Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-08-11
The Policy aud Pets of Radical
r "a i'm Denounced.
Proposed Measures of Relief.

! race of life, the land, water, air, and all
natural clements are cannon gifts, and
governments are only trustees to guard
against their misapphcation, and that as
trustees they have no right to ALLEVIATE
without the consent of the owners freely
given; that all class legislation, whereby
these original and common elements, or
| the proceeds of the same enhanced by
intelligent labor, are perverted from their
original design, and made to inure to the
benefit of producers and injury of con-
sumers, is wrong and subyersiye of the
purposes of good government.
That all able. bodied, intelligent persons
should contribute to the common stock,
by ueeful industry, a sum or quantity
equal to their own support, and legislation
should tend as far as possible to the
equitable distribution of the surplus pro-
ducts.
If these propositions are true, our gov
eminent is wholly perverted from its true
design, and the sacred names of democra-
CT and repubiicanism are synonyms of
despotism, and the parties represented
thereby, as now organized, are engines of
oppression, crushing out the lives of the
people.
We need only point to the facts that in
this benefcent country of unlimited re-
sources, with the land annually groaning
beneath the products of human effort,
the mass of people have no supply be-
yond their daily wants, compelled, from
unjust conditions in sickness and misfor-
tune, to become paupers and vagrants
Pauperism and crime are prevailing ques-
tons of all modern craftsmanship, and it
is with these we have to deal How far
these evils are connected with the abuses
inflicted on labor, superficial statesman
| ship seems to be unable TO perceive.
The chattel of slavery has been abol-
ished, but the rights and relations of labor
stand just were they did before emsnci-
patton. In respect to the division of its
| products, the difference lies only in
the methods of abstractmg the results,
and concentrating them in the hands of
The few capitalists, now the masters, who
| dictates terms, and thus all labor is prac
| tically placed in the ssme condition as
| the slave before his emancipation. In
thus placing it, the interest of all labor
becomes common, and they must light
the battle in unity if they would succeed.
What, then, are the instrumentalities by
which these wrongs are inflicted! They
! are:
l. Banking and mcnied monopolies
by which, through ruinous rates of inter-
est the products Of human labor are con-
centrated in the hands of non-producers.
| This is the great central source of these
wrongs, in and through which all other
monOpolies exist and operate.
| 2. Consolidated railroads and other
! transit-monopolies, whereby all industries
! are taxed TO the last mill they will bear,
for the benefit of stockholders and stock
| j0bbers.
3. Manufacturing monopolies, where
by small operators are crushed, and the
price of labor and its products are deter
| mined with mathematical certainty, in
the interest of capitalists.
| 4. Land monopOlies, by which the
! public dOmsin is absorbed by few spec
ulations and spectators.
| 5. Commercial and grain N 5nopolies,
! speculatipg and enriching their bloated
corporations on human necessities.
We propose to restore the government
| to its original purpose, and, as far as
practicable, TO remedy these evils and re-
move their result.
l. By establishing a monetary sys-
TEN based on the facts and resou rces of
the nation, in harmony with the genius
of the government, and adapted to the
eXigencies of legitimate commerce. To
this end, the circulating notes of the ma
| tional and state banks, as well as all cur
Tency that is not full legal tender,
| should be withdrawn from circulation,
! and paper currency issued by the gov
eminent, which shall be q legal tender in
| the payment Of all debts, public and pri-
vate, duties on imports included, and de-
! clared the lawful money Of the United
! States. This currency or money to be
| interchangeable at the pleasure of the
holders for government bondi, bearing
! three per cent. interest, and the govern
ment creditors to have the privilege of
! taking the money or the bonds at their
election, reserving TO Congress the right
| to regulate the rate of interest on the
bends, and the volume of the currency,
! 60 as to effect the equitable distribution
| of the products of labor between money
or the non-producing capital and produc
! tive industry.
2 By paying the national debt in
strict accordance with the laws under
/ which it was originally con tracted-gold
! where specifically promised-bus all other
/ forms of Indebtedness, mourning the prin-
! cipal of the $40 bonds, shall be dis
charged at the earliest option of the gov
eminent in the legal tender currency or
| lawful money of the United States, with
cut funding it in long bonds or in any
way increasing the gold paying and IN
/ taxed obligations of the government.
s. By preserving inyiolate the public
| domain to actual settlers, tillers of the
! soil.
4. BY a tariff for revenue alone: be-
! lieViLg Sc We do that the reduction of in
| terest to Just rate will do more to in
! crease The rewards of labor In all depart
ments of useful industry, and to encour-
! age the Development of agricultural, min
eral, manufacturing and mechanical re-
/ sources, than any system of laws that can
be devised.
By restraining, or if needs be,
| abolishlng corporate monopolies, inter-
dic;iDg class legislation, aud combining
national legislation to national objects,
subjecting the military to the civil
authorities, and reducing the army to a
strictly peace standard and confining its
operations to national purposes alone.
By requiring that in ali future
WIS the means necessary for their prose
cution shall, as required, be called from
the wealth of the country, and net en-
tailed on the future earnings of labor.
Z. By adopting an Indian policy fouC-
ded on natural justice, by which many
valuable livt S and many millions of money
will be annually saved.
s By hoidr G legislators to a more
rigid accountability by requiring the sub
mission of the annexation of territory and
other fundamental laws affecting the
general interest of society, TO vote of
the whole people.
! 9. By prohibiting the importation of
coolies or other serWle labor, and pro-
tecting labor from all unnecessary bur
dens.
10. By encouraging cooperative effort
and the building up of manufacturing
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