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Betsy Gaskins

“That every star was an eye looking down on me with pity.” (CHAPTER XXXVIII.)

BETSY GASKINS (Dimicrat), Wife of Jobe Gaskins (Republican)

Or, Uncle Tom’s Cabin Up to Date

By....

W. I. HOOD

With Illustrations

from Original Drawings

by C. B. FALLS

And an Appendix

Edited by K. L.

ARMSTRONG

CHICAGO:

THE WABASH PUBLISHING HOUSE

No. 324 Dearborn Street

Copyright, 1897,

By W. I. HOOD.

All rights reserved.

Notice.—The illustrations in this work are engraved from original drawings from life, and their reproduction, except by special permission from the publishers, is prohibited.

Betsy Gaskins.

Jobe Gaskins.

PREFACE.

THIS book is written for a purpose. It is founded upon actual occurrences. Betsy and Jobe Gaskins are characters well known to you, if you will but reflect upon events coming under your own observation within the past few years.

The author claims no inspiration or gift of genius. This is only a simple statement of facts deserving 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.

“GOD, by giving to man wants and making his 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.

“THE 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 Page
I.Jobe Sets and Studies[15]
II.An Argument on the Money Question[22]
III.Jobe Sleeps in the Spare Bed. The Dream[27]
IV.“The Comers”[38]
V.Jobe Must Raise $2,100[43]
VI.Betty, the Drivin’ Animal[49]
VII.They Drive Old Tom[53]
VIII.Another Letter from Richer[61]
IX.A Few Reasons by Betsy[65]
X.Is there a Woman in the Barn[69]
XI.“In Town”[73]
XII.The Decision[78]
XIII.Jobe Cheers Up[84]
XIV.A New Mortgage[89]
XV.Jobe, Out of Trouble, is Unruly Again[93]
XVI.Jobe is Scared[97]
XVII.Jobe Sleeps in the Barn?[104]
XVIII.The Spittoons[111]
XIX.A Big-headed Man[118]
XX.Bonds Sell Well[121]
XXI.The Sermon[124]
XXII.Jobe Working to Raise the Officers’ Salaries[128]
XXIII.Plan to Relieve the Rich of an Expense[132]
XXIV.Them Promises[138]
XXV.Jobe Excited Over a Nomination[141]
XXVI.The Bloomers[145]
XXVII.“Them Populists.”[149]
XXVIII.Trouble with Billot[155]
XXIX.“Inforcin the Law agin Billot”[158]
XXX.Betsy Discusses “Fiat” Money[166]
XXXI.Jobe Blows a Fish-horn[180]
XXXII.At Court Again[185]
XXXIII.Judgment Rendered[189]
XXXIV.The Little White Rose-bush[195]
XXXV.Jobe Talks of Things that Are Gone[200]
XXXVI.Bill Bowers on the Fence[202]
XXXVII.Betsy Faints. A Vision[207]
XXXVIII.The Parting[211]
XXXIX.The Preacher and the Saloonkeeper[216]
XL.Them Rooms. The Director of Charities[228]
XLI.A Sore Hand[235]
XLII.Hattie Moore[244]
XLIII.A Family Reunion[249]
XLIV.After the Woe, then Comes the Law[256]
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]
VIII.The Laws of Property[393]
IX.Direct Legislation[401]

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

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]
6.Initial M[15]
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]
18.Ornamental tailpiece[37]
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]
24.Ornamental tailpiece[48]
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]
30.Ornamental tailpiece[64]
31.Ornamental tailpiece[68]
32.“Peekin through a crack”[70]
33.“Jist a layin it off with his hands”[71]
34.“‘Mistur Court, Gaskins is here’”[74]
35.“‘I ’bject’”[76]
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]
42.Ornamental tailpiece[88]
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]
47.Ornamental tailpiece[96]
48.“‘Now, Betsy, you see what kind of a party you belong to’”[98]
49.“So I went 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”[115]
56.“Lots of fellers jist like him”[116]
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 well?’”[121]
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]
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”[151]
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]
85.Ornamental tailpiece[179]
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]
91.“‘Ready’”[187]
92.“‘I am a 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]
96.“‘Mamma, ... how pritty!’”[198]
97.Ornamental tailpiece[199]
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.“‘Ile tell you, Betsy. Ive made up my mind to try them Populists hereafter’”[205]
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]
110.“I slipped over and put my face agin the glass”[229]
111.“The feller turned around and looked black at me”[233]
112.“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]
114.“I worked there three weeks”[241]
115.“Everything was cold and dark”[242]
116.Initial M—Hattie Moore[244]
117.“He teched me on the shoulder”[247]
118.“I got onto a freight train”[248]
119.“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]
127.The world’s oppressor[274]