The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1868-02-06
these loyal, gold exacting money lenders
propose to take the property left by those
whose lives were sacrificed for their coun-

propose TO take the property lett ny thOS'
whose lives were sacrificed for their coun
try.
To the lender of money to the govern
ment when its existence was in peril, L,
one has ever proposed to do less than t
return to him the money borrowed, and it
interest, according t. toagreement. To hin
who took advantage Of tie necessities o
his government and purchased its securi
ties at less than their value, we propose t.
do the same thing; pay according t.
law.
Now as every man wants his investment;
to be sure, undisturbed and paying, would
it not be wisdom in the holder Of 5-20s
matured and maturing, to accept payment
while he can make money bv SO doing, as
| have demonstrated, instead Of endeavor
ing to force the people to acquiescc in ar
unjust and illegal demand?
Having answered the question asked by
the Journal, from the position of 4 bond.
holder which it has assigned me, l will add
few words more:
The class of money lenders to which the
secretary Of the treasury alludes. who take
advantage of the necessities of their GOV.
ernment, and purchase its securities al
less than their value" are, Of all others,
the most clamorous for gold, and the loud.
est in their protestations of loyalty and of
their sacrifices for the government. Gov
ernment is supported by taxes. The
blood and money of the people sustain it.
Pay these men in gold, as they demand,
and where is their sacrifice for their gov
ernment? Who sold government securi-
ties at less than their value, and whY
were they SO sold? Did honest, loyal
money lenders and tax payers demand the
sacrifice? Was it not rather that class of
men who created governmental necessities
Cor the purpore of dishonesty supplying
{" and taking advantage of them" who op-
posed just system of taxation, because it
would have brought to the knowledge of
the people the extent Of their robberies !;
and who, by all the appliances of money
to corrupt legislation, occurred the funding
of non-;nterest paying legal-tenders into
government security which exempted the
holder from taxation; which security,
when offered in the market, they immedi-
ately sought to depreciate, until in their
possession, at less thar its value and now
seek to appreciate by forced construction
of the law and by the continuation OF an
unjust and unequal system Of taxation
The charges Of bad faith against the ad-
yocatcs Of the early redemption fthe ma
tured and maturing 5-20s, according to
law, come from this class Of bondholders
They will raise this or any other cry
which they think wilenablc them to hold
their wealth exempt from all taxation
They want the industrial and producing
classes Of the country to make their bonds
worth dollar for dollar ID gold. They in
tend that all laws shall be such as their
interests dictate. 1t is this class of men.
blind to their own Interests, really, as
we'll as hostile to the interest of the tax
payer, and every man engaged in active
business, which seems anxious to create
monied aristocracy to own a mortgage on
the nation to be paid, principal and inter
est, by the producing classes, a thing
which cannot exist in free government
without destroying its character.
1t is easy to foresee what, in this coun-
try where but a small fraction of the peo-
pie are bondholders, must be the conse-
qucnce Of such efforts. Bondholders
should not deceive themselves as to what
the people ask Now they ask that one
mortgage upon their property and their
labor shall be paid when due as provided
in the bond, and this just demand is met
with Iaprr citation apI ,niSronroc.ntotIop
But bondholders will learn that the peo-
pie know what they ask that no sophistry
can longer deceive then; that no party
lines or platforms can bind an overtaxed
people in their support, especially when
injustice in some form, has surcharged
almost every act Of legislation Of the party
in power. Yours, &C.,
a. p. EDGERToN.
Fort Wayne, Ind, Jan. 20, 1868.