Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1840-10-15

per dav. And II N Iact that many oi
these Iaborers have said repeatedly, they
could not realize orer 60 cts. per day Tor
their labor, and those Of them who can
obtain credit ut all, have to give as high
as 81, 90 per bbl. Tor hour-the cash
price Of that article being less than 3d.
80. So much for the "false" statements
in the lornler communication on this
branch Of the subject.
Again, Mr.. NJ. says-that "it is false,
that the last cash payment these poor
laborersreceived was in French gold Of
the denomination Napoleons, which they
were obliged 10 take at SO 81 l-2 and
pass at $3 IS sc. SC. but that the
last cash payment was made in $50 bills
Of a Bristol Bank, in American gold, and
a small part in Napoleons-that the
Napoleons were paid out ai the value
siIixed to them by LAW and not at SO,
81 l-2." In the first place, it is Of no
sort of consequence how many or hom
lew of these Nupoleons were paid out TO
the laborers-ihe principle is the same,
and ] luke the liberty to say, that Mr..
Mason will mol deny, and dare not deny,
In 4 some of the wofkmen at Fort Adams
received their eniire dues in those coins
with perhaps the exception Of trfe by
way oil change, and that they received
them at the value Of 1886. This, ! say,
Mr.. Mason will not, and dare not DENY
and further, that not one of those pieces
were exchanged or could be exchanged
even for "Bank rags" at the counter Of
either Of the Banks in this town, for the
amount at which they were received by
the laborers on Font Adams. The wri-
ter Of this article received from one Of
the Mechanics employed on that Fort,
number of those identical Napoleons,
in payment Of debt, and offered them
ut one OF the banks in this town in ex-
change for paper, and the cashier Of tha,
bank (who l believe knows rs much
about the value Of foreign coins as the
iirs, Lieutenant of Engineers on Fort
Adams,) refused to give over S3, az
cts. which he stated, and n"w states, is
all they are intrinsically worth. And
every intelligent man knows that like
Spanish and Portuguese gold, they are
simply an article Of merchandise, and
huctua,e above their real value (Which
is fixed by the mint standard agreeable
10 their weight and fnencss,) in consc-
quence Of the greater or less demand for
them, and according to the variation oI
exchanges between this country and Eu-
rope, aud The European colonies. il
there is any iav that will oblige citi.
zen Of Newport to take French gold Of
the denomination NapoIeons, for $3.50,
or that makes them legal tender at that
amount, would he much obliged Il"
AIr. Mason TO point it out, for the espe-
cial benefit of the good people Of this
town, including the cashier Of the bank
alluded to, who says he has been very
much pestered and annoyed Of late, with
this last emission by the Government
agents, Of the true Locofoco Bcniomion
cmrency. After he, Mr.. Mason, has
done that, rs he informs us that he il
first Lieutenant Of Engineers at Fort
Adams, md Of course ought TO know
something about figures, l will give him
a small sum to do IF one silver franc
is worth 10 81 cts. how much is gold
Napoleon or 90 franc piece worth? lie
may easily arrive at the correct result by
the simple rule Of three, and it may save
him some trouble hereafter. So much
for the value of Napoieons.
Now the charges made in my commu.
nicaiion in your paper were, simply these
that when Van Buren, stated in his
letter TO the working men Of Philndel-
phia that "the ten hour system had been
adopted by his direction, and had been
carried out on all tho Public
Works, and that this mitigation Of labor
had been accompanied with no cores
ponding reduction Of wages"-he stated
what he knew or ought to have known
was false, and that the editors Of the
II. |. Republican when they reiterated
and echoed that statement were endcavor-
ing to give currency to what they knew
10 be false, and asserted in evidence of
this asseriion-the tdcfs-thnt the wages
of the Iaborers on Fort Adams had been
reduced and considerably reduced-thnt
they were obliged to trust the Govern
IneIIt, OT 80 CoHtIdC'eu w uO, u'ltII hVIH
next for that miserable pittance--a and that
the last cash payment they received, was
in coin at n rate ADORE their intrinsic, or
even current value. Now when Mr..
VI. will prove that either Of these char
ges is not essentially and substantially
Irue, will publicly acknowledge l have
done Mr.. Van Buren and the editors of
The Rhode Island Republican great in
Justice, and not till then. / farther feel
i duty to state, tha, have no personal
il feelings towards Mr.. Mason, never
having seen him to know him in my life,
,ut ho has seen ft to descend from the
station that he fills under government
he duties Of which | have no doubt he
8 fully competent to discharge-nn md
las in the capacity ola s'cin riiness, at
empied TO GeienG the character and mo-
ives of MIR. Van Buren,, and the con.
luctors Of the Rhode Island Republican,
'gainst plain and palpablc charge of
made by citizen of Newport,
gainst those individuals; charges known
o be strictly true by every intelligent
erson 10 this community and takes
pon himself to pronounce those charges
false" ] say If Mr.. Mason has 80 far
nronttop Tho dutics of his stntion ne IN III