Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-02-15
Finh Assembly Dist. Judicial Convention
Greenbacks Unconstitutional.

Tho Supreme Court 10y a majority
Of one, and he Chief Justice Chase,
has ut last decided that the act Of
Congress making grecnbacks a legal
tender in discharge Of debts contract
ed before the passage Of that act, is
unconstitutional Tho bulls and
bears of Wall Street, and the hard
shell tribe Of hard money grabbers
throughout the country, have oaptur-
ed the majority of that court and
rejoice in the republication Of old
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS edict; every body
must fall down and worship the
"golden image" that the Supreme
Court has set up.
We insist that no court can decide
what q nation OF millions Of people
shall use as money 1t is clearly q
peoples question, and the courts de-
cision will be regarded as any other
essay on financial questions. 1t will
he respected only so FAR as its rea-
soning produces conviction. There is
no hired ponsionor Of the gold ring
that could not have fortified his po-
sitione with moro plausible reason
jngs than tho Chief Justice. lie ap-
pears, In his argument, 20 be con-
aoious that the people will not now
believe him 20 DO sincere; that they
will remember that he urged as n
military necessity, the passage Of the
very law he now pronOuncos "a viola
non of the constitution. All the
Judges admit that Congress, having
power TO declare war, could use all
necessary means 70 carry Is on that
Congress could issue duo bills and
promises 70 pay money for that pur-
nose hat o majority of the Court
arc Of the opinion that Congress
could not mako these bills legal
lender for anteeedent debts. Be-
cause the Constitution prohibited the
states and Che Northwest territory
from making any thing but gold and
silver q loyal tender, they extract
from these prohibitions what they
call the spirit Of the Constitution,
and argue that the general govern
ment must be bound by the same fet-
tcrs rs bind the States. The major
ity have overturned all the known
rules of Interpretation, and havo fot-
tered the general government for the
worry reason thst tho Constitution
left il tree BY like reasoning it
could be shown, that inasmuch as
the States are inhibited by the Con-
stitution from levying war, coming
money, and making treaties, there
fore the general government cannot
do these acts. If there be two con-
situations, the one literal and the 9TH
err spiritual, combining the States and
general government within the same
prison limits, it follows that the gen
eral government cannot make its pa
per q legal tender even for subse-
quent indebtedness, for the States
have no such power.
The Chief Justice admits the au-
thority of the general government
to issue its promissory notes, rs in
cidental and necessary to its war
power, but argues it was not neces-
sary TO give this paper the character
and power of money. Whether it
was necessary to make them legal
tenders for Iall debts, past or future,
was,clearly question for Congress to
decide,lnot for himself. Here he en-
ters the broad domain Of legislation.
lie manfully contends that the
greenback currency aud notes would
have been worth lust as much as
they were, even it Congress had not
made them legal tender He saws
the people received them solely RELY /
ing on the credit Of the government. |
10 is true that in the year 1870, when
the United States stands without q
rival, tho most powerful and prosper
GUS nation on tho globe able to
crush and disarm all domestic foes,
and -fat defiance all foreign enc
mes. while corporate and individual |