego all claim of interest thereon. What men want -in such seasons of panic and distress is that which will pay a note in a -bank, will meet the exactions of government, will avert the sacrifice of -homestead, warehouse or other property by sheriff’s or marshal’s sale; -which, being money, will, when tendered in payment, arrest such -proceedings.... The existence and inflexibility of the law are -indisputable. If the volume of money is increased creditors complain -that the prices of commodities are further enhanced.” - -_George William Curtis_ (_Harper’s Weekly_, July, 1877): “There can be -no doubt that as the volume of money decreases the purchasing power -increases.... It is unquestionably true that it is a maxim of money that -the increase of its volume decreases and the decrease increases the -purchasing power of the unit.... It may be a fair question whether the -demonetization of silver did not increase the value of gold.” - -_Thomas Ewing_ (November 22, 1877): “No greater wrong can be inflicted -on the people by government than a contraction of the volume of the -currency. The prices of commodities, whether land, product or labor, are -determined absolutely by the effective volume of the currency. An -increase of the volume raises the price of commodities.” - -_James G. Blaine_ (House, February 7, 1878): “The destruction of silver -as money and establishing gold as the sole unit of value must have a -ruinous effect on all forms of property except those investments which -yield a fixed return in money. These would gain an unfair advantage over -other species of property.” - -_James A. Garfield_ (1880): “Whoever controls the volume of currency is -absolute master of the industry and commerce of the country.” - -_Senator Mills_, of Texas (House, February 3, 1886): “But the crime that -is now sought to be perpetrated on more than fifty millions of people -comes neither from the camp of a conqueror, the hand of a foreigner, nor -the altar of an idolator. It comes from the cold, phlegmatic marble -heart of avarice—avarice that seeks to paralyze labor, increase the -burden of debt, and fill the land with destitution and suffering to -gratify the lust for gold—avarice surrounded by every comfort that -wealth can command, and rich enough to satisfy every want save that -which refuses to be satisfied without the suffocation and strangulation -of all the labor of the land. With a forehead that refuses to be ashamed -it demands of Congress an act that will paralyze all the forces of -production, shut out labor from all employment, increase the burden of -debts and taxation, and send desolation and suffering to all the homes -of the poor.” - -_Leland Stanford_ (Senate, March 10, 1890): “An abundance of money means -universal activity, bringing in its train all the blessings that belong -to a constantly employed, industrious, intelligent people.... Abundant -and cheap money places the power in the hands of the industrious.... -Cheap and abundant money means co-operation of labor to an extent -hitherto unknown.... Would go far towards aiding his [labor’s] -intelligence, toward realizing his highest destiny. It seems to me that -the great thought of humanity should be how to advance the great -multitude of toilers, increase their power of production and elevate -their condition.... To me one of the most effective means of placing at -man’s disposal the force inherent in the value of property is through -furnishing a bountiful supply of money.... If money were suddenly -annihilated from all business affairs there would be a general -suspension of business all over the country. It is the duty of statesmen -to furnish the means, if possible, to find out the way by which the -Creator’s design for the highest advance of civilization is to be -obtained. Want, discomfort and misery are not necessarily the heritage -of the industrious and provident man. So far as I can ascertain, no -government has ever attempted to furnish an adequate supply of money or -establish any standard by which its want could be ascertained.” - -_John G. Carlisle_ (in the House, February 21, 1878): “According to my -views of the subject the conspiracy which seems to have been formed here -and in Europe to destroy by legislation and otherwise from -three-sevenths to one-half the metallic money of the world is the most -gigantic crime of this or any other age. The consummation of such a -scheme would ultimately entail more misery upon the human race than all -the wars, pestilences and famines that ever occurred in the history of -the world. The absolute and instantaneous destruction of half the entire -movable property of the world, including houses, ships, railroads and -other appliances for carrying on commerce, while it would be felt more -sensibly at the moment, would not produce anything like the prolonged -distress and disorganization of society that must inevitably result from -the permanent annihilation of one-half the metallic money of the world.” - -_John G. Carlisle_ (speaking for the Bland bill, 1878): “It will reverse -the grinding process that has been going on for the last few years. -Instead of constant and ruthless contraction, instead of constant -appreciation of money and depreciation of property, we will have -expansion to the extent of at least $2,000,000 a month, and under its -influence the exchangeable value of commodities, including labor, will -soon begin to rise, thus inviting investments, infusing life into the -dead industries of the country, and quickening the pulsations of trade -in all its departments.” - -_Secretary Windom_ (Jan. 31, 1891): “The ideal financial system would be -one that should furnish just enough absolutely sound money to meet the -legitimate wants of trade, and no more. Had it not been for the peculiar -condition which enabled the United States to disburse over seventy-five -million dollars in about two and a half months last autumn, I am firmly -convinced that the stringency in August and September would have -resulted in widespread financial ruin.” - -_Chauncey M. Depew_: “Fifty men can paralyze the whole country, for they -can control the circulation of the currency, and create panic whenever -they will.” - -_Hon. G. G. Symes_, of Colorado (commenting on the demonetization of -silver): “There would be truly enough money to do the business after the -shrinkage of prices and the financial disasters. For the new order of -things and basis of values there would still be gold enough to carry on -the business. It would only require one-half after the new condition and -basis was reached. The monometallists, then, would still argue that gold -was not scarce.” - -_Henry Clews_, Wall Street financier (March 16, 1895): “Wall Street -keeps a quick eye upon the prospects of the suggested international -silver conference. It sees in the adoption of a world-wide policy of -bimetallism the certainty of a material increase in the metallic money -of the commercial nations, and assumes that, in such case, there would -be a general rise in values and a consequent speculative boom of wide -dimensions.” - -_Franklin H. Head_, of Chicago (business man): “That an increase in the -quantity of money reduces prices, and a diminution lowers them, as -stated by Mill and other economic writers, is the most elementary -proposition in the theory of currency, and without it we should have no -key to any of the others.” - -_Amasa Walker_, of Massachusetts: “Other things being equal, the amount -of currency in circulation determines the prices of everything that is -for sale; and these are increased or diminished as the volume of the -currency is increased or diminished.” - -_A. B. Hepburn_, of the United States Treasury (_Forum_, 1894): “When -credit is withheld a money stringency is easily created.” - -_Prof. William G. Sumner_, of Yale (“History of American Currency,” page -205): “In 1872 this issue was forced out of between forty and fifty -million, reducing a redundancy and enhancing retail prices.” Page 211: -“The war being ended, the financial question took this form: ‘Shall we -withdraw the paper, recover specie, reduce prices, lessen imports and -live economically until we have made up the waste and loss of war? Or -shall we keep paper as money?’ Mr. McCulloch proposed to contract -inflated paper and pursue the former alternative.” Page 221: “The whole -story goes to show that the value of paper currency depends upon its -amount.” Page 329: “If, therefore, a nation has a specie currency, a -drain upon it by an adverse balance of trade, a foreign payment, or any -other similar cause, would immediately produce a lowering of prices and -a return of current specie until the natural level was once more -restored.” - -_Prof. Francis A. Walker_, Yale (“Money,” page 57): “The value of money -in any country is determined by the quantity existing. Its power of -acquisition depends not upon its substance, but upon its quantity.... -That prices will fall or rise as the volume of money be increased or -diminished is a law that is unalterable as any law of nature.” Page 210: -“Gold and silver undergo great changes of value and become in a high -degree deceptive. Prof. Jevons estimates that the value of gold fell, -between 1789 and 1809, 45 per cent.; from 1809 to 1849 it rose 145 per -cent., while in the twenty years after 1849 it fell again at least 30 -per cent.... When the process of contraction commences the first class -on which it falls is the merchants of the large cities; they find it -difficult to get money to pay their debts. The next class is the -manufacturer; the sale of his goods at once falls off. Laborers and -mechanics next feel the pressure; they are thrown out of employment. And -lastly the farmer finds a dull sale for his produce.” - -_Robert Ellis Thompson_, M. A., University of Pennsylvania (“Political -Economy,” page 151): “The influx of money into a progressive country is -one of the most powerful promoters and increasers of production. When it -is plenty all sorts of productive work is stimulated. Labor is the -master of capital, and industrial enterprise gains a more than -proportionally large return for its outlay.” Page 209: “The possession -of a large quantity of money enables any country to organize its -industries upon such a scale as to carry its division of labor to such -perfection as will bring down the prices of all the products of -industry, while affording a larger return to both capitalist and -laborer. It therefore makes such a country a cheap place to buy in, -mainly because of that accumulation of money which was to make -everything dear.” - -_Professor Thompson_ (“Political Economy”) quotes Thomas Tooke, page -208: “If money has increased, industry and trade are increased.... If -iron and cotton are scarce, those who need them suffer by the scarcity, -but it has no effect upon the prices of other materials. If, on the -other hand, money is scarce, the price of everything else is affected. -Every one must make exchanges, just as when the water falls in the -rivers traffic is interrupted because the vessels are aground.” - -_Professor Francis Bowen_, Harvard (“American Political Economy,” page -280): “The whole process of exchange may be compared to the process of -weighing a well-poised balance, the money and the merchandise being -placed on the opposite arms of the lever. Increase the weight on the -money side, and the merchandise is sure to rise.” Page 281: “The -equalization of money is but another name for the equalization of -prices.” Page 244: “The probability of the notes being redeemed at some -future day, more or less remote, is not the cause even of the -depreciation in the value of paper money, ... but solely on the relative -amount of the currency compared with the needs of business. How great -are these needs? Commerce needs money or currency enough to enable it to -perform its peculiar function; that is, to make the prices of -commodities in the home market equal or as nearly equal as possible to -the prices of the same commodities in foreign markets.” Page 245: “If -there is only $100 to buy flour with, and only ten barrels of flour -offered for sale, the competition of buyers and sellers must fix the -price at $10 a barrel. If there was twice as much flour, the number of -dollars being the same, the price must be reduced to $5. On the other -hand, double the quantity of money; there would be $200 available for -this purpose, and, as at first, only ten barrels to be sold; the price -would rise to $20 a barrel.” Page 301: “The general principle is that -the value of money falls in precisely the same ratio in which its -quantity is increased. If the whole quantity of money in circulation was -doubled, prices would be doubled; if it was only increased one-fourth, -prices would rise one-fourth.” - -_President Steel_, Lawrence University: “The conventional unit of lineal -measure must not be a line which averages a foot, though it may be -fourteen inches to-day and nine inches to-morrow; for the same reason it -is desirable that the unit of value should have the same purchasing -power next week as it has now.” - -_Prof. Francis Wayland_ (“Elements of Political Economy,” page 297): “If -there is more money in a country than is needed for its exchanges, the -price of goods is raised and it is sent abroad for new purchases. If -there is a scarcity of money in a country, the price of goods declines, -and money comes in from other lands to be exchanged for them.” Page 298: -“If money is abundant because business is stagnant and exchanges are -few, it is a sign of adversity rather than of prosperity.” - -_Edwards Pierpont_ (_North American Review_): “When currency is small it -is always easy for a few lords of corporations and rich money-lenders to -combine and lock it up, and thus throw down the price of stocks, wheat, -cotton and other commodities, and work a corner on the currency. Thus -the market is made tight and extortion easy.” - -_John Sheldon_ (_New England Yale Review_, March, 1890): “This is of -supreme importance, for prices tend to carry with the amount and not -simply with the kind of legal-tender money in circulation. The greater -the amount the higher the range of prices; the less the circulation the -lower the prices. Prices tend ever to follow up and down the amount of -legal-tender money in circulation; they do not tend to fixity of the -particular kind of money or standard used.” - -_Alexander Baring_ (before the committee, House of Lords, 1819): “The -reduction of paper would produce all those effects which arise from -reduction in the amount of money in any country.” - -_Sir Robert Peel_ (May 6, 1844, speaking of the act to regulate the -currency): “There is no contract, public or private, no engagement, -national or individual, which is unaffected by this.” - -_Lord George Bentinck_ (Parliamentary Debates, about 1847): “Of all the -subtle devices which the wit of man has contrived to despoil the -community of their property, nothing equals the contrivance of laws -which limits the currency to gold.” - -_Lord Beaconsfield_ (“Agricultural Depression”): “Gold is every day -appreciating in value, and as it appreciates in value the lower become -prices.” - -_Sir Walter Scott_ (speaking of abundant currency): “It is not less an -issue that the consequences of this banking system as conducted in -Scotland have been operated with the greatest advantage to the country; -have converted Scotland from a poor, miserable and barren country into -one where, if nature has done less, art and industry have done more than -in perhaps any country in Europe, England itself not excepted.” - -_Encyclopedia Britannica_ (1859): “A fall in the value of precious -metals, like a fall of rain water after a long course of dry weather, -may be prejudicial to certain classes. It is beneficial to an -incomparably greater number, including all who are engaged in industrial -pursuits, and is, speaking generally, of great public or national -advantage.” - -_North British Review_ (November, 1861): “Metallic money, whilst acting -as coin, is identical with paper money in respect to being destitute of -intrinsic value.” - -_William Jacob, F. R. S._, gives statistics of the world’s volume of -money from the year 14 A. D., when it was $1,790,000,000, to 806, when -it had fallen to $168,000,000. The price of a horse in England then was -£1 15_s_ 2_d_; an ox, 7_s_ 2_d_; a cow, 6_s_ 2_d_; sheep, 1_s_ 2_d_; -goat, 4_d_. - -_Ernest Seyd_ (1867, speaking of a reduction in volume): “Throughout the -world a fall in prices will take place, injurious alike to the owners of -solid property and to the laboring classes, and advantageous only, and -unjustifiably so, to the holders of state debts and other contracts of -that kind.” (“Bullion,” 1868:) “On this one point all authorities are -agreed: that the large increase in the supply of gold has given a -universal impetus to trade, commerce and industry, and to greater social -development and progress.” - -_Baron Rothschild_ (French Monetary Convention, 1869): “The suppression -of silver would amount to a veritable destruction of values without any -compensation.” - -_Ricardo, M. P._ (high priest of the bullionists), in his reply to -Bauset, said: “The value of money in any country is determined by the -amount existing.... The commodities would rise or fall in price in -proportion to the increase or diminution of money. I assume that as a -fact that is incontrovertible. However debased a coinage may become, it -will preserve its mint value.... A well-regulated paper currency is so -great an improvement in commerce that I should greatly regret if -prejudice should induce us to return to a system of less utility.... By -limiting the quantity of money it can be raised to any conceivable -value.” - -_John R. McCulloch_ (commenting on Ricardo): “He explains the -circumstances which determine the value of money ... and he shows ... -its value will depend upon the extent to which it may be issued compared -to the demand. This is a principle of great importance, for it shows -that intrinsic worth is not necessary to a currency.” - -Speaking in favor of a gradual reduction in the burden of debts, through -the natural increase in the volume of precious metals, McCulloch said: -“It promotes industry and diminishes the weight of obligations which -press upon the producing classes, whether employer or employed.... Thus -it appears that, whatever may be the material of the money of a country, -whether it consists of gold, silver, copper, iron, salt, cowries, or -paper, and however destitute it may be of any intrinsic value, it is yet -possible, by sufficiently limiting its quantity, to raise its value in -exchange to any conceivable extent.” - -_Samuel Bailey_ (Sheffield): “However some men doubt the advantage of an -increase of the currency, no one can deny the ruinous effects of a -decrease.” - -_Sir James Stewart_: “Money is nothing more than a scale of equal parts -for the measurement of things vendible.” - -_Sir James Graham_ (British statesman): “The value of money is in the -inverse ratio to its quantity, supply of commodities remaining the -same.” - -_William E. Gladstone_ (1876, speaking of the banks issuing money): “It -will be exactly the same thing, so far as the money is concerned, to -grant a legislative privilege to a person or to pay over to him a -considerable sum from the consolidated fund.” - -_London Economist_ (1883): “England being the chief creditor nation of -the world, it is to her interest to keep the volume of money as small as -possible in countries from which debts are due, in order to get more of -their product in payment of interest due to her citizens.” - -_The Royal British Commission_, appointed August, 1885, to inquire into -the causes of the depression of business, made world-wide inquiries and -was composed of twenty-three members, a number of whom were -distinguished statesmen and economists. They agreed that gold had -greatly appreciated in value and that the rise in the value of gold was -caused by the demonetization of silver and the falling off in the supply -of gold, and it was the leading cause of the general depression in trade -and industry. But it was added: - -“This country [England] is largely a creditor country of debts payable -in gold, and any change which entails a rise in the prices of -commodities generally—that is to say, a demonetization of the purchasing -power of gold—would be to our disadvantage.” - -_Archbishop Walsh_ (Dublin, 1893): “Of all conceivable systems of -currency, that system is sure to be the worst which gives you a standard -steadily, continually, indefinitely appreciating, and which, by that -very fact, throws a burden upon every man of enterprise and benefits no -human being whatever but the owner of fixed debts.” - -_Count Leo Tolstoi_ (Russian philanthropist): “Only by means of money do -some people command the labor of others nowadays; that is, into -slavedom. Money tribute has become a chief means of the subjugation of -men, and by it are determined all the economic relations of man.” - -_Cernuschi_ (French economist): “The purchasing power of money is in -direct proportion to the volume of money existing.” - -_Professor Chevalier_ (France), speaking of the increase of money, says: -“Such a change will benefit those who live by current labor and -enterprise; it will injure those who live upon the fruits of past -labor.... It has been wisely said that there is no machine which -economizes labor like money, and its adoption has been likened to the -discovery of letters.” - -_Sauerbeck_ (German statistician): “The propositions of some economists, -that we have quite enough money in our country, or that there is -sufficient gold to carry on the trade of the world, are valueless. They -assume that there is a certain quantity required that need not be -increased. Of course there is enough gold, and we could perhaps do with -half the quantity. It only depends upon the state of prices.” - -_Fichte_ (German philosopher): “The amount of money current in a state -represents everything that is purchasable on the surface of the state. -If the quantity of purchasable articles increases while the quantity of -money remains the same, the value of the money increases in the same -ratio. If the quantity of money increases while the quantity of -purchasable articles remains the same, the value of money decreases in -the same ratio.” - -_Herr von Barr_, speaking of the loss to German miners by the -demonetization of silver, says: “This direct loss, important as it is, -is nothing, however, compared with the indirect loss resulting from the -fall of prices.” - -_M. Edouard Cazalet_, banker of Milan (“Bimetallism,” page 14): “Since -the value of all articles of commerce is represented by the currency, -the value of these articles must fall in proportion to the reduction in -the volume of the currency. Otherwise the moneyed currency could not -possibly do the work which the two metals combined have previously -performed.” - -_Dr. Soetbeer_ (German statistician): “The value of money has fallen -through the issue of paper money as well as through the increased -production of gold and silver.” - -_Leon Fouchet_ (1843): “If all the nations of Europe adopted the system -of Great Britain the price of gold would be reduced beyond measure. The -government could not decree that legal tender should be only gold, for -that would be to decree a revolution, and the most dangerous of all, -because it would be a revolution leading to unknown results.” - -_M. Wolowski_ (French Institute, 1868): “The suppression of silver would -bring on a veritable revolution. Gold would augment in value with rapid -and constant progress, which would break the faith of contracts and -aggravate the situation of all debtors.... If by a stroke of the pen -they suppress one of these metals [gold or silver] in the monetary -service, they double the demand for the other metal, to the ruin of all -debtors.” - -_John Locke_ (“Considerations, etc., in Relation to Money,” 1691): “The -greater scarcity of money enhances its price and increases the scramble, -and makes an equal portion of it exchange for a greater of any other -thing.” 1690: “Money is really a standing measure of the falling and -rising value of other things. If you increase or lessen the quantity of -money current, then the alteration of value is in the money. The value -of money in any one country is the present quantity of the current money -in that country in proportion to the present trade.” - -_Adam Clark’s_ commentary on II. Matthew: “The scarcity of money in -England in 1351 influenced Parliament to pass an act fixing a day’s -labor at 1_d_. Twenty-four eggs sold for 1_d_; a pair of shoes 4_d_; -wheat 3_d_; a fat ox 80_d_.” - -_Copernicus_, the astronomer (treatise “Monete Cudende Ratio,” addressed -to the King of Poland): “Numberless as are the evils by which kingdoms, -principalities and republics are wont to decline, these four are, in my -judgment, most baleful: civil strife, pestilence, sterility of the soil, -and corruption of the coin. The first three are so manifest that no one -fails to apprehend them; but the fourth, which concerns money, is -considered by few, and those the most reflective, since it is not by a -blow, but little by little, and through a secret and obscure approach, -that it destroys the state.” - -_Daniel Watney_, of England: “I cannot suppose that everybody is wise. -Must think of the folly of the United States, when they were a debtor -nation, in adopting a gold standard. They knew nothing about currency -matters; they did not know it was going to increase their debt -enormously.” - -_Paulus_ (Roman jurist, third century): “Money circulates with a power -which is derived, not from the substance, but from the quantity.” - -_Blackstone_ (vol. I., page 2761): “As the quantity of precious metals -increases they will sink in value and become less precious. If any -accident were to diminish the quantity of gold and silver they would -proportionately rise.” - -_Faucet_ (“Handbook of Finance,” page 146): “The decline of prices since -1872 and 1873 is explained by the increased value of gold. The first -effect was to cause a collapse of speculative securities, namely, bonds -of railroads, etc.” - -_Professor De Colange_ (“American Encyclopedia of Commerce”): “The rate -at which money exchanges for other things is determined by its -quantity.” - -_Beasey_: “Slavery is the inevitable result of poverty. Poverty is the -inevitable result of low wages. Low wages are the inevitable result of a -scarcity of currency.” - -_A. H. Gaston_: “Money is simply a measure of value, and as a nation -contracts its circulation it contracts the value of all property in like -proportion.” - -_Colton’s Public Economy_ (page 224): “We hold that money enough for the -demands of trade is the tool of trade to a nation.” Page 193: “It is -very desirable that there should not be sudden and great fluctuations, -as such changes affect the value of incomes. For example, when the -products of the American mines had raised the general prices on comforts -of life as 4 to 1.” - -_Silver Commission Report_ of 1876, page 49: “Whenever it becomes -apparent that prices are rising and money falling in value in -consequence of an increase in its volume, the greatest activity takes -place in exchange and productive enterprises. Every one becomes anxious -to share in the advantages of a rising market, and the inducement to -hoard gold is taken away; its circulation becomes exceedingly active; -labor comes into great demand and at remunerative wages. It not only -increases production, but increases consumption.” Page 50: “Falling -prices and misery and destitution are inseparable companions. It is -universally conceded that falling prices result from the contraction of -the money volume.” Page 50: “Money is the great instrument of -association, the very fiber of social organism, the vitalizing force of -industry, the pure, true organ of civilization, and as essential to -existence as oxygen is to animal life. Without money civilization could -not have had a beginning.” Page 51: “It is estimated that the purchasing -power of the precious metals increased between 1809 and 1840 fully 145 -per cent.... They had come to regard money as an institution fixed and -immovable in value, and when the price of property and wages fell they -charged the fault not to the money, but to the property and the -employer. Their prejudices were aroused against labor-saving machinery; -they were angered against capital.” Page 53 (effects of a decreasing -volume of money): “It circulates freely in the stock exchange, but -avoids the labor exchange. It has in all cases been the worst enemy with -which society has had to contend.” Page 56: “However great the natural -resources of a country, fertile its soil, intelligent, enterprising and -industrious its inhabitants—if the volume of money is shrinking and -prices falling, its merchants will be overwhelmed with bankruptcy, -industries paralyzed, and destitution and distrust will prevail.” Page -59: “All respectable authorities agree as to the relative effects of an -increasing and decreasing money.... History records no such disastrous -transition as that from the Roman empire to the dark ages. In the -Christian era the metallic money of the Roman empire amounted to -$1,800,000,000. By the end of the fifteenth century it had shrunk to -less than $200,000,000. Population dwindled, and commerce, arts, wealth -and freedom all disappeared.” - -_Henry C. Carey, LL. D._ (“Social Science,” page 297): “Money tends to -diminish the obstacles interposed between the producer and the consumer -precisely as do railroads and mills.... The most necessary part of the -machinery of exchange being that which facilitates the passage of labor -and its products from hand to hand, any diminution of its quantity is -felt with tenfold more severity than is the diminution of the quantity -of railroad cars or steamboats.” - -Before the Congressional committee: “We next find him [Secretary -McCulloch] issuing the destructive Fort Wayne decree, by means of which -we were made to know that the currency was in excess and prices too -high; that the policy of the treasury was to be one of contraction; and -that unfortunate debtors must as speedily as possible place themselves -in a position to meet the shock to be thus created. In other words, all -debtors were required to sell, capitalists meanwhile being advised not -to buy, the government being determined that labor, lands, houses, -stocks and property of all other descriptions should be promptly reduced -to gold values.” - -Treatise on “Wealth”: “A period of contracted currency is one of -embarrassment, difficulty, and generally, in the end, of insolvency to -the small farmer and moderate landholder.... It will rise in price from -that scarcity, and become accessible only to the more rich and affluent -classes.” - -[This greatest of American political economists, the late Henry C. -Carey, estimated the cost of contraction in order to secure resumption -between the years of 1873 and 1879 at thirty billion dollars.] - -_Henry Carey Baird_ (March 13, 1882): “The man who has the greatest -horror of the inflation of the currency generally has no horror of the -inflation of bank credits. He likes it because it increases his power -over his fellow men. What he objects to is the inflation of the people -which causes an increase of their power.” - -September 3, 1889: “People know that the expansion of the currency means -life, and equally well that contraction means death.” - -_Henry Carey Baird_ (“Money and Bank Credit,” page 14): “The first and -greatest need of a man is that of association and combination with his -fellow men, and the daily life of a civilized people involves such -countless myriads of acts of association or commerce that a medium -having the quality of universal acceptability is absolutely necessary to -that life. That medium is money.... In its absence in sufficient volume -in Great Britain and Ireland, thousands of millions of dollars of labor -power annually in those islands perish. While the Trenholms, the Russell -Sages, the Pearsalls, the Fahnenstocks and the Seligmans wrangle over -the efforts of the people to secure a sufficient supply of ‘current -money,’ more labor power will go to waste than will represent the value -of the capital of all the banks in the city of New York many times -over.” - -_Peter Cooper_: “Contraction in finance is not the same as economy in -private life. Contraction in the finances of a country means a stoppage -of a certain amount of the industry and exchanges, by reason of the -contraction of the credit by which these are sustained. Nothing can be -more certain than that a contraction of the currency by our government -has been followed by a reduction of all values, so that a wrong has been -inflicted upon all the enterprising business men of this nation, whose -property has been virtually confiscated by this process of contraction.” - -_B. F. Butler_ (August, 1875): “I am informed that Mr. Duncan, of -Duncan, Sherman & Co., went to Washington when the currency bill was -before the President to advise him to veto it because it was necessary -to depreciate values. The President did veto the bills. Values have been -depreciated, I trust, to an amount entirely satisfactory to Messrs. -Duncan, Sherman & Co.” [The firm of which John Sherman was a member was -bankrupted by the depreciation.] - -_Solon Chase_: “I bought a yoke of steers a year ago for $60; fed them -all summer and winter, and in the spring was offered but $60 for them in -the market. Who got the hay? So long as the owners of funded wealth -control the volume of money they control the price of a day’s work down -east and the price of a bale of cotton down south. The higher the price -of hogs and corn, the easier the people can pay the debt. The farmer -cannot pay off his debt on a falling market. The fight of the men who -deal in money is not for the metal, but to control the volume.” - -_James D. Holden_ (President National Citizens’ Alliance): “So magical -is the operation of this wonderful device known as money that by simply -restricting its issue wealth is transferred from the hands that created -it to the possession of those not in the remotest degree responsible for -its production. Let the reader who does not indorse this view give -himself, if possible, a reason why a people who by their laws create the -supply of money should limit the issue.” - -_A Georgia editor_ (speaking of the effects of contraction) says: “In -1868 there was about $40 per capita of money in circulation; cotton was -about 30 cents a pound. The farmer then put a 500-pound bale of cotton -on his wagon, took it to town and sold it. Then he paid $40 taxes, -bought a cooking stove for $30, a suit of clothes for $15, his wife a -dress for $5, 100 pounds of meat for $18, one barrel of flour for $12, -and went home with $30 in his pocket. In 1887 there was about $5 per -capita of money in circulation; this same farmer put a 500-pound bale of -cotton on his wagon, went to town and sold it, paid $40 taxes, got -discouraged, went to the saloon, spent his remaining $2.30 and went home -dead broke and drunk.” - -_Arthur Kitson_ (“Scientific Solution of the Money Question,” 1894, page -284): “A restricted currency means restricted commerce; restricted -commerce means restricted production, and restricted production means -poverty, misery, disease and death.” Page 396: “The gold standard is a -device of the bankers for the measuring of everybody else’s corn with -their bushel.” - -_Sealy_ (“Coins and Currency,” 1853): “The commerce of the country is -now in the power of the Bank of England as it was before in the -legislature.” - -_Doubleday_ (“Financial History of England”): “We have already seen the -fall of prices produced by this universal narrowing of the paper -circulation. Distress, ruin and bankruptcy which took place were -universally among the landholders whose estates were burdened by -mortgages. The effects were most marked. Owners were stripped of all and -made beggars.” - -_President Andrews_ (Eaton University): “Demonetization of silver was -the hardest, saddest blow to human welfare ever delivered by the action -of states. So long as gold is the sole standard of that money, so long -these wrongs and sufferings must continue.” - -_James Mill_ (father of John Stuart Mill): “In whatever degree the -quantity of money is increased or diminished, other things remaining the -same, in that proportion the value of the whole and every part is -reciprocally diminished or increased.” - -_Herbert Spencer_: “Barbarians do not want any money but hard money; -semi-civilized people want hard money and convertible paper; but when -the world becomes civilized and enlightened no other kind of money will -be used but paper money.” - -[Illustration] - - - - - VI. - INTEREST AND USURY. - - “It is against nature for money to breed money.”—BACON. - - -THE great Napoleon said, after studying a set of compound interest -tables: “There is one thing to my mind more wonderful than all the rest, -and that is, that the deadly fact buried in these tables has not before -this devoured the whole world.” The ethical sense of mankind saw at an -early day the wrong of usury. The Mosaic law was very explicit on the -subject. Cicero mentions that Cato, being asked what he thought of -usury, made no other answer to the question than by asking the person -who spoke to him what he thought of murder. The Christian Church, in its -early days and until the end of the Middle Ages, utterly forbade the -exaction of interest. In the reign of Edward VI. a prohibitory act was -passed, for the stated reason that the charging of interest was “a vice -most odious and detestable and contrary to the word of God.” It was not -until the time of the Reformation that this interpretation of the divine -law was ever questioned. Calvin was one of the first to contend that the -sentiment against exacting interest arose from a mistaken view of the -Mosaic law. A series of enactments, known as the Usury Laws, restricted -the maximum rate to be charged in England. By Act 21 James I. this rate -was fixed at 8 per cent. During the Commonwealth this rate was reduced -to 6 per cent., and by Act 12 Anne to 5 per cent., at which rate it -stood until 1839. In the United States the legal rate of interest -varies, nearly all the States having passed statutes fixing a maximum -rate. - -“Usury bringeth the treasures of a realm or state into a few hands; for -the usurer being at certainties, and others at uncertainties, at the end -of the game most of the money will be in the box; and ever a state -flourisheth when wealth is more equally spread.” - -This quotation is from the essay “Of Usury,” by that wisest of -philosophers, Francis Bacon. The reader must bear in mind that while -nowadays the term “usury” is applied generally only to excessive -interest, in Bacon’s time the word was used for any rate of premium or -interest for the use of money. The word _usance_, now obsolete in that -sense, conveyed the same meaning, and is used in Shakespeare’s “Merchant -of Venice.” The provocation which Antonio first gave Shylock was that— - - “He lends out money gratis and brings down - The rate of usance here with us in Venice.” - -All are familiar with the conditions which Shylock exacted of Antonio: - - _Shylock._ This kindness will I show. - Go with me to a notary, seal me there - Your single bond; and, in a merry sport, - If you repay me not on such a day, - In such a place, such sum or sums as are - Express’d in the condition, let the forfeit - Be nominated for an equal pound - Of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken - In what part of your body pleaseth me. - - _Antonio._ Content i’ faith: I’ll seal to such a bond - And say there is much kindness in the Jew. - - _Bassanio._ You shall not seal to such a bond for me: - I’ll rather dwell in my necessity. - - _Antonio._ Why, fear not, man; I will not forfeit it; - Within these two months, that’s a month before - This bond expires, I do expect return - Of thrice three times the value of this bond.... - Come on; in this there can be no dismay; - My ships come home a month before the day. - -But Antonio’s ships did not come in—just as the farmer’s crop often -fails and the artisan’s employment gives out just when the mortgage is -due—and Shylock claimed his pound of flesh. “The Merchant of Venice” is -a comedy, and Shylock, Bassanio and Antonio are mere creatures of -imagination; but there are thousands of tragedies enacted every day in -real life in which real Shylocks play a part. The Shylocks of to-day are -quite unlike the Shylocks of fiction, however. Banker Morgan, who -negotiated with Grover Cleveland the star-chamber bond deal by which the -American government sold to the Rothschilds at a premium of only 4½ per -cent. $100,000,000 of interest-bearing gold bonds which were immediately -after quoted at a premium of 21 per cent., is a philanthropist. As soon -as possible after the deal was made his portrait appeared in many of the -great dailies with a fulsome account of his many charities! It will take -many a pound of human flesh, many a drop of life’s blood, to pay the -interest on the bonds which he negotiated, and out of the sale of which -he made a cool million in one day. - -The Bible has much to say on the subject of usury. The writer has never -heard a sermon preached on any of the following texts, however—perhaps -because bankers and money-lenders rent the best pews. Remember that -usury here means simply interest—not excessive interest: - -Exodus 22:25: “If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by -thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon -him usury.” - -Deuteronomy 23:19-20: “Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; -usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of anything that is lent upon -usury. Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury, but unto thy brother -thou shalt not lend upon usury, that the Lord thy God may bless thee.” - -Nehemiah 5:7: “Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the nobles, -and the rulers, and said unto them: Ye exact usury every one of his -brother. And I set a great assembly against them.” - -Psalms 15:5 (David describes a citizen of Zion): “He that putteth not -out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent.” - - A Chapter from “Cæsar’s Column.” - -I cannot do better here than quote a significant chapter from Ignatius -Donnelly’s powerful novel, “Cæsar’s Column,” which certainly did as much -as any book ever printed to set people thinking: - -“But what would you do, my good Gabriel,” said Maximilian, smiling, “if -the reformation of the world were placed in your hands? Every man has a -Utopia in his head. Give me some idea of yours.” - -“First,” I said, “I should do away with all interest on money. Interest -on money is the root and ground of the world’s troubles. It puts one man -in a position of safety, while another is in a condition of insecurity, -and thereby it at once creates a radical distinction in human society.” - -“How do you make that out?” he asked. - -“The lender takes a mortgage on the borrower’s land, or house, or goods, -for, we will say, one-half or one-third their value; the borrower then -assumes all the chances of life to repay the loan. If he is a farmer, he -has to run the risk of the fickle elements. Rains may drown, droughts -may burn up his crops. If a merchant, he encounters all the hazards of -trade: the bankruptcy of other tradesmen; the hostility of the elements -sweeping away agriculture, and so affecting commerce; the tempests that -smite his ships, etc. If a mechanic, he is still more dependent upon the -success of all above him and the mutations of commercial prosperity. He -may lose employment; he may sicken; he may die. But behind all these -risks stands the money-lender, in perfect security. The failure of his -customers only enriches him; for he takes for his loan property worth -twice or thrice the sum he has advanced upon it. Given a million of men -and a hundred years of time, and the slightest advantage possessed by -any one class among the million must result, in the long run, in the -most startling discrepancies of condition. A little evil grows like a -ferment—it never ceases to operate; it is always at work. Suppose I -bring before you a handsome, rosy-cheeked young man, full of life and -hope and health. I touch his lip with a single _bacillus_ of _phthisis -pulmonalis_—consumption. It is invisible to the eye; it is too small to -be weighed. Judged by all the tests of the senses, it is too -insignificant to be thought of; but it has the capacity to multiply -itself indefinitely. The youth goes off singing. Months, perhaps years, -pass before the deadly disorder begins to manifest itself, but in time -the step loses its elasticity; the eyes become dull; the roses fade from -the cheeks; the strength departs, and eventually the joyous youth is but -a shell—a cadaverous, shrunken form, inclosing a shocking mass of -putridity; and death ends the dreadful scene. Give one set of men in a -community a financial advantage over the rest, however slight—it may be -almost invisible—and at the end of centuries that class so favored will -own everything and wreck the country. A penny, they say, put out at -interest the day Columbus sailed from Spain, and compounded ever since, -would amount now [A. D. 1890?] to more than all the assessed value of -all the property, real, personal and mixed, on the two continents of -North and South America.” - -“But,” said Maximilian, “how would the men get along who wanted to -borrow?” - -“The necessity to borrow is one of the results of borrowing. The disease -produces the symptoms. The men who are enriched by borrowing are -infinitely less in number than those who are ruined by it; and every -disaster to the middle class swells the number and decreases the -opportunities of the helpless poor. Money in itself is valueless. It -becomes valuable only by use—by exchange for things needful for life or -comfort. If money could not be loaned it would have to be put out by the -owner of it in business enterprises, which would employ labor; and as -the enterprise would not then have to support a double burden—to-wit, -the man engaged in it and the usurer who sits securely upon his back—but -would have to support only the former usurer, that is, the present -employer—its success would be more certain; the general prosperity of -the community would be increased thereby, and there would be, therefore, -more enterprises, more demand for labor, and consequently higher wages. -Usury kills off the enterprising members of a community by bankrupting -them, and leaves only the very rich and the very poor; but every dollar -the employers of labor pay to the lenders of money has to come -eventually out of the pockets of the laborers. Usury is therefore the -cause of the first aristocracy, and out of this grow all the other -aristocracies. Inquire where the money came from that now oppresses -mankind, in the shape of great corporations, combinations, etc., and in -nine cases out of ten you will trace it back to the fountain of interest -on money loaned. The coral island is built up of the bodies of dead -coral insects; large fortunes are usually the accumulations of wreckage, -and every dollar represents disaster.” - - How Wealth Accumulates. - -As proof of the fact that it is a mighty fortunate thing for humanity -that the Rothschilds did not conduct a bank in the year 1 A. D., I -reprint from the _Twentieth Century_ the following article by H. C. -Whitaker, which shows the beauties of interest-drawing: - -“Had one cent been loaned on the 14th day of March, A. D. 1, interest -being allowed at the rate of 6 per cent., compounded yearly, then, 1894 -years later—that is, on March 14, 1895—the amount due would be -$8,497,840,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 -(8,497,840,000 decillions). If it were desired to pay this in gold, 23.2 -grains to the dollar, then, taking spheres of pure gold, each the size -of the earth, it would take 610,070,000,000,000,000 of them to pay for -that cent. Placing these spheres in a straight row, their combined -length would be 4,826,870,000,000,000,000,000 miles, a distance which it -would take light (going at the rate of 186,330 miles per second) -820,890,000 years to travel. - -“The planets and stars of the entire solar and stellar universe, as seen -by the great Lick telescope, if they were all of solid gold, would not -nearly pay the amount. A single sphere to pay the whole amount, if -placed with its center at the sun, would have its surface extending -563,580,000 miles beyond the orbit of the planet Neptune, the farthest -in our system. - -“It may be added that if the earth had contained a population of ten -billions, each one making a million dollars a second, then to pay for -that cent it would have required their combined earnings for -26,938,500,000,000,000,000,000 years.” - -[Illustration] - - VII. - DEBT AND SLAVERY. - - “And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim - liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants - thereof.”—_Leviticus_ 25:10. - - “Debt is the fatal disease of republics, the first thing and - the mightiest to undermine government and corrupt the - people.”—WENDELL PHILLIPS. - - -FROM the earliest dawn of history debt has ever borne a close -relationship to slavery and servitude. “It is worthy of remark,” says -Grote (History of Greece, vol. III., p. 144), “that the first borrowers -must have been for the most part driven to this necessity by the -pressure of want, contracting debt as a desperate resource without any -fair prospect of ability to pay. Debt and famine run together in the -mind of the poet Hesiod. The borrower is in this unhappy state rather a -distressed man soliciting aid than a solvent man capable of making and -fulfilling a contract; and if he cannot find a friend to make a free -gift to him in the former character he would not under the latter -character obtain a loan from a stranger except by the promise of -exorbitant interest and by the fullest eventual power over his person -which he is in a position to grant.” - -“This remark,” says Professor Nicholson in the _Encyclopedia -Britannica_, “suggested by the state of society in ancient Greece, is -largely applicable throughout the world until the close of the early -Middle Ages.” The conditions of ancient usury find a graphic -illustration in the account of the building of the second temple at -Jerusalem (Nehemiah 5:1-12). Some said: “We have mortgaged our lands, -vineyards and houses that we might buy corn, because of the dearth.” -Others said: “We have borrowed money for the king’s tribute, and that -upon our lands and vineyards, ... and lo, we bring into bondage our sons -and our daughters to be servants, ... neither is it in our power to -redeem them, for other men have our lands and vineyards.” - -In ancient Greece we find a law of bankruptcy resting on slavery. In -Athens, about the time of Solon’s legislation (594 B. C.), the bulk of -the population who had originally been small proprietors became -gradually indebted to the rich to such an extent that they were -practically slaves; those who nominally owned their property owed more -than they could pay, and stone pillars erected on their land showed the -amount of the debts and the names of the lenders. Solon’s remedy for -this state of affairs was to cancel all debts made on the security of -the land or the person of the debtor, and at the same time he enacted -that henceforth no loans could be made on the bodily security of the -debtor, and the creditor was confined to a share of the property. - -In Rome’s early history practically the same conditions prevailed as in -Greece. About 500 B. C. an attempt was made to remedy the evil by -providing a maximum rate of interest, no alteration being made, however, -in the law of debt. In the course of a few centuries the free farmers -were utterly destroyed. The pressure of war and taxes and usury drove -all into debt and into practical, if not technical, slavery. The old law -of debt was not really abolished until the dictatorship of Julius Cæsar, -who then practically adopted Solon’s legislation of more than five -centuries before, but too late to save the middle class. - -In the course of centuries and the evolution of civilization chattel -slavery has been abolished; but the slavery of debt still remains, and -usury is now, as it was in all the history of mankind, the tool with -which debt forges the chains of nations. It is not the province of this -work to examine into the conditions of other countries than our own, but -the facts now to be presented will convince the thoughtful reader that -the American people are bound by chains of debt which it will require -the wisest statesmanship to break. - -Representative Warner of Massachusetts (Republican), in a speech -delivered in Congress in 1894, stated that the interest-bearing debts of -the United States, public and private, aggregated a grand total of -$32,000,000,000 (thirty-two billions of dollars). This would be bad -enough, but careful estimates by conservative students of political -economy show that the amount is very much larger. - -W. H. Harvey, author of “Coin’s Financial School,” makes the following -itemized estimate of the interest-bearing debts of this country, public -and private. Most of the figures are derived from recognized official -sources: - - The national debt, according to the official - census of 1890, was $ 891,960,104 - - State and municipal debts (census 1890). 1,135,210,442 - - Railroad bonds, 1892 (“Poor’s Manual,” 1893) 5,463,611,204 - - Debt on farms and homes occupied by owner (R. R. - Porter, Supt. Eleventh Census, in _North - American Review_, vol. 153, p. 618) 2,500,000,000 - - Mortgaged indebtedness of business realty, street - railways, manufactories and business enterprises - (estimated from partial reports of 11th census) 5,000,000,000 - - Loans from 3,773 national banks (Statistical - Abstract of the United States) 2,153,769,806 - - Loans from 5,579 State savings, stock and private - banks and trust companies (Statistical Abstract - of the United States) 2,201,764,292 - - These are figures on which something definite has - been obtained; also the ratio of increase from - 1880 to 1890, which was from $6,750,000,000 in - 1880 to $19,000,000,000 in 1890. By computing - the same ratio of increase we should now add 8,000,000,000 - - Mortgage debts on homes not occupied by owner - (estimated) 1,000,000,000 - - Overdue accounts due merchants, wholesale and - retail, drawing from 6 to 10 per cent. interest - (estimated) 5,000,000,000 - - Debts due pawnbrokers, drawing from 60 to 120 per - cent. per annum or 5 to 10 per cent. a month - (estimated) 1,000,000,000 - - Private debts due from individuals to individuals - and of which there is no public record or other - data for census officers to obtain information - (estimated) 1,000,000,000 - - Maritime debts (estimated) 1,000,000,000 - - Overdrafts, judgments, overdue taxes and - miscellaneous items not included in the - foregoing (estimated) 4,000,000,000 - - ———————- - - Horrible total $40,346,315,848 - -In commenting on his figures, Mr. Harvey says: "Debts, a non-producing -industry, growing to such a magnitude that the profits derived from all -the producing industries of the country will not more than pay the -interest on these debts, make the producers thereafter work for the -benefit of the money-lending or non-producing class. When such a -condition as to debts arises as we now have, all money nearly gravitates -into the hands of the money-lenders and piles up in the money centers. -The effect of debts upon civilization has never been understood -generally. A prosperous country can carry about a certain proportion of -debt among its people without apparent injury, but when it reaches the -present proportion—a proportion only reached three times before in the -known history of the world—it produces commercial paralysis and the -financial enslavement of the people. All the people make goes to pay the -money-lenders their interest. - -“When you pay money to a merchant or a manufacturer that you may owe, -the money you pay him is paid by him to others for material and other -products of his business, with no charge or embargo upon it; but when -you pay back to a money-lender a debt you owe him, the money stops there -until it is loaned out again to come back with interest. When this grows -to such an extent as to require all or most of the money in the country -to pay the interest on debts, then commerce slackens and there is little -or no money among the people except as loaned out by the banks and -others whose business it is to loan money. They are dealing in the blood -of commerce, and when they take it from the arteries of commerce there -is commercial sickness and distress.” - -The Abstract of the Eleventh Census (page 189) gives the true valuation -of all real and personal property in the United States as only -$65,037,091,198. Against this we have an interest-bearing debt of forty -billions. - -But Mr. Harvey’s figures are by no means complete. He says nothing about -the capital stock of the great railroad, telegraph, telephone, insurance -and other corporations, most of which is “water.” The reader may say -that this is not debt. But it is debt, as it represents what the -companies owe to their stockholders; it draws interest; it must pay -salaries and dividends. To say that we pay interest every year on -forty-five billions is a very conservative statement. And the debt is -constantly increasing, for the reason that there is not in circulation, -of all kinds of money, enough to pay this interest. Let us figure it -out. The average rate of interest is 6½ per cent. Let us say 6 per cent. -At this rate we pay each year $2,700,000,000—over $40 per capita. Think -of it! Forty dollars interest for every man, woman and child! Two -hundred dollars for every family! And this exclusive of taxation, which -adds still more to the burdens of life. The most blatant gold-bug does -not claim that there is $40 of money per capita in circulation. There -can be only one result, and that result is abject, hopeless -slavery—slavery under the guise of freedom, but still slavery—unless -this burden of debt is thrown off before the patient people succumb -entirely. - -[Illustration] - - - - - VIII. - THE LAWS OF PROPERTY. - - BY LYMAN TRUMBULL. - - “Property, or the dominion of man over external objects, - has its origin from the Creator, as his gift to - mankind.”—BLACKSTONE (Dunlap’s Manual of the General - Principles of Law). - - -IT is chiefly the laws of property which have enabled the few to -accumulate vast wealth while the masses live in poverty. For many -generations our laws have been framed with a view to the claims of -property rather than the rights of man. For ages the money power has -controlled legislation the world over, and, I am sorry to say, has -exercised a controlling influence in our own land for many years. In the -language of the Declaration of Independence: “All men are created equal -and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among -these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” If a man has an -inalienable right to life, then he has a right to the means which -sustain life, and of which he cannot be justly deprived by laws which -permit one man, or set of men, to so absorb the means of life as not to -leave sufficient to sustain the lives of all. If man has an inalienable -right to liberty, then he cannot be justly deprived of liberty by -another who assumes the right at his mere discretion to abridge it. If -man has an inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness, then he cannot -be justly deprived of that right by laws interposed in the way of its -pursuit. - -Do such laws exist, and if so, how came they into existence? - -In Great Britain, whence we have derived most of our laws of property, -the policy is to build up great estates. Hence, by the laws of that -country, land descends to the eldest son, to the exclusion of the other -children. The effect of this is to limit the ownership of land to a few -persons. Thirty-four persons in that country own six million two hundred -and eleven thousand acres of land. The Duke of Sutherland is said to own -one million three hundred and fifty-eight thousand acres, and a few -other dukes and earls own a great proportion of the land of the United -Kingdom. What has brought about this wide difference in the ownership of -land? Certainly the few who own the millions of acres, from which they -derive revenue, in some instances of more than five hundred thousand -dollars annually, in rentals, have not earned these vast estates by -their own industry, but, on the contrary, it is by force of statutory -enactments that these vast estates have been accumulated and perpetuated -in few hands. - -In this country we have abolished the law of primogeniture, by which the -eldest son inherited the landed estate of his ancestor, but here vast -estates are being rapidly accumulated in few hands, and this is -especially true during and since the War of the Rebellion. In 1860 there -were few millionaires and few large fortunes in this country, but since -then a rich class has sprung up, so that in 1890, according to reliable -statistics, ten per cent. of the people own as much wealth as the other -ninety per cent. In 1890 there were 12,690,182 families in the United -States, and according to George K. Holmes, in the _Political Science -Quarterly_, 4,047 of these possessed about seven-tenths as much as do -11,593,887 families. Just think of it. One family possessing the wealth -of 2,000 families the country over! In the city of New York alone there -are said to be five men whose aggregate wealth exceeds $500,000,000. How -many hundred millions are held by various wealthy corporations, coal and -oil syndicates and other trusts, I am unable to state. In the cities of -New York and Chicago hundreds of thousands of men and women, willing to -work, were out of employment last winter, many of whom must have -perished from want but for charity’s aid. These conditions another -winter promise to be no better. - -The richest corporations and persons on earth are probably in the United -States. How have they accumulated their vast fortunes? Surely not by -their own industry and thrift, but by the aid of statutes regulating the -rights of property, generally statutes providing for the transmission of -property by descent or by will, or the creation of monopolies. - -It is only by virtue of statutory law that man is permitted to make -disposition of his property by will, and it is only by virtue of -statutory law that one person is permitted to inherit property from -another, and it is by virtue of statute law that great corporate -monopolies have been built up. - -No man has a natural right to dispose of property after death, nor has -one person a natural right to inherit property from another. As -Blackstone says: “There is no foundation in nature or in natural law why -the son should have the right to exclude his fellow creatures from a -determinate spot of land because his father did so before him, or why -the occupier of a particular field or of a jewel, when lying on his -death-bed, and no longer able to maintain possession, should be able to -tell the rest of the world which of them should enjoy it after him.” - -Under Illinois laws, the owner of real estate is permitted to lease it -for an indefinite period, and compel future generations who occupy the -premises to pay rent to unborn generations. Leases for ninety-nine years -are quite common in Chicago. It is by no divine law that the occupant of -land to-day is allowed to compel its occupant one hundred years hence to -pay tribute for its use. The statutes of Illinois have given to the -owner of property the right to dispose of it by will, not wholly, but to -a certain extent. If married, neither the husband nor wife can give away -the homestead or dower rights of the other, nor can creditors, heirs or -devisees take from the widow her allowance. - -The money power has governed legislation in all civilized countries for -generations. It matters not what party is in power in the national or -State governments of our own country, the money power has exercised a -controlling influence in many instances in the shaping and -administration of our laws. - -If the accumulation of vast fortunes goes on another generation with the -same accelerated rapidity as during the present, the wealth of this -country will soon be consolidated in the hands of a few corporations and -individuals to as great an extent as the landed interests of Great -Britain now are. - -What is the remedy for this state of things, which, if permitted to -continue, will make the masses of the people dependent upon the -generosity of the few for the means to live? So far as concerns -corporations of a public or quasi-public character—and none others -should exist—the remedy is simple. They are completely under the control -of the legislatures, whence they derive all their powers. - -It is entirely competent for a legislature to provide the manner in -which the business of a corporation shall be conducted. It may provide -that the directors shall consist of few or many persons, that a portion -of them shall be taken from the employes of the corporation, selected by -them, another part from the stockholders who furnish the capital for -carrying on its business. It may provide that the employes shall first -be paid from the revenues of the company a certain fixed sum, graduated -according to the character of the work performed by each; that a fair -rate of interest shall then be paid upon the capital invested, and the -balance be distributed upon some equitable principle between the -employes and the stockholders. In case of loss the stockholders would -have to suffer, since the employe, having a right to live, must in all -cases receive his daily wages when dependent upon them for subsistence. -This principle receives judicial sanction from United States Circuit -Judge Caldwell, in his order entered in case of the Santa Fe Railroad, -as follows: - -“Ordered that the men employed by the receivers in the operation of the -road and the conduct of its business shall be paid their monthly wages -not later than the 15th of the month following their accrual. If the -earnings of the road are not sufficient to pay the wages of the men as -herein directed, the receivers are hereby authorized and required to -borrow from time to time, as occasion may require, a sufficient sum of -money for that purpose. The obligations of the receivers for money -borrowed for this purpose specified in this order shall constitute a -lien on the property of the trust prior and superior to all other liens -thereon.” - -Under the powers inherent in every sovereignty, government may regulate -the conduct of its citizens toward each other, and, when necessary for -the public good, the manner in which each shall use his own property. - -Formerly, corporations having special privileges were created by special -acts, which the courts construed to be contracts between the granting -power and the corporators which, once granted, could not be repealed or -varied by the granting power. This granting of charters to favored -individuals, conferring upon them privileges not possessed by the -general public, became obnoxious to public sentiment, and, as a -consequence, general laws have been passed in this and many other -States, under which any three persons may become incorporated for any -private purpose. This has become a worse evil than the old system of -granting special charters. Under the general law enacted in this State -twenty years ago. I am informed, 27,200 corporations have been created. - -Irresponsible persons are often induced, for a small consideration, to -form corporations with a proposed capital of millions; to subscribe for -the whole stock except a share or two, and, for a fancied, imaginary or -worthless consideration, to issue to themselves fully paid up stock, -which is subsequently transferred to the real parties in interest, who -expect thereby to escape personal liability if the concern is a failure, -and to pocket the profits if a success. Business of all sorts is now to -a great extent carried on in the name of corporations, in order that the -proprietors may escape personal responsibility. How can the individual, -who is personally responsible for his contracts, successfully compete -with a corporation run by persons who incur no such responsibility? -Doing business in a corporate name not only paralyzes individual effort, -but leads to a concentration of capital—the great evil of our time. The -remedy for this growing state of things would be to restrict the -formation of corporations to such as are formed for public purposes, or -such as the public have an interest in. Seventy-eight per cent. of the -great fortunes of the United States are said to be derived from -permanent monopoly privileges which ought never to have been granted. - -As before stated, the power to dispose of property after death by will -is conferred by statute, under certain limitations. Why should this -privilege be given to dispose of more than a fixed amount of property to -any one individual? Say property to the value of not over five hundred -thousand dollars to the wife, of not more than one hundred thousand -dollars to each child, and of not more than fifty thousand dollars to -any other relative, extending to the third or fourth degree, and that -the balance of the estate should escheat to the State, to be used by it -for the support of schools, charitable institutions, the employment of -laborers in making roads, and other good purposes. - -The law now provides for the escheat of estates of persons dying without -heirs. The same limitation might be put upon inheritances where there is -no will, and in this way the accumulation of vast estates by inheritance -or devise would be checked, and property, especially landed estates, -which by nature belong to all, would be more equally distributed. It -should not be forgotten that the method of transmitting property from -the dead to the living is entirely derived from the state. If public -policy requires that the state should give to the dying possessor, no -longer able to control or take with him his possessions, the privilege -of disposing of so much as may be conducive to the comfort and happiness -of his surviving kindred, does it require that this privilege should be -extended to his disposition of millions to the injury of the rest of -mankind? - -If it be said that to limit the privilege of disposing of exceeding a -million dollars of property by devise or descent would check enterprise -and industry, as no man would struggle to acquire property which he -could not leave to his surviving kindred, my reply is, that man by his -own thrift and industry is seldom able to acquire more than a million -dollars’ worth of property. Fortunes exceeding that amount are usually -acquired by speculation, trickery, or some device by which one man takes -advantage of his fellow-man, and which, if not illegal, is immoral; or -by members of privileged monopolies, trusts and syndicates. - -I don’t mean to say that all great fortunes exceeding a million have -been acquired by immoral means, but such as have not are the exception, -and to limit the privilege of disposing of more than a million by devise -or descent would not affect one in ten thousand of the people. In short, -such limitation would tend to discourage, not honest enterprise and -industry, but stock-jobbing, trickery and other questionable methods of -acquiring vast fortunes. - -We have already abolished primogeniture, by which the eldest son, to the -exclusion of all other children, inherits the entire landed estate of -his ancestor, and no one in this country at this day would think of -restoring that right, although it still obtains in England. If -limitations should be put upon the disposition of vast estates by will -or descent, future generations would doubtless look upon our present -laws, which allow such estates to be perpetuated in certain families, -with the same disfavor with which we now look upon the laws of -primogeniture. - -Evasions of laws limiting the amount of property to be devised or -inherited, by conveyance during life, could be prohibited in like manner -as conveyances in fraud of creditors are now prohibited. - -[Illustration] - - - - - IX. - DIRECT LEGISLATION. - - THE INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM. - - “No people can be self-governing who are denied the right to - vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on every law by which they are to be - governed.”—ELTWEED POMEROY. - - -THE _Initiative_ gives the people the power to compel the legislature to -put in form all such laws as they may initiate or demand by a -preliminary vote. - -_The Referendum_ gives the people the power to reject or ratify any -legislation enacted by the legislature. All legislative enactments to be -referred to the people for their ratification by vote before they become -laws. - -_The Imperative Mandate_ gives the people the right to vote out of -office at any time men who fail to serve the public or who are untrue to -their pledges. - -_Proportional Representation_ secures the representation of all parties -in proportion to their numerical strength. - -_Representative Government_ means government by representatives elected -by the people, but independent of the people after election and -empowered to ignore or overrule the people’s will. - -_Popular Government_, or democracy, means government of, for and by the -people. It will be possible only when all officeholders are honest or -when the people’s representatives are made subject to the people’s will -by the adoption of the referendum. History proves that permanent popular -government without direct legislation is impossible. - -There is a radical difference between a democracy and a representative -government. Whenever a people are qualified for self-government no power -on earth can prevent them from exercising that right. The American -people have been too busy “making money” to study their real economic -needs, and the result is that irresponsible demagogues have made laws -which have plunged the nation into almost hopeless debt, paralyzed its -business and impoverished most of the people. The voters have several -times of late risen in their wrath and “turned the rascals out,” but it -was only to elect another set of rascals, of different political -complexion, perhaps, but equally dishonest and equally irresponsible. -The so-called “landslides” in recent elections, while they have resulted -in no real reform, indicate that the people have begun to think. Soon -they will realize that they can control their own government only by -keeping the legislation in their own hands—that they must not delegate -their sovereignty to representatives or servants, by whatever name they -may be known. It is only by means of the _initiative_ and the -_referendum_ that the people can maintain their supremacy. The general -adoption of this system is the next step in the world’s progress. - -The initiative and referendum will take the element of partisanship out -of the settlement of economic questions, and this alone is sufficient -reason why it should be adopted. Suppose the question of tariff were -submitted to the people to vote on. Members of all parties would vote -for it and against it, and the majority would decide. It would become a -question of economics, not a partisan issue, and would be settled on its -merits. The same with the free coinage of silver, paper money, public -ownership of railroads, prohibition, and every other great question -which the old political parties have straddled or evaded. - -But the principal advantage of the referendum is that it would do away -entirely with the lobby—“the third house.” There would be no inducement -for any one to bribe the lawmakers. They might sell their individual -votes, but these would be worthless, as only the people could “deliver -the goods.” The people would be quick to see the value of the franchises -and privileges which are now being practically given away, to be used by -corporations to still further enslave the masses. - -Switzerland is the home of the referendum. It is commonly believed that -that republic has existed for six hundred years. The fact, however, is -that it is the youngest of republics. The characteristic features of the -government, those which make it a republic in fact as well as in name, -were instituted by the present generation. It is the only country in the -world to-day which has overthrown its plutocracy and which has made it -impossible for corrupt politicians to rule the people through the -representative system. To the principle of direct legislation, as -carried out by the initiative and referendum must be ascribed the happy -conditions which surround its politics. Mr. W. D. McCrackan, author of -“The Rise of the Swiss Republic,” who has made a special study of the -subject, has published in the _Arena_ his observations of Swiss -politics. He finds that, as a result of the referendum, jobbery and -extravagance are unknown, and that politics, as there is no money in it, -has ceased to be a trade. Officeholders are taken from the ranks of -citizenship and are invariably chosen because of their fitness for the -work. The people take an intelligent interest in the legislation, local -and federal, and are fully imbued with a sense of their political -responsibilities. The _Westminster Review_, speaking of the referendum, -expresses this opinion: - -“The bulk of the people move more slowly than their representatives, are -more cautious in adopting new and trying legislative experiments and -have a tendency to reject propositions submitted to them for the first -time.... The issue which is presented to the sovereign people is -invariably and necessarily reduced to its simplest expression and so -placed before them as to be capable of an affirmative or negative -answer. In practice, therefore, the discussion of details is left to the -representative assemblies, while the public express approval or -disapproval of the general principle or policy embraced in the proposed -measure. Public attention being confined to the issue, leaders are -nothing. Collective wisdom judges of merits.” - -In some of the cantons of Switzerland the referendum has been in -practice since the sixteenth century. As it is now employed it was -adopted by the canton of St. Gallen in 1830, and in 1848 it was -incorporated in the Swiss federal constitution. It has been so extended -since then that it is now in operation in all the Swiss cantons except -Freiburg. - -According to the Swiss constitution all amendments thereto must be -ratified by the Swiss electors before they become effective. Other -measures, like ordinary enactments, must be submitted to a popular vote -if a demand is made for such submission, written ninety days after their -publication. This demand must be made by 30,000 voters or by the -government of eight of the nineteen entire and six half cantons. In -Switzerland the referendum has proved to be entirely satisfactory as a -check upon hasty or class legislation. - -In his valuable book, “Direct Legislation,” J. W. Sullivan thus recounts -what the Swiss have done by direct legislation: - -“They have made it easy at any time to alter their cantonal or federal -constitutions—that is, to change, even radically, the organization of -society, the social contract, and thus to permit a peaceful revolution -at the will of the majority. They have as well cleared from the way of -majority rule every obstacle—privilege of ruler, fetter of ancient law, -power of legislator. They have simplified the structure of government, -held their officials as servants, rendered bureaucracy impossible, -converted their representatives to simple committeemen, and shown the -parliamentary system not essential to law-making. They have written -their laws in language so plain that a layman may be judge in the -highest court. They have forestalled monopolies, improved and reduced -taxation, avoided incurring heavy public debts, and made a better -distribution of their land than any other European country. They have -practically given home rule in local affairs to every community. They -have calmed disturbing political elements; the press is purified, the -politician disarmed, the civil service well regulated. Hurtful -partisanship is passing away. Since the people as a whole will never -willingly surrender their sovereignty, reactionary movement is possible -only in case the nation should go backward. But the way is open forward. -Social ideals may be realized in act and institution. Even now the -liberty-loving Swiss citizen can discern in the future a freedom in -which every individual—independent, possessed of rights in nature’s -resources and in command of the fruits of his toil—may, at his will, on -the sole condition that he respect the like aim of other men, pursue his -happiness.” - - Proportional Representation. - -The term proportional representation has come to be generally applied to -a method of electing representatives whereby the representation shall be -in proportion to the votes polled by the several parties, or groups of -voters, as against the present method of electing them from single -districts by a plurality vote. To effect this end numerous plans have -been put forth. - -The _cumulative vote_ allows the voter as many votes as there are -representatives to be elected and permits him to distribute them as he -pleases among the candidates. This method is applied in a limited degree -to the choice of members of the lower house of the Illinois legislature. -Each district elects three members, and the voter can cast three votes -for one candidate, one and a half votes for two, or one vote each for -three. - -With the _limited or restricted vote_ the voter has a less number of -votes than the number of representatives to be elected. Thus in the city -of Boston the new law allows the voter to vote for only seven aldermen -on one ticket, and declares the twelve candidates receiving the highest -vote elected. - -The _preferential_, or, as it is commonly known, _the Hare vote_, allows -the voter to cast one ballot upon which he has named as many candidates -as he sees fit, the candidates named being understood to represent the -first, second, third, etc., choice. The whole number of ballots cast is -divided by the number of representatives to be chosen, and the quotient -is the quota, or number of votes required to elect one candidate. In -counting the ballots the first choices are read first; the candidate who -receives a quota is declared elected, and the remaining votes cast for -him are counted for the next name on the ballot who is the second choice -of the voter. - -The _free list, or Swiss vote_, allows the voter to vote for a list or -ticket, as we do in this country, and to designate preferences on the -list. The total vote is divided as in the Hare system to get the quota, -and the several parties are apportioned representatives according to the -number of quotas they have. The successful candidates are those standing -highest on their respective lists. This method is now in use in -Switzerland for the election of representatives. - -The _Gove system_ is a modified form of the Hare method. Instead of the -voter naming the candidates whom he prefers, the candidates themselves -before election announce to whom they will give their surplus vote. - -The _proxy vote_ is simply an introduction of the corporation vote into -legislative bodies. The candidates who are elected in the legislative -assembly cast, not their individual votes, as at present, but the number -of proxies they hold. - -It will be seen that there are three principles involved in these -several methods, the election by cumulation of votes, the election by -quotas, and the vote by proxies. The cumulative vote was the first to be -put into actual service, being used in England for the election of -members of school boards, etc., and in this country in the so-called -three-cornered districts for the election of members of the legislature. -It still has the support of quite a number of persons, but its -limitations are now coming to be recognized. John Stuart Mill, who was -an advocate of the cumulative vote, declared it to be merely a makeshift -in comparison with the quota system of Hare. The objection to the -cumulative vote lies in the fact that if the districts are small only -two parties can obtain representation, and these in an arbitrary way, -while if the districts be larger, that is, if the number of -representatives in the district be made greater, the waste and -uncertainty is apparent. A party may decide to vote for four candidates -when it has votes enough to elect six; or it may try for six when it has -votes for only four. In either case it is deprived of a part of its just -share in the representation. The proxy system contains some theoretical -merits, but it is feared that in practice it would not work well at -present. The tendency to hero-worship would prompt so many voters to -give their proxies to a few favorites that the real voting strength of -the assembly would be in the hands of two or three men, thus destroying -its value as a deliberative body. - -The real strength of proportional representation lies in some form of -the quota principle, and the tendency in this country, as in Switzerland -and Belgium, is toward the free list. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - IMPORTANT BOOKS, MOSTLY WITH A PURPOSE, - Published and Sold by - - THE SCHULTE PUBLISHING COMPANY. - -[Illustration] - - -=The Railroad Question.= - - By WILLIAM LARRABEE (late Governor of Iowa). 12mo, cloth extra, gilt - top (488 pages), $1.50; paper, 50 cents. - -A historical and practical treatise on railroads and remedies for their -abuses. The standard on this important subject. - -“No work has ever before told so completely and clearly what the public -want to know.”—_Western Rural._ - -“While radical in its treatment of the question, no side has been -overlooked.”—_Banker’s Magazine._ - -“A thorough treatise by an able mind. The authorities quoted are the -best in print.”—_Coming Nation._ - - -=The Little Statesman.= - - By K. L. ARMSTRONG (F. J. Schulte). Large 12mo, paper, 25 cents. - -A manual for American voters. A complete political encyclopedia from the -Reform standpoint. Contains: A Short History of American Politics. Steps -in the Growth of American Liberty: Magna Charta—The Mecklenburg -Declaration—The Declaration of Independence. The Constitution of the -United States. The New Declaration of Independence. A New Study of -Political Economy. Sectionalism in American Politics. The Laws of -Property. Interest and Usury. Debt and Slavery. The Land Question. An -Exposition of the Single Tax. Co-operation. Direct Legislation: The -Initiative and Referendum—Proportional Representation. The Philosophy of -Money. A Bird’s-Eye View of American Financial History. Eight Money -Conspiracies. The Transportation Problem, etc., etc. - -Hon. Lyman Trumbull says of THE LITTLE STATESMAN: “I know of no other -publication embodying in the same compass so much valuable information -for the student of the political history of this country.” - -Hon. Ignatius Donnelly: “The best compendium of political information -that I have seen.” - - -=Our Money Wars.= - - By SAMUEL LEAVITT. Cloth, $1.25: paper, 50 cents. - -This is without doubt one of the most important of recent publications. -It is the most complete and comprehensive history of American finance -ever published. The book is the result of a lifetime of study and work, -and will be indispensable to all who wish to keep posted on the money -question. - -Henry Carey Baird, of Philadelphia, a prominent citizen and still -running the publishing house run by his grandfather and uncle since -1785, is generally considered by reformers the most accurate and -reliable writer upon money reform in the world. He has read the work and -says: “It is a source of amazement to me how you have gotten together so -much information. It is just the book we have been wanting for -twenty-five years, and should have an immense sale.” - - -=The Battle of the Standards.= - - By HENRY M. TELLER and JAMES H. TELLER. Large 12mo Paper, 25 cents. - (English or German.) - -This is, without a doubt, _the_ book on the Silver side of the greatest -question which is now before the American people. It is a masterly -presentation, and answers systematically and effectively all the -arguments of the gold standard advocates. “The latest and the best.” - -=The Condition of the American Farmer.= - -Large 12mo, 64 pages, 10 cents. - -In this compact and convincing work the author reviews the farmer’s -income, the depreciation of farm property, increase of tenant farmers, -decadence of home ownership, etc., and shows that owing to the -demonetization of silver and the contraction of our currency the average -farmer of the United States is compelled to live on an income below that -provided for paupers by public charity and receives less for his labor -than the State of Illinois receives for the labor of convicts. - -George E. Bowen, Assistant Secretary American Bimetallic Union writes: -“Although we are handling a great many books, I may safely say that this -one, for the farmer or country merchant, is the best vote-maker we have -seen.” - - -=The Science of Legal Robbery.= - - Miscalled the Science of Finance. By PERCY KINNAIRD. 12mo, 150 pages. - Paper, 25 cents. - -This book reviews the innovations upon the financial system inaugurated -by the Constitutional fathers—some of them vicious innovations, and -others unavoidable through the legacy of economical errors left by the -financial pioneers of the infant republic. It shows logically and -conclusively that the legal-tender greenback money which took the place -of banished silver and gold money during the civil war (and of which -some $346,000,000 are still in existence) was not a “debt,” but a -privileged circulating medium, as much money as the metals which -preceded, and not any more essentially to be redeemed in anything than -gold itself. With the laborious research and close analysis of the -trained lawyer, the author has followed the financial legislation of -America from the Colonial fathers down. The subject of money is -discussed in the cold, calm light of pure science. Congressmen, -irrespective of party, may study its pages with profit. There is in it a -world of enlightenment to our lawmakers who are unbought and -conscientious. To the people of the United States, whether borrowers or -lenders of money, it is instructive; to the high school lad, studying -political economy and currency, it is a liberal education. No more -timely or useful contribution to the financial literature of the times -has yet appeared. - - -=Ten Men of Money Island.= - - A Primer of Finance. By S. F. NORTON. 12mo, 142 pages, enameled paper - cover, 25 cents. - -Over half a million copies of this wonderful book have been sold. - -“It gives the principles of money in the form of a story so interesting -and in such simple language that even a child can read it with -understanding. This is undoubtedly the simplest book that has ever been -written on the principles of money.”—JOHN B. GILL, Secretary American -Economic Reform Society. - -“No man or woman born will, after reading ‘Ten Men of Money Island,’ -deny that the money it cost was well invested.”—_New York World._ - - -=The Voter’s X-Rays.= - - By CLARENCE T. ATKINSON. 12mo, 132 pages. Cloth, 75 cents; paper, 25 - cents. - -“This book intelligently sets forth the condition of national affairs as -they exist to-day, and its whole tendency is toward the instruction of -the great mass of voters who have not the time to personally study the -many intricate details of American politics.”—_Burlington Gazette._ - - -=A Tramp in Society.= - - By ROBERT H. COWDREY. 12mo, 242 pages; paper cover, 25 cents. - -“Thrilling and fascinating. No one who reads it can restrain admiration -for the man who can write a story that contains in its warp and woof so -much that is helpful and bettering to humanity.”—OPIE READ. - -“We have had many novels of late with new economic schemes for a basis, -but mostly advertising state socialism. At last we have the -individualistic novel, and it ought to win widespread favor. Mr. Cowdrey -has strong conviction, a good command of English and strong -imagination.”—_St. Louis Republic._ - - -=An Indiana Man.= - -By LE ROY ARMSTRONG. 12mo, 218 pages. Paper, 25 cents. - -“A powerful novel, charmingly written. So true to the real life of -modern politics as to seem more like history and biography than -romance.”—_Inter Ocean._ - -“It bears the same relation to the fight against the saloon that ‘Uncle -Tom’s Cabin’ did to the fight against slavery.”—JOHN P. ST. JOHN. - - -=Beneath the Dome.= - - By ARNOLD CLARK. Large 12mo, 361 pages. Cloth extra, gilt top, stamped - in black and silver, $1.25. Paper, 50c. - -“An attractive novel, in which the best thoughts on economic reform are -entwined with fiction, making a book that will captivate and please the -reader, yet turn his thoughts to the great needs of humanity.”—_Arena._ - -“No one can read this book without being made a better man or -woman.”—_Progressive Farmer._ - - -=Cæsar’s Column.= - - By IGNATIUS DONNELLY. 12mo, 367 pages. Cloth, 1.25; paper, 50 cents. - -A story of the twentieth century and the downfall of plutocratic -civilization. Thirtieth edition. - -“As an example of the highest literary form it deserves unstinted -praise.”—CARDINAL GIBBONS. - -“A very extraordinary production.”—RT. REV. HENRY C. POTTER. - -“The book is a plea, and a striking one. Its plot is bold, its language -is forceful, and the great uprising is given with terrible -vividness.”—_Public Opinion._ - - -=Hell Up To Date.= - - The Journey of R. PALASCO DRANT, Newspaper Correspondent, through the - Infernal Regions, as reported by himself. Illustrated by ART - YOUNG. Popular edition, extra cloth binding, $1.00; paper, 50 - cents. - -THE HUMOROUS HIT OF THE AGE. - -“Fifty years ago this book would have been viewed with alarm by the -pious community. A century ago its author would have been ostracised for -profanity: two centuries ago he would have been imprisoned as a heretic, -and when Columbus lived he would have been burned at the stake for his -risible attack on the old belief.”—_Kansas City Star._ - - -=Old ’Kaskia Days.= - - An American Historical Novel. By ELIZABETH HOLBROOK. Large 12mo, - cloth, gilt top, $1.50. Paper, 25 cents. - -“A delightful picture of one of the oldest settlements west of the -Alleghenies. There is a pleasant quaintness in the style of this novel, -which is interesting as a story and as a record, and the local -illustrations are important.”—_Review of Reviews._ - - -=In Sunflower Land.= - - Stories of God’s Own Country. By ROSWELL MARTIN FIELD. 12mo, cloth, - gilt top, $1.25. - -“A delightful volume. The title of the book refers to the typical flower -of Missouri and Kansas, of which two States Mr. Field is the prose -laureate.”—_Chicago Tribune._ - - -=Francis Bacon and His Secret Society.= - - An Attempt to Collect and Unite the Lost Links of a Long and Strong - Chain. By MRS. HENRY POTT, editor of “Bacon’s Promus.” Illustrated - with twenty-seven full-page plates. Post 8vo, 421 pages, cloth - extra, gilt top. Price, $2.00. - -“Perhaps the most exhaustive study of Bacon and his works possible to -any writer of the present, or, indeed, any future age.”—_Minneapolis -Times._ - - -=Memoirs of the International Congress of Anthropology.= - - Edited by C. STANILAND WAKE. Illustrated. Imperial 8vo, deckled edges, - gilt top. Price, $10 net. Edition limited, and only a few copies - still unsold. - -“No public or private library which is designed to present to its -readers the attainments of our age, at the highwater mark of its -development, should be without this remarkable series of -reports.”—_Critic._ - -“One of the most substantial contributions to knowledge that have -resulted from the Chicago Congresses of 1893 is this magnificent -volume.”—_Dial._ - - -=The White Ribbon Cook Book.= - - Economy and Wealth, Temperance and Health in the Household. A - Collection of Original and Revised Recipes in Cookery and - Housekeeping. Edited by KATHRYN ARMSTRONG. 16mo, 275 pages, cloth - extra, 75 cents. - -A first-class book, prepared by a practical housekeeper. While it is not -claimed that it is in all respects superior to all other books, we do -claim that any housekeeper, even if she have a dozen other cook books, -will find this one worth to her more than the price, and that the author -has fully carried out her purpose: “To prove that wine, brandy and -spirituous liquors of any kind may be dispensed with, and that no -culinary requirement necessitates the introduction of these poisons into -any household.” - - -=Sex and Life.= - - The Physiology and Hygiene of the Sexual Organization. By ELI F. - BROWN, M. S., M. D. Illustrated. 16mo, cloth extra, $1.00. - -“A very sensible book. After describing the common sex principle in -plants and animals the author enters upon the discussion of conjugal -love, heredity, the use and abuse of the sexual passion, and other -topics which seldom find a place in a volume of general reading.”—_San -Francisco Chronicle._ - -“A modest, compact, scientific exposition.”—_Chicago Times._ - -“How to teach such truths has been the study of many a teacher and many -a parent. There is but one proper way, and that is by plain facts which, -while teaching the truths of science, impress upon the mind the grandeur -of right living. Dr. Brown strikes these chords admirably.”—_Inter -Ocean._ - - -=The Little Giant Cyclopedia= - - And Treasury of Ready Reference. By K. L. ARMSTRONG. 16mo, 512 pages. - Flexible morocco, red edges, $1.00. A million and one facts and - figures. 84 colored maps and charts. 2,500 useful tables, recipes, - trade secrets, etc. Over 300,000 copies sold. Each new edition - revised up to date. Sold by subscription. - -“One of the marvels of the day. It should be on every writer’s table, -and the familiar book in every household.”—_Chicago Leader._ - -“This wonderful book will add a year to any man’s lifetime, if it may be -said that time saved is time snatched from the grave. The merchant, the -mechanic, the lawyer, the doctor, the teacher and the scholar will all -find, in this compact volume, much information pertaining to all the -various interests of life.”—_Tribune._ - -“I have added ‘THE LITTLE GIANT’ to my library, where it has a most -desirable front seat.”—JOHN A. COCKERILL, late Editor-in-chief _New York -World_. - - -=Armstrong’s Giant Cyclopedia= - - And Treasury of Practical Knowledge. By K. L. ARMSTRONG. Quarto, 512 - double-column pages, cloth, red edges, $2.50; half morocco, - marbled edges, $3.50; full morocco, gilt edges, $4.50. Illustrated - with colored charts and diagrams. - -This book answers more of the questions of everyday life than all the -cyclopedias combined, whether published in one or twenty-six volumes. -Sold by subscription. - - -=Memorial to Brian Boroimhe.= - - A Genealogical History of the Milesian Families of Ireland, with a - Chart of their Armorial Bearings. Price, $5.00. Sold by - subscription. - -=Betsy Gaskins (Dimicrat).= - - By W. I. HOOD. With 120 illustrations by C. B. FALLS, and an appendix - edited by K. L. ARMSTRONG. Post 8vo, over 400 pages. - - Sold by subscription only. - -This wonderful book is the sensation of the last decade of the -nineteenth century, and is exerting a powerful influence in the battle -of the people against the money power. It is the most timely and most -original book which has ever come from the pen and brain of an American -author. It will make you laugh. It will make you cry. It will make you -think. It will sweep the cobwebs out of your brain. - -[Illustration] - -IT is an easy matter to “float with the tide,” but it takes courage, -ability and unceasing industry to pull against the stream. In these -degenerate times, when the book-stands and the publishing-houses are -jammed with a class of literature that can only be characterized as -abominable “rot,” it is refreshing to find one man who has the courage -to publish reform works. The man thus alluded to is F. J. Schulte, of -the Schulte Publishing Company, Chicago. At the risk of being ostracised -by the aristocrats of the business world (for there is an aristocracy in -business as well as in society) he has made a specialty of publishing -what are known as reform works. Contrary, however, to the general rule -in such cases, Mr. Schulte has made a remarkable success of his business -venture. He has published some of the best-selling books ever put upon -the market. We congratulate him and congratulate the reform movement on -his good work, and hope it will continue.—S. F. NORTON (1891). - -[Illustration] - -=Any book on this list will be sent postpaid, or delivered by our -representatives, to any address on receipt of price.... Special -discounts in quantities to Agents, Speakers, Campaign Committees and -Reform Workers generally....= - - =THE SCHULTE PUBLISHING COMPANY - 323-325 Dearborn Street= =CHICAGO= - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - Transcriber’s Note - -Errors deemed most likely to be the printer’s have been corrected, and -are noted here. Inconsistencies in the punctuation in the list of -illustration captions have been resolved, without any annotation here. -In that sequentially numbered list, number 126 had been misprinted as -216, and has been corrected. - -On p. 368, the paragraph derived from _William Jocob_ refers to _William -Jacob’s_ _An historical inquiry into the production and consumption of -precious metals, Vol. I._, 1831. The statistics given are extracted from -multiple pages, which makes the mis-matched closing quotation mark -misleading at best. - -Lapses in punctuation in the advertising pages have also been silently -addressed. - -Hyphenation is not always consistent. Where the hyphen appeared at the -end of a line, it was retained or removed based on the usage elsewhere -in the text. - -The references are to the page and line in the original. The following -issues should be noted, along with the resolutions. - - 66.20 In this he dident do his dooty[,/.] Replaced. - - 75.30 Tur[n]in to the lot of high-toned cattle Inserted. - - 86.22 “Why, Jobe,” says[,] I, Added. - - 118.17 and as a differe[u/n]ce of $400 Transposed. - - 288.7 Since the world-wide demonetization of Inserted. - silver[,] gold only - - 294.1 gold and silver are ho[a]rded or exported Inserted. - - 309.5 which resulted in clearing Massachu[s]etts of Inserted. - debt - - 313.2 so [plenty] here. _sic_ - plentiful? - - 320.25 or duties on imports, supp[p]osing that Removed. - - 324.32 The Dem[o]crats Added. - - 325.18 _The Act of December 17, 1860 (Statutes Wrong - [11/12])_ volume. - - 330.36 whose motto was[./,] “Act in the living Replaced. - present.” - - 331.32 the amount of indem[n]ity due Germany Inserted. - - 342.26 such money to[ to] be kept Removed. - - 346.4 when c[a/o]mpared with gold Replaced. - - 348.16 put public obligatio[n/u]s into stocks Inverted. - - 348.23 is villainy unnamed and unnam[e]able. Inserted. - - 349.24 s[i/u]bmit to the gold standard Replaced. - - 357.7 and of Threadneedle St[r]eet in London Inserted. - - 368.8 _William J[o/a]cob, F. R. S._ Replaced. - - 384.28 1[9/8]90 to more than all the assessed value Replaced. - - 396.32 manner i[u/n] which the business Replaced. - - 397.5 according to the chara[c]ter Inserted. - - 397.30 when nece[c/s]sary for the public good Replaced. - - 497.33 count[r]y>, as in Switzerland and Belgium, Inserted. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Betsy Gaskins (Dimicrat), Wife of Jobe -Gaskins (Republican), by W. I. Hood - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BETSY GASKINS (DIMICRAT) *** - -***** This file should be named 54549-0.txt or 54549-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/4/5/4/54549/ - -Produced by KD Weeks, Emmy, MFR and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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