Betsy Gaskins (Dimicrat), Wife of Jobe Gaskins (Republican): Or, Uncle Tom's Cabin Up to DateHood, W. I. (William I.)
General
Betsy Gaskins (Dimicrat), Wife of Jobe Gaskins (Republican): Or, Uncle Tom's Cabin Up to Date
Hood, W. I. (William I.)
Gold; Interest; Money; Paper money -- United States; Populism
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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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