The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1869-09-11
THE 'tTRIBUNE, ON THE LABOR
lPLATFORM.

lPLATFORM.
The 4TbUne Is still in a most unhappy
conditiok Of doubt, its sCiId Deductions ssfrom |
UatdeT kTenatses," seems to be lite chronic |
conditich. 1t claims that the mistake OF |
the LahSr Convention at PHILADELPHIA con-
sisted b makiOg . discrimination between
and in faVcT Of actual manufacturing, az. |
ricultuIkl, and other useful capital, the ma
tural Al cumuDations Of industry and busI-
ness, al contradistinguished from bank cap
ital, or the legali1sd mode Of robbery in-
cluded in national and other banking laws.
II says "the resolution demanding the abo-
lihon d banks, whether authorized BY Ma
tional n State laws, is one Of those resOlu-
lions Abich might have been passed Gen.
tury asb BY the weavers Of Eogland. who
protesthd against the introduction Of ma |
cbinerd az destructive Of the means where |
by meH earned their bread, and was, there
fore MT to be endured. There is not
a man facturer or any employer Of mechAn-
icsl LABOR in the United States, to whose
busineSu banks are not Indispensable" Now
in this khe TribuMk asserts what is not true,
and it Toes it with the obvious design to CO
YER upItbe iDiquity Of banking, by holding
up to New the value Of a paper medium OF
excharke.
The labor Congress has not denied that
busInds men must have . paper medium
and reliable One-but, on the contrary,
the n Solutions contain q specific deelara-
ton ID favor Of such paper. They show
that circulating the national debt the
people Jean have the only reliable paper me-
dunn. Tho Tribune further claims that
make he green0acks convertible into bonds
sand hey will be equal to the 6ve-twenties
10 valte, that the reason they are worth 20
per ct0t less than bonds lie because they
draw 10 interest, are redeemable at no fixed
time, md have been wrongfully deprived of
their kconvertible power" To this last
clausdwe cay amen. But we would like to
inquiI how they have happened to rise so
sudde ly, under Mr.. Boutwell's gold theory,
from t02.3 up to 122. IL the sole csnse of
the pprecistiOn Of the RreeDback was its
not b caring interest and inconvertlbility into
bOndt why was it not at such a discount
befOr. Mr.. BoutwelPs gold theories were
rrOcl lined! We answer, for the 7ribune's
enlightenment, that Mr.. Boutwell,, ia assum
ing Il pay bond in gold, which was then
due DID payable in greenbacks, in violation
Of DIV and the sacred rights Of tho people,
gave Ehe bondhOlders the right TO hold that
bond or twenty years unless paid 10 gold at
Gel Consequently it gave the boDdhold-
ers Q right to FIX the price Of the bonds
and to make the government stock job
bingburvevor submit to the terms thus pro-
posed. Hence Mr.. Boutwell, is paying %
per dnt. premium for bonds which he should
purcy Ease at par.
BIT to return to the Iribunss article. Ii
clailbs that the donations OF millions upon
nill BINS Of acres Of land to railroad comps-
MES and then furnishing deprecated $40
bonds to be aold at Q discount in sufficient
| QuA HhAetoe ~ UuAAu tuo AOouy 10 bOs vi Jul"
GUS Monopoly so long as the people have an
! Opp1rtunity, outside Of these donations, TO
settle upon the public lands. Now. the La
Dor Congress has spoken upon this rascality
Ddfoutrage in fitting terms, aud the 7ri-
bwn4 lie not well satisfied with its utterances,
but the great mass Of the people will res
pong to IL s sentiments expressed by the La
Dor CODgr ess with q hearty amen. Bot
wbdher the Tribune understands the outra-
geOts land monopoly which Congress has
thu created or not, the people are kgianing
to u lders:and it,and the condensation which
the1 will soon utter will be heard in urmis-
akNable tones of dissent and of condemna-
tior
| FIT why should We stop to handy words
upoh this subject when every sensible man,
witt his eyes wide open, knows that the mo-
ney1power of this nation has corporate ger
quiAites twice as great as that of any other
atkon, and that it is welded with o rod Of
iroA over government and people. What is
noIwrung out of them by interest and tax
att 10, is absorbed BY telegraph, express and
raj, road companies. From the Atlantic to
thef Pacific, too, these companies are being
cdtolidated BY means of stocks double and
rel ls the amount Of their capital. This in
crel Use Of capital is met by . corresponding
incl lease of tarifEs, and the government,
Std e and Natl oDal, is little else than clerk
shiA to aid in fixing their tolls.