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About The Nebraska independent. (Lincoln, Nebraska) 1896-1902 | View Entire Issue (March 9, 1899)
March 9, 1899 THE NEBRASKA INDEPENDENT. y SUPEMOR TO COIN. A RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT'S PA PER BETTER THAN GOLD OR SILVER. Metallic Money a War Meamire. Ita Bnpiiorter Loaea Everything, While Taper Shows Ita Unlimited Power In War and I'cace. 1 The concluding paper in the intensely; Interesting and unusually instructive series on "Napoleonic Finances," from the pen of ex-Congressman John Davis of Kansas, appears in a recent issue of the Omaha Nonconformist. It will be considered good reading even by those wuo mvu m ouu wie pleasure or seeing me otncr papers in the series. Mr. JJa viH' "Concluding .Observations" are as follows: In looking over the ground of the foregoing discussions it will be seen that Napoleon's financial policy was the most comprehensive and farreaching of his temporary expedients. It enabled France to treble the number of her troops and thus to bring into the field a million men, while the burden of sup porting thorn fell upon the conquered countries. This was a magnificent ex pedient while it lasted, but when the conquered countries were exhausted of their specie it did not remain in circu lation, but went into hiding ; hence to recuperate his finances new conquests were necessary. This drove him into foolhardy enterprises, which were charged up to his personal ambitions. When conquests ceased, his finances failed, and his downfall was certain end rapid Let mo now mention a marvel in hifl' tory. After the wars of Napoleon had ceased, England changed from her vie torious paper and adopted Napoleon's vanquished metallic system. Alison's history (volume 14, page 173), discuss' ing the subject, says: "By this means, (the paper system), not only was the crisis surmounted without difficulty, but 130,000 com batants, with 40 ships of tlio line, were . assembled around Lisbon, which hurled back the French legions from the lines of Torres Vedras, and in the three last years of the war, while not a guinea was to be found in England, all the armies of Europe were arrayed in ttritish pay on the Rhine und the Pyrenees. It is temarkable that this admirable system, which may truly be called the moving power of the nation during the war, became toward its close the ob ject of the most determined hostility on the part both of the great capitalists and the chief writers on political econ omy in the country," The hostility of the English capitalists and the writers of the times toward the victorious English paper system and Iheir advocacy of the vanquished sys tem of Napoleon, though a marvel in history, is now easily explained. The great bondholders who had loaned to the government cheap money during the war desired to collect their interest in costly money, far more valuable than the money they had loaned. In 1807 British 3 per cent bonds were worth less than half their value in coin or legal tender paper. The bondholder now set about the abolition of paper money and the demonetization of silver, so that their bonds and the interest on them should be payable in gold only. The evil effects of currency contraction on the nation and the people did not die turb the nerves of those Hhylocks. All they cured for was their "pound of flesh," even if it should drain the last drop of blood from the industry and en terprise of the people. In the same cou- nection Alison argues the question as follows: Here, however, as everywhere else, experience, the great test of truth, has determined the question. The adoption of the opposite system cf contracting the paper in proportion to the attrac tion of the metallic currency, by the acts of 1819 und 1844 (followed as it was necessarily by the monetary crises of 1835, I Hill), and 1847). has demon strated beyond a doubt that it wan in a system of an expansive currency that Great Britain during the war found the sole meant of its salvation. And if any doubt could exist on the subject it would be removed by the eiperifiii e of the disastrous years of 1847 and 1848, daring which, without any external calamity and when at peace with all tho world, the mere abstraction of 18. 000,00(1 (if sovereigns to purchase- for dgugraiu produced uiiivtrl and unexampled dUtrtwa. and induced imh rottvnMou tu the country as reduced the rerrnne. drawn with difficulty from S.iM)0.000 t,f soak to I.M.2.0,0tM), and lit ativ 330,000. rmlgrant each jrear out t.f tb country, while ia 1810, nu.h r a tat greater abstraction of the previous nirUk universal prperity ITtvaiM and 4tiT.I4l.uot wM without any fff.-rt rl-l from l,0tHI,0tHi tlf abiuata, ill. aoy tj tlu'Ut tvis drlvm tu trk lir tr4 la dUUat Ua-U" Tra wr lwu errors U th HrltUd ;eui of KubtuM ' lrt -Th -r ! rr imd f th Un and iadtalh pvtr ltat TaU ittl a tUft-f U will. Id tm (mi cot tin-if U thU tb ii r cl I'Sinlibtf sad im b !. (a. td .f thit lfc aotkull mn tmv vy b g.ftiauMbt a I t-U vat dim! I f tU Itrftltiuat v-r f a4ti..a TaU M il th Iw.t lti imuMW fcllk-nl ! U. Mvralt- id IU t4lMln. Tk Mtn ItMH l-i4 lit (iftlttith.a f I .... . .. i .... - . , . . . . . . . H oii in w) u ,l fu. tatllt m lti tt oalif tri4 tlx Wl Ht U rttl f vttiKf it lftlt(t y l l f4m 11mm fc4 r4.v hm tbnitfH it I..UUI vt rHtuitlttttf n U vf issue of the bills in their own interest during the war, and then after the war causal the government to abandon the victorious paper system of England and to adopt the vanquished metallic sys tem of Napoleon on which to rest the bank paper. These two blunders caused by the great financiers, who "sustain a state as the cord sustains the hanged," gave rise to the present great national debt of Lngland and placed ita ultimate pay inont beyond the reach of the people, Now, as a lesson for Americans, it may be stated that the same btigand spirit and class interest which led the British government to adopt the metallic sys tem in England, aftef its failure in the . ,11II(j8 of Napoleon, is rapidly fastening ul0 mmo burhurianlsm and its result- ing slavery on the American people in the form of interest bearing debts and "the gold standard," which will make the di.-bts perpetual The reader of history. who learns no practical lessons from his studies wastes his time. Tho one great lesson of Napo leon's career useful to commercial na tions is this: No nat'en is safe in timo of war or prosperous in time of peace with a shrinking volume of money. Not even the sword of Napoleon, backed by tho merciless barbarianisms of tho eleventh century and the most tran scendent military genius, could reverse this iuexorablu law of finance. A money of shrinking volume and appreciating value congests in tho banks and money centers. If driven from those deposits by the dangers of military brigandage, it will burrow into the earth and be neath stone walls to escape circulation. Tho English system was better because it was expansivo, yieldirg quick obedi ence to tho military needs of the coun try; but the evils in the manner of its issue and of its contraction after the war should teach men the lesson that the bondholder and money changer should be eliminated from every sys tem of finance. lie is the same great brigand now that he was when the Saviour flogged him from the temple in Jerusalem and that he was in Wall street when President Lincoln said, "I wish every ono of them had his devilish head shot off, " The brigandage of the bondholder and money changer is as fatal to commer cial prosperity and human progress as is the brigandage of tho sword. It en acts, changes, manipulates, and violates laws in its own interest, and at every turn of the scale and tip of the beam the people are robbed. Tho brigandage of tho sword is noisy, furious and ob literating, like tho forays of wild beasts; and Napoleon, the greatest of military brigands, was consistent when he chose the wild lion of the wilderness as his model. The brigandage of finance is as silent as the grave and as stealthy and dangerous as the serpent; and the na tion that heeds its seductive whisper ings by favoring its schemes of con traction, bond issues, and gold basis will find itself outside of paradise, with a flaming sword impelling its exit and forbidding its return. In writing this paper I have had sev eral objects in view; (1) that thereat character of Napoleon as a man may be better appreciated; (2) that be cunnot be considered a safe model of financial wisdom ; (3) that his financial system, in practice, proves itself to be the flat test failure in history, and (4) that the English system, though far better, was administered in the interest of the great fund holding financiers and not for the benefit of the common working people. If in doing this I have aided ever so slightly in relieving the minds of my 1 readers from that spirit of hero worship which is now being so industriously and powerfully nurtured by the plutocratic press of America, and if I have contrib uted something to save my country from the grip of that financial anacon da which stifles the industries and en slaves tho people of the old world, and is now vigorously attacking the new un der the delusive banner of "honest money," I have accomplished my pur pose. The - Patriotism. William H. Day, who was two years ago an ohscme lawyer in a small Ohio town, is to receive $100,000 for 50 days' work on the peace commission. This is iiiual to the president's salary for two years. It Is equal to a me- hanic's wniow for 80 Years. It i equal to what a tmrher wunld receive for shav ing 1,1100,1)1)0 men. Muuy American t itixm are working ;r a week, bnt this William It. Hay, this iiinU'lileaa riicyt Iomh1c miracle of tatitnanhi. this net I being from a higher ph r, nndewends tu servt his country in liei hour of nc4 for l I.Voo Werk. John Milton, an inferior man to Wll- law U. Dsy. only rwfivtxl about I loo for Ms treat wtk "Psrsdiw. Uml." ttoldmitith, sUi on of tha nafit to sttrvitv, only ot f. bis book, MTh Vkar ff WakHHUl" thir fotffuMur. ht mt tifvlhrr Hi jrmtt mtft ! lrw t tb v Urs- ivaf litil. u.ru, a tnII.T wr ttna uaiama fsllurra as Wt tlu lit b M lhiu Ki tut ss know tlirUI (t th wt4MtHrftfBi I'll Ih kvattilHat vvrH Ukts4 p a ii'lWtU.a Hot WiautM li iwr u a sa if th alriil ikttty 1U t lrl.,t t-t tU AlUtl.ttH U ! hot. Ilk U fonua l)vn i4dfe liiu, mi ilk auMlf li ii n nairy it iail u-r ttitk IS4 ttul - ft Mllk- ftl r UMIV l- l kltOM'tf II " ii l l ikikk ui. ai U.t, ia yK4 tHttii. itiH rti tu Ill! M o tMlllf ta f U fttU U lvti4tt a t 4t I tt k-1 la uoi 1 4 m aa. tt-t tttt. lt t M ta . aiii i.m i ) kiMf.4tt fc a a4 t-Ma a Ik to l M ), lHt l llMMk vl liva.ly, IU. I . (tan Mt.ii Ua lts I .4 t H K f. laU4 Walf AGAINST EXPANSION. f ong-reaamnn Vincent Saye Thing Anent the Phtllpplnca. tion. vv u Vincent. ropntist con giessman, closed a telling speech in the house on the bill to increase the army in the' following language There is no doubt in my mind that we could give England and France bet ter governments than they now have Is that any reason why we should go over there and compel them to accept our ruler Oh, you say. that is a aider ent thing I Yes. indeed, it would be a different thing We would then be jumping upon somebody a little nearer onr sine because th we only add the crime of cowardice to ma li hub oi iin ii uucauHB wo wjiijk we have the best government on the face of tho earth are we going to sail around tho world subduing other na tious in order that they may receive the benefits of our enlightenment and our system of government! Aro we going to cram our religion down their throats whether they want it or not because we think it is a bet ter religion thau theirs T Why nott It will do them good, we think, and there fore we ought to make them take it Why not gobble up one nation after another for the same reason until ws ewn the world f That might slightly In terfere.with the protective tariff, but it would be expansion with a big E and that is only another word for patriot Ism if we must steal something, why m 8,000 miles from home to do it T Why not take in one or more of the Booth American republics! They would, per baps, be worth something to us, and we can soon make an excuse for doing it We can plant the flag there Under some pretext, and then "Who will dare to take it down V Thorn is no end to i he nnsHiliilitii-K to ihw iinl wi cuti ln to other nations -if we will only carry this "expansion " policy, this new brand of "patriotism, to its legitimate con elusion Patriotism under the old 'order of things, before the Declaration of In dependence was ezpnnged from tberec ord. meant love to one's country L'n der the new regime it means love for the other fellow's country Gut what are we going to do with the Philippines Y you ask. "Are we goiug to turn them over to Spain V No body propones to do anything of the kind What are we going to do with Cuba turn it over to Spain T Gentle men assume that we must either shoot the Filipinos or turn them over to be shot by Spaniards It is neither neces sary, humane nor wise to do either one Turn the islands over to the men who own them the men who have been fighting for years, like the Cuban patrl ots fought, for their freedom Do with them as we say we are going to do. and as every honest man says we ought to do, with the Cubans The Filipinos are as fully able to take care of them wives as they were before we took possession of Manila. We can leave them now in better condition than we found them, because we have prostrated I thelr nc!Dt memy, and it is only a pretext when we say we must adopt them for their own good when they are protesting that they do not want and will not bave such protection Even if the inhabitants of the islands were willing and anxious to come with us, even if it were not everlastingly wrong from a moral standpoint, annex ation would still be unwise because of the enormous expense. These islands 1 will cost ns hundreds of dollars for ev ery dollar we get in return. This can bs demonstrated and has been demonstrut I ed over and over again upon this floor without any attempt to refute it Dut if there were "millions in it." that would not justify the outrage No doubt there will be millions in it for a few speculators and syndicates, and these are at the bottom of the scheme of an nexatiou There will be federal posi tions at good salaries and long drawn out mileage for scores of $arpet buggers. but the greut muss of our people will pay the bills In Increased taxation Forcible annexation means govern nieut without the coum tit ot the gov eriiHi; 11 means continued oppression to those who hava mo bravely fought against it. It means injustice from ev eiy standpoint 1 it means increased tax ation; it mean an increase iu th standing army it uieaus that we are going 8.000 mile from boms to innt trouble j it menu everything that 1 bad ami nothing that ia gotst, and it l a public i-oufvwion to all the world that Ih war with Npuiu was fought ami (sl prrt "On k company, th Kaitall paid th city of Nw V. rk In hu th 0111 of 0431 13 ft o) in th Uuvltu tonfrrrl tr lb pl.' f tharlty in th snap of ftau hi wotta tnllluu irtT 4tlar la Ih ati ynut lb miu 'foiupaaj otilinN ffv.oi th city oo hi for luraihi4 g si th city 4i4 Ik roloaV th Jir7-rrlK trl rt .'13UaM mikiu M la pmtW vf Kiia4 )l a t r im fa it ' Tk) tuimwii w hmI tfur th NW 'ulk wK4t iX4UMilla (Ml U4 llua sa l riraaiHat at Aihaay f tf U M M it;t Mrlrr m! IIAmm II lt lwMiv t oairulf lf MiiWr aru4 ta ttvur 4 ia Im vl lb ftilt lainatiUMl t M. 4 I't4 t ti ta ) al ftsatiMa ta tta.t I'ttttMi , t't.Mtuat Nw full Sm J.iw tku I .iiaa. K,aBj Ik kila N 1 - 1 4 I,., ,tika Kn , M)bik Kcatatk. Ttt Aiaa as ss i a'tf.4ia si Mnit( u lsa a t ta tf4 M mIMmI f aiHwi 1 41 j ta4 r tii a Ij rvauut u ta imiiom) Uvt .iiu alia wkkki l tu U 1M It Ik vg (.4 vi ta Mw tt iMuai at tata THE FARMERS' GROCERY CO. WRITE. SAYING YOU SAW THIS AD IN THE WE OF THE FOLLOWING COMBINATIONS TO VHTIP i r a tt rii" a t-n .. . pTni. rmii-JTCAJAL Dial 1U1N rUK Jp.UU. Special Combination No. 179. 40 lbs best C1 0ft fine granulated Sugar.. tp XiUU 50c 2 lbs Mocha aiid Java Coffee., 4 lbs fancy evaporated Apricots... 25C 4 lbs fancy evaporated Poaches,... 50c 50c 50c 4 lbs Choice Raisins ., 4 lbs Choice California Praties.., 2 lbs best Baking Powder 50c 25C $1.00 1 lb pure Pepper 2 lbs best Tea All tho above delivered to any 0 C A A It. it. station In Kelt, for ipiJiUU I SCeClfll Combination NO 189 I . .. . 0 tr Hue Uranil $1.00 I luted Sugar, 01 flA 25 bars Laundry Soap p 1 iUU 5 lbs extra good roasted coffo $1.00 50c 50c 50c 1 lb bnst uncolored Japan ten., 2 lbs best Baking Powder 5 lbs best Rice., n r K lb best Ginger., sac 25C 1 lb best Pep iter , All the above packed se curely and delivered free at your railroad station for $5.00 THE FARMERS' GROCERY CO. 226 to 240 North Tenth Street, irt&A ft w 'Mk iff 1 m op 2feV!-s' . - iA r: .Ji.. m Viv -);- ivvs rw M i v c ai w o ' '4 m I t iclttl MotiluCK rn r i- Offers Special Low Prices to Readers of This Paper. WILL DELIVER ANY ONE COMBINATION NO. 169. 40 lbs. best Granulated sugar,. $1.00 25 bars Laundry Hoop... $1.00 2 lbs, best linking Powder... 50c 4 lbs choice Evaporated Peaches.. 50c I lb bent Tea 50c 0 pkgs bst Yeast Coks...., 25C 1 large box best Matches ... 25c 1 lb pnro peppi-r 25c 2 lbs Evaporated Apricots... 25C Oae-balf lb pure (linger.,.. 25c 25c One-half lb puro mustard .. All the above delivered to anv $5.00 11. H. station hi N-braska for.. Remit by draft, money order, express or , Special prices Only to people who Say they read this paper, We do this to see if it pays to J.ii 1 4L . TKTTYClb'Dll.Trt auvuic 111 mc ikiucr twu- ENT. Tne best high gra te Flour made, persnek DOij Good Flour, per sack , ..,,75 ) 1 lb can Baking Powder ., 5i Tftti It thnttji-SttU. HiriMiiiJ t Slbs Laundry Starch... 2-o VoJLtZ7 2 0 lbs Prunes...'.,....,,..."..... gnc 8 lbs Evaporated Peaches 25e All Package Coffee ....,..., 10o Lewis' Lye, 4 cans 2"m Battle Ax Tobacco, per lb 29o 1-Ib bag Hinoking Tobacno 1 5c Radical Reductions Pine quality fine Muslin Fine Quality Bleached Musllo. 4o Pepporell 8-4 Uubloaehed 8hoetiig...Uc Peppurell 9 4 Bleached Hlieetlug...,15o Good Standard Prints.......,., 3!io Putnam's Itd Print, guaranteed fast colors , 4c Finest quality in Gingham, check or func.vs., , Gc Heavy Marseilles IVd Quilt fa beau tiful patterns, only .....08c Plain white Cotton Towels, with fringe, good per pnir.......,.15o Honey Combed Towels, red borders and (rings.,., , ,...10c Heavy Blenched Honey Combed Cotton Towels, with fringe, each 10c umyy jnm Unbleached Towels, r8(1 border and fringe, eacb..,.....12o Heavy Union Linen Towel, fringe Hurl Imrdur fin ' Fin quality Crash, in blue and red cheeks, only , 4o Fine quality all Linen Brown Crash, So A snrmrlor quality fine Drown Table Dtmask, only , 28c Lincoln, Nebraska. r. 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