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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 22, 1900)
6 Conservative * QUIET PATHS. Thcru are quiet paths in life That He in ways unseen , Sometimes they load through haunts of peace , Where harvest fields are green. Like the hidden streams that run Beneath the dark earth's breast , They oft unheeded wind below The busy world's unrest. O'er the quiet paths of life Cross eager , jostling throngs Of men intent on selfish needs O'r overcome by wrongs. And the souls who seek for good And men with weary feet And sinful ones who shrink from light , Here welcome greetings meet. Hero the little children grasp Firm hands and know fond care , Hero tender arms lift straying feet Away from harm and snare. And the aged ones who comu With steps grown weak by years , Find staffs in paths where pilgrims pass With smiles to banish tears. For in quiet ways that run Midst human hearts' great needs Is seen beside each footprint left , Fair blossoming of deeds. Where the pilgrims onward step , Their souls by faith made strong , And move to melodies that chant Their trusting hearts' true song. But the songs are low and hushed , God , only , hears their tone And listens to the steadfast strains , The singing of His own. MAKY FHENCII MORTON. DEMOCRATIC KEOKGANIMATION. EDITOR CONSERVATIVE : Paper mouey reform seems destined to play an important part in the reor ganization of the democratic party. Any plan which includes it will likely meet with opposition from fusion lead ers ; while its .exclusion in no wise prom ises either party union or party success. It is the purpose of this article to state some of the reasons why the party should now advocate this reform. In the first place such is the logic of re cent events. The result of the battle for sound money , begun by the last demo cratic administration , is so far only the firmer establishment of the gold stand ard. The marvelous benefits thereof , the credit for which is now claimed by the republican party , are only a part of what can be brought about by complete monetary reform. In the middle of that administration fusion with silver and populism prevented democracy from carrying out the beneficent policy then proposed ; but the result of fusion has been only an abatement , and not the destruction of this great purpose. It is uppermost in the minds of all thinking people , made so , not only because the last panic is believed to be due to de ficiencies in the money system , but be cause the return of prosperity is attribu ted to the gold standard. Money was the real issue of the - campaign just closed , in spite of other "paramountcies. * It is likely to remain dominant , and in the light of what is now history , demoo- racy should renew the battle for a sound paper money. Nor should the party avoid this course for another good reason. It id so inter woven with other political questions and democratic policies in respect there to , that both the solution of the ques tions and the success of such policies depend largely upon such monetary re form. Take , for instance , the tariff question. If to keep "greenbacks" and other credit money now in use as good as gold , it is necessary that some Ameri cans sell their products abroad at a dis count for gold , and buy what they want at home at greatly enhanced prices , thus creating a large trade balance and a ; endency of gold to flow into the coun try , as against the tendency of our present credit money to drive it out. Under such conditions , how can tariff reform be made a success ? Remove thie burden from the American farmer , give our present credit money a chance ; o drive gold out of the country , and we stand face to face with panic and de pression. Paper Money. Take , again , the matter of "trusts" and include corporations as well , for no one can deny that the consolidation of industries is proceeding at a break neck rate of speed , nor that this should be re lieved against so far as due to political causes. One of the most potent of these causes exists in the present paper money system. It tends most strongly towards the centralization and congestion of money in the great cities , and there the money rate is the cheapest. All busi ness depends largely on securing such money , for the money rate is all impor tant. But ordinary enterprise situated a thousand or more miles away can se cure it only in one way , and that is by incorporating with otlier like businesses all over the country , forming a big con- Cv-rn with its stock quoted on the market ; when both the concern and the holders of its stock can secure such money. If the local bank could loan its own credit and thus furnish cheap currency to local enterprise , this most material cause of consolidation , both in banking and other businesses , would cease to exist. But why should not democracy take up the cause of monetary reform for itu own sake ? The party is not the parent of "greenbacks , " nor of national bank notes based upon bonds. The former were created out of the necessities of war , were a temporary forced loan upon the people with legal tender quilites , and were issued upon the express prom ise of their early retirement by the gov ernment. The latter were also a war measure , created at the expense of free economic banking , to make a market for national bonds. That such money should be retired is as plain as that the national faith should be kept. Strict Construction. Monetary reform is purely democratic The cardinal doctrine of the party is strict construction of the constitution. Jnder such teaching what true demo crat can say that the government can emit "greenbacks" or bills of credit and make them a legal tender ? The consti- intion gives no such power. Indeed , at ; he time that document was framed and adopted it was proposed to grant such > ewer , but the proposition was lost by ihe vote of all the states except New Jersey and Maryland. On the other hand , what true democrat can say that the 10 per cent , tax on bank issue is con stitutional , or that it is not class legisla tion ? No one claims that bank issue should not be regulated by law , but who can claim that this tax brings one cent nto the federal treasury ? Is congress given the power to tax for any other purpose ? One of the functions of the 'armer is to raise corn that is his in alienable right. * Suppose the govern ment should tax him $20 on the acre and ; hxis destroy the right. Who could de fend such despotism and the evil consequences quences which would follow ? Yet the ; en per cent , tax on bank issue is the same despotism and the same evil con sequences , less only in degree. It is cowardly not to defend and protect the rights of a citizen because he is a banker , and the loss of his right is the detriment of all. Monetary Reform. i Monetary reform is a progressive movement. It means to tear down obstructive , evil-breeding legislation , and give due operation to economic law , the exercise of greater liberty , and the enjoyment of greater blessings. It means to supplant a clumsy , antiquated old vehicle of exchange with a light- running , elastic , interest-saving one , as the modern rnower supplanted the scythe. It means to furnish money more readily and to reduce the rates of in terest to the farmer , the artisan , the re tailer , and to meet the demands of indus try everywhere It means to localize if not to abolish panic and depression. It means .to place the prosperity and se curity of the country upon a sounder basis than uncertain trade balances in our favor. It means to check and moderate the tendency towards indus trial consolidation , to restrict that ten dency to its natural causes and provide against its evil consequences. By advo cating it democracy can prove itself the progressive party. Populism no Longer a National Factor. That democracy should now champion this cause is both opportune and ex pedient. During the years of populism and fusion the friends of such reform have kept it to the forefront as an aca demic and economic question. Sound money organization exists almost every where and can be brought to the support of the party. It is especially strong in pivotal states , and in the south the
