Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1868-08-07
The B0ndholding AristOcracy.

THE Democratic platform, and orators,
and papers, with the old Democratic pol
icy Of exciting the poor against the rich,
and "the people" against the Government,
not only insist upon paying the debt in
paper, but demand what they call one
currency for the laborer and office holder,
the pensioner and the soldier, the producer
and the bondholder. This is, of course,
intended as "gag," and it is the very poor
est kind. 1t is meant to suggest that there
is lazy and luxurious class of the COM
munity, bloated aristocracy of bondhold-
ers, whom the virtuous and toiling "Demo-
cracy" are to bring to grief. 1t is worth
while, therefore, to expose this aristocracy
and privileged class, which is fattening
upon the life e-blood of the nation. Who
are these rascally fellows who are to be
made to suffer?
Beside the three or four hundred milli-
ons of the bonds held abroad, mainly in
Germany, they are the investments of saw
ings banks, of fire, marine, and life insur
ance companies, and of trust estates AS
we have before stated, the savings banks
in New York hold nearly fifty millions of
dollars: in Mas ssachusets twenty-five mil
lions; in Rhode Island thirteen millions,
and so in other States. The life insurance
companies in the city of New York invest
twenty millions of dollars in these funds;
the marine and fire insurance companies
about forty-six millions of dollars. The
various guarantee companies in New York
hold hundred millions of United States
stock. Probably, as careful estimate in
the EoeaaSaag Post showed, at least two
thirds of the funds are owned by such
companies.
Having thus discovered where the money
is, let us now inquire who are the proprie-
tors of it--who are these lazy rogues that
put money in the savings banks, and snap
their fingers at the toiling "masses? ?" In
the State of New York the depositors in
savings banks are nearly five hundred
thousand in number, and in Massachusetts,
more than three hundred thousand. The
Post, of which we have spoken, had before
it a list of the occupations of the principal
depositors in one of the savings banks of
this State, and we find this body of Sy
barites to be composed of persons who
are even more laborious than delegates to
Democratic Convention. All the
branches of hard workers are represented
in this army. The largest in the number
are domestic servants; then technical la
borers then seamstresses; 4th, the clerks;
5th, tailors; 9th, walters; and 7th, cart
men. This is the luxurious aristocracy
which is to be brought low. These are the
useless members of society, who, having in
vested their all in the promises of the
United States, are now to find these prom
ises as valuable as brown paper if the
Democrats can only persuade the people
to repudiate.
1t is against this pampered body, against
domestics and seamstresses and clerks and
walters and cartmen-it is against the
poorest and hardest working members of
society, that the Democratic Convention
raises its cry of reputation. When these
persons invested in the Government bonds
the Government told them they were to be
paid in gold. Pay 'em in paper" shout
the Democratic leaders. When they took
the bonds the Government declared them
free from taxation. "Tax 'em roundly,"
cried the Democratic leaders. "But,"
plead the poor laborers, we lent money
to save the Government" "Ho hop
scream the Democratic chiefs, didn't we
tell the Government four years ago that it
couldn't save itself and ought to surren-
der? If you trusted it you must pay the
penalty"
If the people care so little about it that
they permit the Democratic chiefs to OBJ
tain control of the Government, they will
pay the penalty, and they will deserve to
pay it-Hd1per's Weekly.