The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1869-04-01

NutO 7t4lC AlAuIs hcnTJcu,
g1aoTnefh atj8essing floWas s la SoT
.kfaHc@ Sz-Boseo1s Adsey,eisess
10 sl.z-L1LeA--.e.-.- 3esif4s
The Federal Government in the HaEds of
so+h the Money Power.
We have shown in previous num-
bers that the mont producing money
rings, embracing the bank and bond
owners and all /, the gambling rings
that belong to their classes, for whose
benefit all the taxes are raised from
the toilfng millions, do not exceed five
per cent. of our population while the
laborers-the producing sclassesrwho
earn and pay ali the taxes, amount to
95 per cent.
The late elections, as is now seen by
the developments of the past few
mouths have placed the whole power
of the Government IN the hands of
this five per cent, who are now max
ing the l5eztAof their tine 20 SO perfect
their financial schemes as to draw the
largest possible revenues from their
95 per cent. of toiling dupes. ScHENcK,
the vaptain of the bondholdihg gfing,"
organized to plunder the 95 per cent.
of the people, laid down his program
me and enacted it into a law that
would now have been upon the statute
books haditnotl beenIfor thGWise in
reference of the late President JOHN
SON. The first silence that GRANT
broke after the election was to avow
himself the creature, the tool of the
shoddy FIVE PER CENT, and against
the toiling 95 per cent. .YsE.4 Il )Ogs)
We presume .Qprf readers are, all ac-
quainted with the provisions of
ScHENcK's bill 'stoi strengthen the
public credit, sorg1lled, and to which
GRANT pledges the support of his ad-
ministration. It is bill that usurps
the JUDICIAL power of the Govern
ment and lodges the same i'll Congress.
1t assumes to adialdtcdte upon one Of
the most important measures that ever
interested the American people. 1t
provides, by Congressional enactment,
to put false construction upon q
most iMportAPt HaYTIa eonstruetion
that is in plain violation of every let
ter of that law. And President GRANT
has pledged the whole power Of his
administration to carry out this infa-
nous measure that proposes to rob 95
per cent. of the people for the enrich
ment of theirehiainihg per cent.
The ScHENcK-GRANT law alluded to
provides that. every dollar of Gov
ernment Indebtedness shall be paid IN
gold, unless otherwise expressly stipu-
lated in the contract In support of
this extraordinary scheme of public
plumber. GRANT pledges all the pat
ronageI6fstheI goEernment; and says
that no one withholding his support
from the principle here set forth will
be Trusted in public place. zf5HeM IF
The purpose of these tools of the
money power and the stock gamblers
cannot be misnudersto6d. 1t, is SIM
ply to change the eontrqctnnder which
the go bonds (Which constitute the
greater part of the debit were issued,
and which were made payable in legal
neoaaey-well understood at the time
TO be greenback money-and to make
them yable'in gold or, TO add about
one-third to the public debit Now
the very opposite of the construction
put upon the law by ScHENcK and
GRANT is true. 1t has been expressly
declared by acts of Congress, and on
all occasions, that all contracts were
payable in green backs where not 9th
erwise expressly provided for; and as
between individuals, 9 Contracts ex.
presslya stipulating for payments il
gold have been declared to be only
payable in greenbacks. Let our read
ers examine the endorsement on thu
back Of ione of these "legal tender
notes. and they will ii find that it ex
presslg declares that it is legal ten
dersfor all debts, ."pas6lsf and private
Except duties,on Imports and inter
est on the public debit and IS eechange
able for o. So per cent. sIaoentl
gears Bonds, redeemable at the pleas
ure of the United States after Fiv
years. .4zf8:.af, 3 1sI .51s - z59ui- - g
Ogr readers cannot fail to see tina
neitherIegal or moral obligation rest
upon thelpeople to pay a debt in gol'
that was contracted in legal tender pa
per money, worth atrthestime of max
ing the contract no more than forty o
fifty cents on the, ldollar,Fand wher
there was no stipulation whatever t
otherwise than the interest in go1
and the principal in legal tenders.
These declarations of the bondhold
ers through their paid agents, whethe
the agents of 2 these "rings" b
ScHENcK or the PRESIDENT, cannot 81
aside the. original contract. And a
act of Congress changing the centra'
at this late day should be wholly di
regarded, and the conspirators again
the people, who would thus rob the
of six or seven hundred millions by
single enactment, to enrich these il
famous rings, should be punished fl
ther temerity in manner that sheul
hereafter prevent such Congression
brigandage such an incalculah
wholesale robbery. Why, the agsr
gate plunder of all the thieves, 70
bers and convicted felons oceupyil
cells in all the prisons in the Unit
States for the last century do n
amount to the half of this Congress
ional robbery sustained by Chi
Magistrate just mounted upon
prospective thrones. sAlI theErobberi
and confiscations of all the tyrar
and revolutionary robbers of Mexi
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