Chapter XVII
This Must Be Done First

In Texas, and I suspect it is true in all states, we live under an oligarchy. Only three men dominate and dictate what the Texas Legislature mayor may not do.  The people nowhere in our political system damning Texas have any voice, beyond the local precinct, and even there some henchman of the oligarchy "presides" at all meetings.

Have you ever stopped to ponder the fact that you never know how many ballots are actually cast at any election?  How many are counted and how many are thrown out; how many were "cast" by dead, or nonexistent voters?  You certainly know that every person with sound mind, over the age of 21, has a legal right to vote.  Aye, more, have you ever stopped to ponder that above your "legal right to vote," in a democracy You Must Vote.  That to refuse to inform yourself on candidates and issues and then fail to vote, you are as guilty of treason, as much as a slacker who refuses to take up arms in defence of his country, and lends aid and comfort to the enemy?

Certainly you know that as long as the rich are permitted to put up millions to elect "their" man, and then follow him to Austin (or your state capitol, or our National capitol) and there spend millions brainwashing your lawmakers, spent through lobbyists, buying copy in newspapers, and journals, time on the radio and TV, you the masses, are not going to be represented either in legislation or administration of the Government.

Then we must turn to our only weapon, our ballots.  It must be an informed ballot.  It must be cast with the full assurance that it will be counted as a ballot, and not thrown out on the slightest mark "mutilation" the election holders may discover.  You may be a Ph.D., and yet cast as ignorant ballot as the most illiterate person, and many of you do; because you "are above taking an active part in politics - it is so dirty," and keep your noses stuck in some musty tome, and never ascertain what manner of man is, asking your ballot.

Let us rectify our own shortcomings cast a ballot at every election, and not let the oligarchy man our election staff.  If we do they will defeat the wisest and most thoughtful ballot.  So that the ballot box should ever be in the hands of our citizens, no man or woman should be permitted to help hold elections covering more than two years, within a period of twelve years, and that where there are two parties to be voted upon, the holders of the elections should be equally divided between or among the parties, and when issues are to be voted upon, the pros and cons should be equally numbered on the list.

This would give every man and woman a chance to give his country that highest service, helping to keep the ballot box clean.  I have been casting ballots every election for 57 years, and as the years have passed the faces holding the election have come to remain the same for years and years.  They grow "old in the service," yet they hobble to the polls, and sit with wizened faces for us to gaze it.  Here is the danger: If the election holders are the same year in and year out, they come to a common understanding, and the "leaders" can put over the gravest abuses of the ballot box.

That every person may vote, all places of business should by law be closed at 9:00 a.m., and remain closed until 3:00 p.m. that every voter might have time and leisure to go vote.  The ballot boxes should open at 9 :00 a.m., and close at 3 :00 p.m. and the ballots should be counted, returns filled in and the "locked boxes" should be in the county clerk's office before 6:00 p.m., same day.  That this might be done, no election precinct should have over 100 voters, and these precincts should be compact, no gerrymandering allowed; and the manager of the election, being one of the 100 voters, could easily know each by name, and there would be no possible chance of "smart" citizens voting at two or more boxes each election; and there would be no long line standing in line waiting to vote when the doors closed.

For a voter to say, "I have not read the amendment," or the issue to be voted upon, should be a misdemeanour, punishable by fine.  It is the duty of every voter to inform himself, and vote, and when he fails he is striking a death blow at democracy.  It is not your right to vote; it is your duty to vote, and when you fail either to inform yourself that you may cast an informed ballot, or fail to vote, you are guilty of a crime against your country.

The informing yourself on issues is easy, for all matters submitted to the voters, for adoption or rejection, by law, must be published in full in newspaper with circulation in your precinct.  But, that is not true with candidates.  Before a proposition is submitted to the voters, the Legislature, or Commissioners' Court, or City Aldermen have argued and thrashed the issue out; but when I get ready to run for Governor, or any office down to constable, nobody but me and the few or many who want me to be elected (because they hope to use me) know my qualifications, or lack of qualifications, to hold the office to which I aspire.  We have had ignoramuses, who have taken so little interest in government before they announce, that they seldom voted, to announce for Governor, pay the $100 filing fee, and go out to "win votes."

There should be some method devised that would enable the State to ascertain the qualifications of a person to hold the office he seeks.  And this should cover age, background, character, reputation, residence, even personality, and this information along with the candidate's own story about himself, and the story of what his neighbours might want to offer for or against him — all whipped into a story covering the man's qualifications, character, etc. ... and these stories of all candidates offering at the election for office, should be published in book at State expense, when within a state, or at National expense when it should be a person seeking National office, and a copy put in the hands of every voter, or family of voters, in the areas included within the territory covered.

I have often suggested this, and supposed-to-be thoughtful and informed men have demurred: "But how are you going to find a body of men who would be fair and honest about it?"  And I reply: "Well, let's just quit, and let the evil forces run the government.  But, even barbers have a test; the person wanting to cut your hair and shave your face must pass before he can become a barber "in good standing."  If this can't be done, let's abandon all qualifications required of a person before being employed as a teacher, and let the best looking, the glibbest talking person, even though we know he is a rogue, get employment as teacher, if the school board wants to hire him."

Then make it a felony for a candidate to accept "campaign expenses," free radio and newspaper and TV publicity; or for any person to offer the money, or to pay for the TV, radio and newspaper advertising.  He could not buy his own time, on radio or TV, nor buy "articles" in newspapers.  He would be permitted to spend as much as he pleased of his own cash in going from place to place and speaking to groups and shaking the voters' hands.  Person to person contact is good.

This would put an end to the candidate saying, "If I can get financial backing I shall run for the United States Senate," because he would not get it; unless he and the contributor ran a risk of facing jail and fine.  With his story in concise language, the story of his neighbours and the commission's review of his qualifications, integrity, and fitness to hold the office, in the hands of every voter in the State, or County, or district, or precinct, there would be no need for him to "win votes."

And there is one avenue to winning votes that must be blocked, and that is the "grapevine" wireless.  No candidate could make charges against his opponent.  He would have to run on his own merits.  And if he or any other person should circulate a lie, good or bad, about another candidate, and the instigator or repeater of the lie could be discovered, no time limit on the case, he would be guilty of a felony, and sent to jail.

Adopt these simple, easily applied rules covering our elections, and money will cease to rule; and crooks and incompetents can never hold office.  One person would be automatically barred, the person convicted of a felony or malfeasance in office.

This approach to the election of officers would necessitate staggering their tenures of office.  As it now is, we have every four years all Congressmen, perhaps one of the Senators, and all state offices from constable to Governor and State Supreme Court justice running, and the result is that the public becomes hypnotized by the best looking, most endowed-with-cash candidate, and forgets the rest.  Since 1932, especially, we give full attention to the National candidate, and let our lower offices be filled by slip-ins by default.

So we should every two years choose, on a state and national level, the Congressmen up that year, the Legislators, and the City Aldermen, and each should be chosen for six years, with one-third re-elected every two years, which would give us a rotating body of legislators, with never over one-third fresh from the people.  And at end of tenure of office, no official would be eligible for re-election to the office he is quitting, or any other office within two years.  Only legislation should occupy our minds during this election year.

The Governors and President with all elective judges would be chosen for 8-year terms of office, and one-half of the Governors would be chosen each four years. The President would be chosen between the elections for governors, so that they would not conflict for publicity and interest with each other.

All county and local officers should be chosen on odd years, so as to never be submerged beneath state and national candidates.  All elections on amendments and propositions should be held on odd years so that no other public interest could interfere.

Our greatest menace in a democracy is corporations.  The father of democracy in the United States, Thomas Jefferson, fought with all of his might to have another amendment adopted at the time the first ten were adopted.  He gave as his reason for wanting the people to adopt his amendment: "If the state licenses men to do a certain thing, they will be so much more powerful as a corporation than the individual that they can oppress him, destroy his business."  Therefore he wanted to forever outlaw the granting to any group a special permit or license.

When we look at our steel industry, our automotive industry, our oil industry, our electrical industry, our banking system, our transportation system, and now our marketing system, controlled 100 percent by corporations, we need no further argument to convince us that corporations should go.  Jefferson went further in his fight to outlaw corporations, he said that corporations would grow so powerful that they could and would challenge the Government itself. And that has come true.  The Federal Reserve System, and not the Government rules America and is now compelling the Government to spend $32 billion annually in equipping a military force that can rule and dominate the world.  Not only can corporations buy the most astute lawyers (and most of our Congressmen are corporation lawyers), but they hire our best scientific brains.

The young daring Frenchman, Tocqueville, in 1831, just forty years after Jefferson failed to outlaw corporations, after a visit of several weeks in America wrote:

"In an orderly and peaceable democracy (and we were a peaceable democracy then) like the United States, where men can not enrich themselves by war, by public office, or by political confiscation (that was before the Federal Reserve System of 1913) love of wealth mainly drives them into business and manufacturing."  How far from being true today.  Take profit out of war and war would cease.

The corporation man will say that you could not run the country without us.  No man would put his money in a general partnership.  And that is what Thomas Jefferson said: "If any enterprise is too big for a general partnership to handle, it should be done by the Government" . . . and the Government followed that advice at once - it began to build post roads, and to establish post offices, and to provide the nation its money.  But corporations came in and took over the providing of its money, creating the debt-dollar money. Today in the richest country in the world in natural resources, with the most aggressive, virile people on earth, business can not run one year on its own capital, it must return again and again to the banks for money to keep their businesses going.

Cut out this fallacy of "mass production," and let all industry drop back into the "small operators' hands" and prosperity would become universal and satisfying.  No "great" industry completely fabricates its machinery today. Even Ford, General Motors, Western Electric, all of them subcontract parts, and then assemble them.

Corporation newspapers and journals should go.  No newspaper should circulate beyond its community, (not even state coverage - then a few in New York, would not brainwash the rest of us with their political rand social nostrums.

The Morgan Company could not rule America.

Our fathers, 100 years ago were fighting Wall Street, and if banking is continued, Wall Street will be our masters in 2057.  The small business man will disappear.  Three classes would encompass all of the people, (a) the big, industries, and (b) the hirelings, and (c) the rest who would be on the dole.

In all that I have written, I have had but one thought in mind, and that has been to let you see the operations of the Federal Reserve Banking System, and to point out to you the tremendous cost this private corporation is piling up against the producing people of the United States.

That it is unconstitutional for the United States to turn over to a private corporation the "coining of money, and the regulating the value thereof," is evident without argument to anyone who will take time to read the "powers" granted to Congress in the Constitution.

I have not sought to bring in religion or world cabals as productive of this money situation in the United States.  I blame no foreign nation for the situation.  I do not wish to detract your mind from the main issue, and that is that the Federal Reserve System is robbing the people yearly of hundreds of billions of dollars, and that the few men directing its operations are mad men, drunk on power, and obsessed with an ambition for power. . . money, gold per se has no appeal to them, it is the feeling of power that inspires them to greater and still greater crimes.  Money never inspired a king; it was the feeling of power which he held over a people that urged him on.  And this is the urge behind the Federal Reserve System.

It must be thrilling to those who would rule to see the drying up or flooding of the Nation's money supply, and watch and hear the people's shouts of joy, or pleadings for bread.  Certainly I am sure that when they see men of all calibres bending their knees in recognition of their power, when they see the Congress meekly do their biddings, when they rebuke a president and he takes rebuke humbly, that most dominant characteristic of mankind, the desire to be top dog, must have full flowering.  From the small grocery to the vast industrial empires, there is someone in the organization who repeats, that his underlings may not forget, "I'm boss around here."

The course of the Federal Reserve System could not be dominated by greed, for greed can be satiated and certainly the ownership of the United States does that; it must be impelled and dominated by the desire to go one's own way without obstruction or interference.  And this desire has never been satiated.

If the feeling of power and a desire to crack the whip over their fellowmen had not been the ruling passion of their minds, if they had been prompted by a great ambition to obey that deeper, finer impulse of man, to help all mankind, the Federal Reserve System could have been, even in private hands, the most beneficent institution men could desire; for certainly the men directing the Federal Reserve System could have turned great producers like Ford, Wilson, et al, to the task of seeing that every citizen of the United States should be educated, well-clothed, well-housed, and well-entertained; and they would have gotten as big kick out of seeing this product passing over their assembly lines as they have watching cars, TV s, gadgets pouring forth in an endless stream.

I believe that the Congress could do that.  At least, the oath they take commands them to do this.  If every citizen in the United States would make it a rule to read the Constitution at the breakfast table, when all members of the family are assembled; then repeat the "Preamble" each day, especially just before taking any important step, within one generation the might and power and brawn and know-how of America would convert us into a beehive of happy, industrious, prosperous (individually) people, and that our war engines would be beaten into implements of industry, while no nation on earth would be seeking to destroy us.

Being such good friends to ourselves, we would in turn be such good friends to the rest of the world, that no one would hate and seek to destroy, but all nations would seek to emulate our way of life.  Read in current Reader's Digest the threatening situation growing up between Canada and the United States . . . and the core of it is that our oil men have gone in and practically taken over Canada's oil and gas resources . . . not as men bent on pouring wealth into Canada but with a definite purpose of siphoning her wealth out of Canada.

Were these men dominated with a desire to see Canada enjoy her natural resources, they would go with their know how, and not with their "power of dollars," and that almost ideal relationship which has existed since we gained our independence, would be reaching new glories.

I am not concerned about what other nations think about us, so much as I am about what we think of ourselves.  I believe that when we set up an ideal democracy here, the rest of the world will seek to emulate us.

The Congress of the United States can create money and keep the people's deposits and cash and clear their cheques, as a "public service," directed toward meeting the conditions of our "general welfare," without special favours to anyone, with all citizens enjoying an equal service, as they administer the post office business.  They would no more think of denying the smallest citizen enjoyment of the privilege of borrowing money than they would think of denying the smallest citizen the privilege of sending a letter through the mails.

That's why the Constitution provides that; Congress shall have the power to coin money and regulate the value thereof.

The battle is not against past leaders and present leaders, nor do we have to concern ourselves about foreign powers. . . our task is a simple, practical one . . . let Congress take back the power to coin money and regulate the value thereof, which they have so carelessly entrusted to men who are impelled by an acquisitive mind, with all love of mankind shoved far back into the limbo of forgotten things. Congress can set this house of money in order.  Congress must set this house in order.  Nothing else will meet the issues of life; nothing else in life can grow to full fruition until this is done.

This is not a political issue.  There is no ground for thinking as a liberal or a conservative, as a democrat or a republican.  This is not a battle between the rich and the poor.  It is meeting that standard of the "general welfare" we all subscribe to and proclaim as the goal of America.