The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1868-04-25


Natienal Lnbur Reisrn Party
On Thprsany, AzEnat -. lee7.
We hold thsss truths 10 bs nsIf-svident,
that all men ere created equal, that thy nre
endowed hy thsir Creator viii certain ina
. nabls rights that among then ere life,
liberty and the pursuit or happiness that
10 secure these rights governments arc In
siitutsd among men, deriving their jost pow
ere from the consent Of the governed.
That there ere but two pure forms Of gov
ernment, the Autoosatio and the Democratic;
under the former the will Of the individual
sovereign 10 ths supreme Law, under the lat
Ter the Sovereignty u vested In the whole
people, al othcr forms being modification
on the enc or Ne other of thsse principles,
and that ultimately one or the other OF.
these forms must prevail throughout all
civilixed nations, and Il Ia now for he Amer
loan people to determine which Of the prin-
ciples shall triumph.
That the design Of the founders Of the Re-
public was TO institute government upon
the principle Of absolute inherent sovereign
" in the people, and that would give TO
each citizen che largest political and religi-
| GUS liberty compatible with the good order
| of society, and secure to each the right 70
euioy the fruits Of hi- labor and talents !;
| that when laws are enacted destructive OF
| these snds, they are without moral binding
| force, and it is the right and daty Of the
peopie to alter, amend or abolish them, and
| institute such others, founding them GpOn
the principles of equity, % to them may
seem most likely TO effect their prosperity
ane happiness.
Prudence will indeed dictate that iwpor.
tans laws long established should not be
changed for light and transient causes, and
experience has shown that the American
people are more disposed to suffer while
evils are siderable, than to change the
forms and laws TO which they have been ac-
customed. But when long train Of legisla-
tive abuses, pursuing invariably the same
object, evinces design to subvert the spirit
of freedom and equality upon which our in
situations are founded, and reduce them to
!, !. state Of servitude, it 10 their right--it ID
I their duty to abolish such laws and provide
new guards for their future security. Such
has been the patient suffering Of the wealth
producing classes Of the United States, and
such is now the necessity which constrains
them to put forth an organized and united
effort for maintaining their natural rights,
which are imperiEsd by the insidiool
schemes and unwarrantsd aggressions Of
INSCRIPTIONS bankers and Insurers BY means
/ of unwise and corrupt legislation.
We further hold-That all property OF
wealth ia the product of physical or inte-
iectual labor, employed in productive indus.
try and in the distribution Of the produc-
tons Of labor that laborers ought Of right
and would, under a just monetary system
receive or retain the larger proportion Of
their productions; that the wrongs, cppres-
sions and restitution which laborers are suf-
fering in most departments of legitimate en-
terprise and useful occupation, dc not 70.
suit from insuficiency Of production bu
from the unfair distribution Of the products
Of labor between non-produc.ug capital anC
labor.
That money is the medium Of distribution
to non-producing capital and producing
labor, the rate Of interest determining wha
proportion Of the products OF labor shall b
awarded to capital for its use, and what Il
labor for its productions that the power +
make money and regulate its value il u
essential attribute Of sovereignty, the exer
else Of which is by the Constitution of III
} United States wisely and properly granted t
} Congress, and it u the imperative duty o
Congress to institute it upon such q wis
and Just basis that it shall be directly unde
the control Of the sovereign people who pro
duce the value it is designed to represent
measure and exchange, that it may be cor
rect and uniform standard Of value, and dis
tribute the products Of labor equitabiy bet
ween capital and labor according to til,
service or labor performed in their pro
duction.
That the law enacting the 90 called Ma
tional Banki., system is . delegation b,
} Congress Of the sovereign power to max
money and regulate its value to class o
irresponsible banking associations, thereb,
giving to them the power to control the valu,
Of all the property in the nation, and to q,
the rewards Of labor in every department o
industry. and is inimical to the spirit o
liberty and subversive of the principles o
justice upon which our democratic repub
lican institutions are founded, and withou
warrant In the Constitution justice, reason
and sound policy demands its immediate re
peal and the substitution Of legal.tende
Treasury notes as the exclusive currency o
the nation.
That this money monopoly is the paren
4 CoaClGA
Of slavery-rsilroad, warehouse and all othe
monopolies, of whatever kind or nature, or,
the outgrowth of and subservient to thil
power, and the means used by it to rol
the enterprising, industrial wealth producinI
classes of the products Of their talents and
labor.
That as Government Is instituted to pro
tect life and secure the rights Of property
each should share its just and proper pro
portion Of the burthens and sacrifices ne
cessary for Its maintenance and peFpetuity
and that the exemption from taxation o
bank capital and government bonds, bearinl
double and bankrupting rates Of interest, !.
. species Of dangerous and unjust class le
gislation opposed to the spirit OF eur insti
tutions, and contrary to the principles o.
sound morality and enlightened reason.
| That eur monetary, financial aud revenu,
laws are in letter and spirit opposed to the
principles Of freedom and equality Lpor
which our democratic republican institutions
are founded. there is in all their provisions
manifestly q studied design to shield non.
producing capital from its just proportion Of
the burthens necessary for the support Of
the Government, imposing them mainly on
the industrial wealth-producing classes,
thereby condemning them to lives of un.
remunerated toll, depriving them Of the or
binary convtniences and comforts Of life
of the time and means necessary for social
enjoyment, intellectual culture and moral
Improvement and ultimately reducing them
to q state Of practical servitude.
We further hold that while these un-
righteous laws OF distribution remain in
force, laborers cannot, by any system Of