Betsy Gaskins (Dimicrat), wife of Jobe Gaskins (Republican) or, Uncle Tom's cabin up to date

Front matter

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Preface

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HIS book is written for a purpose.

It is founded upon actual occurrences. Betsy and Jobe Gaskins are characters well known to you,

The author claims no inspiration or gift of genius. This is only a simple statement of facts deserving if you will but reflect upon events coming under your own observation within the past few years.

the consideration of every intelligent human being. While you read these pages, if you will permit your intelligence to assert itself over your prejudices, and if finally you will do that which the nobler instincts of man prompt you to do toward bringing about a better condition of things under the government of which you are a part, the author will be fully repaid for his labor. He asks you only to keep in mind at all times that Jobe Gaskins is your brother ; that Betsy Gaskins is your sister. W. I. Hood.

New Philadelphia , Ohio , April 24, 1897.

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££ OD, by giving to man wants and making his It recourse to work necessary to supply them, has made the right to work the property of every man ; and this property is the first, the most sacred, the most imprescriptible of all.” — Turgot .

££ 'T'HE right to work is the right to worship. The clink of the anvil and the hum of the harvest field, the music of the poet and the meditations of the inventor are chords in the anthem of creation,” — Henry D. Lloyd.

Contents

CHAPTER p AGE

I. Jobe Sets and Studies i«j

II. An Argument on the Money Question 22

Part II

I. The Impending Revolution 277

II. The Philosophy of Money 283

III. A Bird’s-eye View of American Financial History .... 307

IV. The Eight Money Conspiracies 345

V. Financial Authorities 352

VI. Interest and Usury 380

VII. Debt and Slavery 387

Vin. The Laws of Property 393

IX. Direct Legislation 401

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

9 *

1. “That every star was an eye looking down on me with pity."

(Frontispiece.)

2. Character title.

PAGE

3. Betsy Gaskins 7

4. Initial T 11

5. Jobe Gaskins «. 13

7. “We both hankered” 17

8. “I did git him started to readin ” 19

9. “That canderdate feller” 20

10. Tailpiece .... 21

11. “Me a knittin, him a settin and studyin ” 23

12. “ ‘Talkin like them blame Populists’” 26

13. “I waked not until broad daylite ” 28

14. “ ‘Feedin — feedin, of course,’ says he” 29

15. “ ‘Do you promis? ’ says I, girlish like” 30

16. “I sot down, lookin him square in the face” 31

17. Bill Bowers 32

19. “ ‘Ide vote the Dimicrat ticket at the very next township

election” 39

20. “They waked me up at the dead hour of midnite” 41

21. “That very sheet of paper” 45

22. Congressman Richer 46

23. “Jobe works and sweats ” 47

25. “Jobe and me both sot down and cried ” 50

26. “Started for town bright and airly” 54

27. “Jobe and me counted up how much we had ” 57

28. “That nite I put another patch on his pants ” 62

29. “He explained to Mr. Jones” 63 xi xii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

32. “ Peekin through a crack” 7°

33. “Jist a layin it off with his hands ” 7 1

34. “ ‘Mistur Court, Gaskins is here ’ ” 74

36. “ ‘I want to prove to you, Mistur Judge’ ” 79

37. “ ‘This is the law, whether it is justice or not ” 81

38. “Jobe and me sot there dazed like” 82

39. Aunt Jane 84

40. “ He would call him ‘ Billy,’ in honor of the next president ” . . 85

41. “ Before Jobe could git up, William hit him agin ” 86

43. “He would rather pay seven per cent, than six, in order to

support a sound money basis” 90

44. “‘Law or no law,’ says I” 91

45. “ ‘ Payin it in gold to keep your party in power is up-hill

bizness ’ ” . 92

46. “‘John Sherman is the greatest financier on airth ’ ” 95

48. “ * Now, Betsy, you see what kind of a party you belong to ’ ” . . 98

49. “ So I wen; to work and cut out the headin ” 100

50. “ ‘ It is all over, Betsy, ’ says he ” 101

51. “That nite he slept in the barn ” 103

52. “ ‘Jobe Gaskins, you make another move!’ ” 105

53. “ ‘ Are you mad, Betsy? ’ says he ” 108

54. “Jobe was on his knees in the middle of the bed” 113

55. “A strait, influential, leadin Republican officeholder” 1 1 5

56. “ Lots of fellers jist like him ” 1 16

57. “Jobe he flew up” 119

58. “It wasent anything onusual for a county officer to make all he

could ” 120

59. “ ‘ Hadent we all ort to be satisfied so long as bonds sell

60. “ ‘Times are never hard under a gold basis,’ Jobe says” 122

61. “They whispered and snickered at my straw hat and Jobe’s

linen coat ” 125'

62. “ He said the rich all belong to church” 126

63. Harvesting 129

64. “I was puttin salve on Jobe’s hands ” 130

65. The hand that voted “the strait ticket” 131

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. xiii

66. “Some good men in case of labor trouble” 133

67. “Some of the little children are pretty ” 136

68. “ Jobe took what hay he could spare ” 138

69. “They are kept so busy legislatin ” 139

70. “A huntin them overhalls ” 142

71. “I had sot down and went to churnin ” 143

72. “ The Dimicratic bloomers” 146

73. “ ‘ Hello, mistur ’ ” 147

74. “ ‘We ketch em a comin and we ketch em a goin ’ ” 148

75. “I seen him a comin up the lane ” 15 1

76. “The fust time for nigh onto twenty years ” 153

77. “ Billot jist laughed at him 155

78. “Jobe he got mad and called Billot a Populist ”... 156

79. Ornamental tailpiece — sunset 157

80. “ Lawyers a talkin and a laffin ” 159

81. “ ‘Mistur Moore, how long has it been since you quit advocatin

the use of good, old-fashioned greenbacks? ’ ” 161

82. “‘Lawyer — Dimicratic lawyer and polertician ’ ” 164

83. “ He carried a banner ”... 167

84. “I got a straw and tickled his nose ” 171

86. “It was nearly mornin when I heerd the patriotic sounds of the

fish-horn” 181

87. “ He looked kind a pale ” 182

88. “ ‘ Give us a tune, Jobe ” 183

89. “ ‘This is not accordin to contract ’ ” 184

90. “ We hitched in front of Urfer’s big dry goods store ” 186

92. ‘“lama banker, sir, a banker ’ ” 190

93. “He made sich a fine argament for gold and agin other

money ” 193

94. Little Jane 196

95. “I could nearly see her little dimpled fingers pattin the airth

around the roots of that little bush ” 197

98. “Jobe jist lays and moans ” 200

99. “I have to chop all the wood ” 201

100. “ ‘Out with it, Bill ; we are prepared for the wust ’ ” 203

101. il ‘ He tell you, Betsy. Ive made up my mind to try them

Populists hereafter ’ ” 205

XIV

LIS 7' OF ILLUSTRATIONS .

102. “ ‘ O, Lord, is there no other way to do ? ’ ” 209

103. “He drawed me over in his arms and kissed me” 212

104. “ He was wipin his eyes and blowin his nose as he went towards

town” 213

105. “Then sot down and cried and kept a cryin every little bit

all mornin” 214

106. “They pulled me away from the winder” 218

107. “At all the gates around the big fence they had signs stuck up ” 221

108. “I asked him for something to eat ” 222

109. “ ‘ Well, old man, sich things hadent ort to be ’ ” 225

no. “I slipped over and put my face agin the glass ” 229

hi. “The feller turned around and looked black at me ” 233

1 12. “ I have to work hard in this place” 236

113. “One nice little place that I thought I would rent as soon as I

got my first week’s pay ” 239

1 1 4. “I worked there three weeks” 241

1 15. Everything was cold and dark” 242

1 16. Initial M — Hattie Moore 244

1 1 7. He teched me on the shoulder ” 247

1 18. “I got onto a freight train ” 248

1 19. “Pushing back the hair of the sick woman, leaned over and

kissed her on the forehead ” 250

120. “ There lay Mrs. Gaskins ” 252

121. “There again was the face of that little girl and the face of an

old man ” 253

122. “ In the morning there was found a white-haired man ” 254

123. Tailpiece — the rose-bush on the grave 255

124. Initial B — the editor 256

125. “Behold! See that money! ” 265

216. Tailpiece 271

127. The world’s oppressor 274

Betsy Gaskins ( Dimicrat).

Chapter I. Jobe Sets And Studies

^ — out loud.

ISTUR EDITURE My name k is Betsy Gaskins. I was born a Dimicrat. My father was a Dimicrat and my mother dident dare to be anything else — one mind, perlitically, until

Our family, thus, was of

Jobe Gaskins begin to come to see me.

I was a young woman of nineteen summers, as the poit would say.

Jobe he was a Republican and didn’t keer who knowed it.”

My folks opposed Jobe on perlitical grounds.

Jobe he opposed my folks on the same grounds, but hankered arter me, though he knode I was a “ Dimicrat dide in the wool. ”

And I must say I hankered arter Jobe, though I knode he was a rank Republican. On that one pint we agreed : we both hankered.

Well, the time come when Jobe and me decided to lay aside our perlitical feelins and git married.

This our folks opposed, but we “slid out” one day, and the preacher united the two old parties, as far as Jobe and

IO BETSY GASKINS , D1MICRA T.

me was concerned, though I was still a Dimicrat, and Jobe he was still a Republican.

Like the two great perlitical parties at Washington, when they want to make a law to suit Wall Street, Jobe and me decided to pull together on the question of gittin married.

We have lived together for nigh onto thirty-five years, and durin all that time Jobe has let me be a Dimicrat, and Ive let him be a Republican. It has never caused any family disturbance nor never will, so long as I be a Dimicrat and let Jobe be a Republican.

We have no children livin. Our little Jane was taken from us just arter her seventh birthday. Since then we have been left alone together, jist as we was before little Jane was born. It is awful lonesome, and as we grow older, lonesomer it gits. Sometimes, when I git my work all done and have nothin to okepy my mind, I git that lonesome, I hardly know what to do. Of late years I read a great deal to pass away the time.

Jobe he hardly ever reads any, not because he cant, — Jobe is a good reader, — but it seems the poor man works so hard, and has so much to trouble him, that he would jist rather set and study than to read.

When he gits his day’s work done and his feedin, and waterin, and choppin of wood, he jist seems to enjoy settin and studyin.

I hardly ever disturb him when he is at it. I jist set and read or set and knit, as the case may be, and let Jobe set and study.

I did git him started to readin a couple of years back. I had signed for a paper that said a good deal about the Alliance and the Grange and sich, and Jobe he read it every week, and got so interested that he would talk on the things he read about to me and to the neighbors. He got nearly over his settin and studyin and seemed in better i8

BETSY GASKINS , DIMICRAT.

spirits so long as he kept a readin of that paper. But one day a feller, who was a Republican canderdate for a county office, came to our house for dinner (they allers make it here about dinner-time, them canderdate fellers do).

Well, arter dinner, Jobe and that feller went into the front room, and the feller gin Jobe a segar (a regular fivecenter, Jobe said), and then they set and smoked, smoked and talked, talked about the prospect of their party carryin the county, the feller doin all the talkin, until at last Jobe told him that he “had been readin some of the principles of the People’s party and liked em purty well.”

The feller reared back, opened his eyes, looked at Jobe from head to foot, and then indignant like says, says he to Jobe:

“I am astonished! — astonished to think that Jobe Gaskins, one of the most intelligent, most prominent and influential Republicans in this township, should read sich trash, much less indorse it.”

And from that day to this Jobe Gaskins, my dear husband, has quit his readin and gone back to his settin and studyin.

His party principles was teched. The argament of that canderdate feller was unanswerable; it sunk deep into Jobe’s boozim, and from the time that that feller thanked Jobe for his dinner and boss feed, and invited Jobe and me both to come into his office and see him, if he was elected, to this writin, I have not had the pleasure of talkin with my husband as before.

That feller robbed me of all the bliss I enjoyed of havin my pardner in life to talk with of evenins. And all 1 got for bein thus robbed, and for the dinner and hoss feed he et, was a invitation to see him okepy the high position of county officer — as though that would pay for vittles or satisfy an achin void, caused by him a turnin Jobe from

JOBE SETS AND STUDIES .

“I did git him started to readin.”

his readin to his settin and studyin. What good would it do me to see him okepyin a county office and drawin of a big salary? Yes, drawin of a big salary that poor Jobe has to work his lites out of him to help pay. All that there canderdate feller cares for Jobe remainin to be a Republican is so that he, and sich fellers like him, will continer to vote for him and his likes, and pay the high taxes out of which they git their big salaries. What do they care for poor old Jobe Gaskins, whether he be a Republican or a

Dimicrat or a Populist or one of them wild Anacrists, if it were not that he had a vote and they want to keep him in line? What keer they what papers he reads, or how quick he changes his polerticks, if they dident want to git office and draw a big salary?

Say anything to Jobe about this and he will flare up and tell you he “doesent intend to lose the respect of all the leadin men in the county by changing his perlitical views.”

He dont stop to ask hisself, “Who is the leadin men?” He dont stop to ask hisself how much taxes and interest and sicli he contributes to make them the leadin men. Contributes it to support them and their families in style sich as becomes leadin people.

Yes, to support their families, I said, so that their wives and their girls can wear fine silks and satins, while I must git along with a brown caliker or gray cambric dress at best.

Jobe and his likes earns the money by the sweat of their brows, and them canderdate fellers and their likes spends it in high livin and makin theirselves leadin citizens. And then they are astonished to hear of one of their regular voters a readin anything that says that sich men as Jobe Gaskins and his wife Betsy, if you please, are jist as respectable, jist as leadin citizens, as any county officer or polertician and their wives. Yes, it astonishes them to hear of his readin a paper that says that the farmers have

JOBE SETS AND STUDIES.

jist as intelligent, honest and patriotic people among them as the leadin citizens have. Now I read sich “trash,” as the canderdate feller calls it, and I dont keer who knows it, though Ime a Dimicrat. But as it is gittin late and milkin time is here, I will close, promisin you more anon, a9 it were.

Wife of

Jobe Gaskins (Republican).

Chapter II. An Argument On The Money Question

T HE anon is here. Last Tuesday evenin, arter I had milked and swept and washed up the supper dishes and done many other things I have to do day in and day out, year in and year out, arter Jobe had done his waterin and feedin and choppin of wood, we both found ourselves settin before the fire, me a knittin, him a settin and studyin.

Says I to him, all of a suddent, loud and quick like : “Jobe, what yer studyin bout?”

You ort a seen him jump. He was skeert. I spoke so suddent and quick.

He hemmed and hawed a minit or so, got up and turned around, sat down, spit in the fire, crossed his legs, and says, says he :

“Well, Betsy, lie tell you what I was a studyin about. I was jist a studyin about the mortgage and the interest and the fust of Aprile. Aprile, Betsy, is nearly here, and where is the money a comin from to pay the interest and sicli?”

I saw he was troubled ; but all I could say was : “Well, indeed, Jobe, I dont know.”

And I dont.

It seemed, now, as I had Jobe started, waked up as it were, he wanted to talk, and I was willin that he should, even though it wasent a very pleasant thing to talk about.

Says he : “Betsy, I sometimes think we will never git our farm paid for. It seems to be a gittin harder and

2 1

ARGUING THE MONEY QUESTION.

*3

“Me a knittin, him a settin and studyin.”

harder every year to make payments. It has took all we raised to meet the interest for the last four years; we haint been able to pay anything on the mortgage ; and this spring I dont know where we will git the money to pay even the interest. It takes twice as much wheat, or anything else, nearly, to git the money to pay the interest with as it use to, and crops haint any better. Besides, Betsy, if I was to sell the farm to-day, it wouldent bring much above the $2,100 we owe on it. When I bought it for $3,800, fourteen years ago, I thought it cheap enough, and it was if times hadent got so hard and things we raise so cheap. Jist to think, we have paid $1,700 on the first cost, and $2,100 in interest besides, and if we had to sell it to pay the mortgage we would not have a dollar left. Congressman Richer could foreclose at any time ; he could have done so for the last three years — ever since I failed to make the payments on the mortgage.”

“Well, Jobe,” says I, “it is bad enough, to say the least. ”

2 4

BETSY GASKINS , DJ MICE AT.

“Yes, Betsy,” says he, “if we cant meet the interest, Banker Jones tells me, we will be sold out.”

I was silent.

Jobe continered : “I tell you, Betsy, these times, six per cent, interest is hard to pay. It seems that, no matter how cheap a farmer has to sell what he raises, interest dont get any cheaper.”

Thinks I, “Now is my time to speak.”

u Jobe,” says I, slow and deliberate, lookin him square in the eyes, “Jobe Gaskins, haint you a American citizen? Haint you jist as good a citizen as a banker? Haint you jist as honest? Haint you jist as hard-workin? Haint you got as much rights in these here United States?”

Jobe was silent, but lookin straight at me, starin.

Continerin, says I : “I was a readin in my paper, the other day, that the banker borrowed money from this here government for one per cent. The very money he loans you and your likes at six and seven and eight per cent, he gits from this here government for one per cent. You, Jobe Gaskins, ort to have jist as good right to borrow money from this here government of yourn and his as he has, if you give good security and will pay it back, and God knows you would, as honest as you are. Jist to think, Jobe, if you could have borrowed the money from the government to have paid Congressman Richer for his farm fourteen years ago, when we bought it, at only one per cent, interest, and only paid back to the government, at the post-office, or some other place appointed, the same as you have paid Congressman Richer in payments and interest, we to-day would have our farm nearly paid for and be out of debt, and you wouldent be a settin and studyin about the mortgage and interest and the fust of Aprile. Or even if you could borrow the money to-day from the government at two per cent., you could git the $2,100, pay it off, and

ARGUING THE MONEY QUESTION.

2 5 next year only have to raise $42 interest instead of $126. Dont you see it would be easier for you to pay? And you could pay a little on the mortgage every year, as hard as times are?”

While I was a sayin all this Jobe was a lookin at me, a starin, turnin on his seat, spittin in the fire, crossin fust one leg, then another, waitin for me to stop. I seen he was teched ; so, when I had done, I sot back in my cheer, and begin to knit, and waited for what was a comin. He begun slowly, but warmed up as he proceeded. Says he :

‘‘Betsy, I have lived with you for nigh onto thirty-five years; we have allers lived in peace, though you was a Dimicrat and I was a Republican ; we have had our sorrows and our hardships, and now, arter all these years of peace, am I to pass the last days of my life with a pardner who is allers talkin like them blamed Populists? You know, Betsy Gaskins, that I am a Republican and expect to die one. I believe that all the laws made by the Republicans are just laws. If they made laws to lend the banker money at one per cent, it must stand, and I will try to bear my burden, though I have to pay six per cent, interest or more, if need be, for the same money. Betsy, you must stop readin them papers. I never look into one ; they jist start a feller to thinkin, and the fust thing he knows he dont believe a thing he has been a believin all his life. It ruins a feller’s perlitical principles. If a feller is a Republican, he should be one and never read anything to cause him to think. Them Populists, Betsy, is jist made up of a lot of storekeepers and farmers, and men who work in shops and mills and coal-banks and sich places. They dont know anything about makin laws, or money or bizness. Our law-makers, Betsy, should be lawyers and bankers and rich business men and sich.”

Well, I jist saw it was no use argyin with him, but I

BETSY GASKINS , DIMICRAT.

thought I would have the last word, as I allers do, and says I :

“Well, Jobe Gaskins, if you ignorant farmers haint fit to make the laws to fix the taxes you pay ; if you farmers haint fit to make the laws to govern yourselves ; if you farmers haint fit to transact the bizness in which you

“ ‘Talkin like them blame Populists’.”

should be most interested, I think you ort to begin to prepare yourselves until you are fit, by readin what hasent been done for you that ort to have been done, and what has been done agin you that hadent ort to been done.”

At that, bein ready, I skipped into the bed-room and in a twinkle was in bed with the kivers drawed up over my head. If Jobe said any more I heard it not. In a few minits I was asleep, where I must soon be agin.

Chapter III

JOBE SLEEPS IN THE SPARE BED. THE DREAM.

T HAT nite arter I had got into bed and kivered up my head, I went to sleep and waked not until broad daylite. Imagine my surprise, when I waked, to find that durin all that long nite I had been the sole okepant of that bed. The piller on which Jobe, my dear husband, had slept for over thirty-four years had not been teched that nite, and, for the fust time in thirty-five years next corn-huskin, Betsy Gaskins had slept alone. I felt skeert. I felt as though some awful calamity had or would occur to me.

With a heavy heart I ariz and put on my skirts, all the time feelin as if I was about to choke. Everything was silent and still about the house. Could it be possible that my dear Jobe had dide or been kidnapped, or what? I hurried into the room — no Jobe there. I went into the kitchen — no Jobe there. I hastened to the spare bed-room. The door was closed. I stopped. I rubbed my hands together, studyin what to do, all a trimblin. Certainly the dead and lifeless corpse of my dear husband was in there cold in death, drivin to it of course by the cruel words of his lovin wife. There I stood stock still, not knowin what to do. I must have stood there some three or four minits. until I came to myself. All at onct I says, says I, out loud: “Betsy Gaskins, what are you about? Haint you allers been looked upon as a woman of good jedgement and feerless in the face of disaster?” At that I marched up to the door and flung it open.

BETSY GASKINS , DIM ICR AT.

Now what do you suppose I found? Jobe was not there, but that spare bed had been okepied that very nite. Then it was that I realized that the two old parties, as it were, had been divided — divided for one nite on the money question. Yes, Jobe Gaskins and his wife Betsy, a Dimicrat and Republican, had slept beneath the same roof and in seperate beds.

While I stood there, contemplatin what next to do and where Jobe might be, I heered him come onto the back porch. I met him with a smile as he come into the kitchen.

Says I : “Why, Jobe, where have you been?”

“Feedin — feedin, of course,” says he; “ where do you suppose Ive been?” lookin at the floor and walkin apast me.

Arter reflection thinks I, “ ’Tis best to say nothin to him about the split in the two old parties until a future date.” So I jist went about it and prepared the mornin meal, thinkin all the time of a dream I had that nite, some time between bed-time and daylite, while I lay there all alone, while the pardner of my life okepied the spare bed.

Well, while Jobe was partakin of his mornin repast, I

BETSY GASKINS , DIMICRAT.

saw all the time that he wanted to say something. I never said a word durin the whole meal, neither did Jobe. We jist set and eat — eat in silence.

When Jobe was done he pushed back and tipped his cheer agin the wall. I knode he was a goin to speak. He cleared his throat like, and says, says he :

“Betsy, I dont want you to say any more to me about what you read in the newspapers. 1 am willin to listen to anything else under the sun, but dont let me hear any more about them Populist ideas. I want to talk sense to you, and you to talk sense to me. Now what I want to know,

T Betsy, is, how are we to raise the “ ‘Do you promis?* says I, , . , .

girlish like.” money to pay the interest by the

fust of Aprile?”

Says I: “Land a goodness, Jobe, how do I know? Goodness knows I am willin to do all I kin to help you raise it. I had a dream last nite ; if that dream was true I might tell you how to raise it.”

I stopped.

“Well,” says he, arter studyin a minit, “what was your dream?”