[Illustration: _Very truly Yours Charles N. Fowler_] SEVENTEEN TALKS ON THE BANKING QUESTION BETWEEN UNCLE SAM AND MR. FARMER, MR. BANKER, MR. LAWYER, MR. LABORINGMAN, MR. MERCHANT, MR. MANUFACTURER BY Hon. Charles N. Fowler WHO WAS A MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FOR SIXTEEN YEARS, A MEMBER OF THE BANKING AND CURRENCY COMMITTEE FOR FOURTEEN YEARS AND CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE FOR EIGHT YEARS PUBLISHED BY THE FINANCIAL REFORM PUBLISHING CO. ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY Copyright, 1913, by FINANCIAL REFORM PUBLISHING CO. [Illustration] THE TROW PRESS NEW YORK FOREWORD This book is written in the form of a conversation between Uncle Sam and six men of various occupations. It begins with the A, B, C of the subject and by question and answer goes over all the different phases of the subject precisely as you would expect them to arise under such circumstances. After weeks of study and investigation they finally reach an agreement, based upon their talks, and formulate a Financial and Banking system for the United States. The Author. TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE FIRST NIGHT. The Standard of Value 7 SECOND NIGHT. What Is Money? 26 THIRD NIGHT. What Is Currency? 46 FOURTH NIGHT. Bank Credit Currency 62 FIFTH NIGHT. What Is Exchange? 84 SIXTH NIGHT. Value, Price, Wealth, Property, Credit 101 SEVENTH NIGHT. Commercial Credit, Land Credit, Government Credit 118 EIGHTH NIGHT. Colonial Credit Money 144 NINTH NIGHT. United States Notes or Greenbacks 173 TENTH NIGHT. Reserves 195 ELEVENTH NIGHT. The Bank 224 TWELFTH NIGHT. Land Credit Bank 248 THIRTEENTH NIGHT. The Clearing House 289 FOURTEENTH NIGHT. Banking in 1860 340 FIFTEENTH NIGHT. Outline of Bill 368 SIXTEENTH NIGHT. Draft of Bill 405 SEVENTEENTH NIGHT. Aldrich Plan and Plot Exposed 459 [Illustration] FIRST NIGHT THE STANDARD OF VALUE UNCLE SAM: Gentlemen, I have invited you to take part in one conversation a week upon the much-vexed and all-important question of a financial and banking system for my country. We shall continue these conversations until we arrive at some conclusion which will be satisfactory to all of us, although this may seem difficult at the outset.