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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 79

[introduction]

Fellow-Countrymen and Women,—

I purpose appealing to you on a subject which should be—but unfortunately is not—dearer to you than any other whatever. Although it is the one subject which involves the whole question of our happiness or misery on this Earth, we are too apt to give it other than a passing thought. That subject is the Gold system, the system which includes the standard medium of exchange, destroying Silver. Think of the power which we have been compelled to give to this Gold sytem: Gold, a word of but four letters. Yet exclusive of our beloved word, God, is there any other word in our language of such tremendous import to our human race as the word Gold? The terms father, mother, sister, brother, terms which make for the humaneness of humanity, are weak compared with the terrible, cruel, bloodthirsty, vindictive, lecherous, ambitious, destructive and lying force which the unholy term Gold comprises and comprehends.

I ask you to consider seriously and to decide as to whether we are to continue to allow the malignant influence of the Gold system to develop without check? To develop and spread its noxious influence like a foul leperous cancer which seizes in its deadly grip out most beloved ones, a darling child, a strong bread-winner, a comely maiden. So it is that under a system which creates unequal distribution of wealth, an old couple who should—by the common law of love and humanity—expect to end their days peacefully in the arms of their family, are hurried off to an almshouse to linger on without solace, and finally sink into paupers' graves. What horror is here! What wreck of family ties! What a wrench from all those and those only who are dearest to us! And why is this? It is because of the power of the Gold system and its unequal distribution; a system which fills the coffers of some few and privileged, at the same time denying to millions of us even a bare glimpse of it. Once again I ask of you: Are we to continue to allow this sordid and cruel influence to dominate and control our every act and every hour of our earthly existence? Surely not; perish the thought; we have the power to control it did we but use that power. Let us then declare that man, who bears upon his noble brow the" impress of his Divine Creator, will no longer sit quietly under the shadow of this Golden Calf; that he will rise In his outraged might and put an effective curb upon this wretched and misery-creating Gold system; and that he will bring in once more its kindlier and ancient partner. Silver, as the recognised and legal standard of exchange.

The more striking facts about Gold and Capitalism are well known to all. The capitalists claim that Gold must rule the world by ruling in the matter of value all other precious metals, and with this the comfort and happiness of our people. It is therefore quite clear that whilst this Gold system is allowed to continue a man who can control its operations can rule a Nation of people. The mighty capitalists of the world, they who in their generations have amassed Gold, are in a position to dictate to God's inheritors of this earth as page 2 to how we are to live, as to what wages we shall be allowed to earn, at what age we are to die, and as to how many children we may leave behind us. And this latter, despite the fact that our philanthropists conjure us to keep our cradles full. Are these not incontrovertible facts? Let me quote one instance: I have seen a party of twelve married men, whose average individual earnings they declared to me was but thirty-nine shillings weekly. Ten, no less, of these men had no family whatever; they stated logically and simply that they could not afford to rear families. This instance suffices to illustrate that the present Gold system possesses the power to check the growth of our population, and that it governs the sacred institution of marriage, and also the angelic babe in that cradle which we are abjured to keep full. Are you so commercially or morally blind that you can't see that Gold governs the duplicate in the cradle (that sacred name cradle), and the little God-angel, smiling and chirping under its canopy of white, little dreaming that through the power of Gold he may never have a playmate to share his baby joys. The poor parents, in their unhappy and inevitable poverty, fold their arms and offer up a prayer to the Golden Calf to give them employment, bread for their babe, and to be merciful. But, in the history of Nations, can we find records setting forth the philanthropy to humanity suffering, and the mercy exhibited towards the struggling poor by capitalists? No. These robber barons, the kings and imperators who have blighted and devastated whole countries, blotting tribes off the earth, these were—compared to the Gold capitalists—gentle and merciful.

Fellow-countrymen, in warning you that capitalists are ever busy forging new links to the chains which already bind us. I proceed to give you some particulars which are calculated to make you think, and think very hard.