The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1868-08-28
An Irishman's View of the Bond


An Irishman's View of the Bond
Question.
The Decatur Gazette reports the
following conversation that occurred
between q prominent Democrat and
an Irishman of that city, recently.
For convenience it designates the
parties as Jack and Pat:
Jack-How do you like the Dem
ocratic PLATFORM
Pat-I can't understand it; would
ye be afther explaining it to me- all
about the Bond question?
Jaek-Oh, yes, with pleasure. You
see the rich men own all the bonds
and the poor men have TO pay for the
bonds. .e....--.
Pat-The divil ye say; is thasthe
way2
Jack-Yes; and now the Demo
cratic party propose to pay off the
bonds with greenbacks, and thus
everybody will be treated equally.
Pat--Is that in yer platform ? o
Jack-Not in so many words-but
that is what it means; and now, Pat,
l want you to do all you can for our
party-bring all the boys out to all
the meetings and .o
Pat-Hould on, Jack; will yer
paying the bonds off in greenbacks
make the poor man as rich as the
bondholder?
Jack-Not exactly; the bondholdel
will have his in greenbacks, where
we can tax them. spr
Pat--Thin there will be all green
backs, and money will be plinty. and
we'll git gold for our greenbacks, il
We elect Seymour? & a
Jack-No, not exactly; there il
not gold enough in the country.
Pat-Thin we are not to have gould
at all. How in the divil are ye going
to pay Off the greenbacks?
Jack-A part of it will be paid of
by taxation, the money we take from
the people for revenue, and stamps
ETC., and as the greenbacks get Horr
by constant handling we will print
new ones.
Pat-I see; you propose to take
the debt now carried by the rict
bondholders and divide it among
these people, rich and poor alike, by
forcing the .bondholder to spend his
money for property.
Jack--Exactly-you are learning
fast, and you see
Pat Hould on--an idee strikes
me. If the government debt is all in
greenbacks, and thin in circulation,
how many cords ef 'em will 1T take
to buy a cord of wood?
Jack--I cannot exactly say what
they would be worth--that will reg
ulate itself. But, by the by, Pat,
could you pay me that little note you
owe me? 1t was due yesterday, and
/ need the money very much
Pat-Yis, 1 know the note is due,
and I'll pay eaccordiDg to the Dim
mecratic platform.
Jack-What do you mean?
Pat-I name I'll give you fresh
note for the one ye have.
Jack-There's nothing about Civ.
ing fresh notes in the Democratic
platform.
Pat-Yis, ye said we'd pay the
bond off in greenbacks, and both OF
them are promises to pay of the same
government Yes give one promise
to pay for another one, and I'll give
you . fresh promise to pay for the
one We have now. The note you
have now says ten per cent. interest /;
the new one will say without interest,
and no time set for its payment.
Jack-But this is an individual
matter, and the other is govern
ment matter. You honestly owe me
and promised to pay me yesterday
Your proposition is to cheat me out
of my money.
Pat-An' its chatein' ye out of YOU
money, isit ? An haven't l as good ,
right to chate ye as the government
has to chate the wlddies an orphan.
whose money is all in government
bonds. I'll pay ye on the Dimme
cratic platform