The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1871-02-18
FROM MICHIGAN.
DErRoIT, Mich. Feb. l4th, 1871

ERWM MlOMlWhNS
DErRoIT, Mich. Feb. l4tb, 1871.
70 The EDITOR Of the woRKmsMAES Advocate.
If you have room in your valuable
paper place the following before the
public:
The question has often arisen in my
mind of late, what is the matter how
il it that 50 many are out of employ
ment have received scores of let
tiers within the last two months from
Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Buffalo,
New York and San Francisco, asking
where work can be obtained, and TO-
day from Nashville, Memphis and New
Orleans. | find one-fourth of the me
chanics and laborers out of work, and
twenty-five per cent. of the balance
working on short time thousands OF
families wanting bread, and thousands
of our merchants on the very verge OF
bankruptcy. Even in this city ouI
merchants lock as if there was a cloud
of gloom settled over them. They are
bitterly complaining that business il
dull and money tight. Some hoped
that the war in Europe would help us
Others are praying that the coming
spring will make better times, but
fear that their prayers nd hopes will
be in vain. The cause of all this trouble
is in Washington. 1t is ID the house and
Senate. 1t is with the Executive and
the Secretary of the Treasury. It is
from there this cause of want Of en-
plOyment comes. 1t is in the stupid
recommendation Of the Executive, and
the still more stupid policy adopted by
the Treasury Department. Why is il
that at every corner you hear men say
money is tight and business dull ? Is
it true that money is tight If so, why
let it be tight to the injury of the ma
tion and the people? If it Is that that
10 stopping business, why not do as
the Dutchmsp did by his dog, chain
him loose? Have we not the power
Are we not a sovereign people, hold
ing the power in our own hands, Can
we not create the medium Of exchange
to carry own business under our own
flag? And have we not the material
and bullion to settle balances with all
natiOns2 What, then, is the matter !?
What is the reason that thousands Of
merchants and business men should be
thus driven Ito almost despair, and
hundreds of thousands Of our working
people to want and misery? We have
the iron, the coal, the timber, the cat
tie, the cotton, the wool and the labor
er. Then, why all this distress Isit
possible that the policy adopted by our
Government is brewing this trouble
However sad it may look it is a fact,
and our Government is directly charge
able with the state of things we find
to-day. Why did not the Government
pay off its debt as it agreed to do?
Why pay gold when the legal tender
was promised Why did the Presi-
dent assume the authority of promising
gold for a debt that he we'll knew was
payable in the legal tender of the ma
ton?
There can be only two reasons Civ
ed why he did it, or why the CongI ess
allowed it to be done, and those rea-
sons are that he and they did not know
the facts, or that they did know, but
we're determined TO rob the toiling peo-
pie. If they did not know the facts in
the case, then the people should as
soon as possible put them out Of office
for their Ignorance. II they did not
know them, the people ought to put
them out for their assisting to rob the |
and build up banking corpora
lions, which are crushing out the very
life pt the nation aud the people.
Hat the Government done her duty,
money could not have been tight nor
business dull. She would have paid the |
lebt as it became due, as was promised
md expected, in the legal tender of
he nation, under the law of February
'5th., 1862, authorizing the issue Of the
iye-twenty bonds. The law is plain
lud cannot be misunderstood. The
interest and duty on imports are made
payable in coin, but the principal Is
payable in legal tender notes. The
aw distinctly says that such United
states notes shall be received the same
Is coin at their par value in payment
or any loans that may be negotiated by
he Secretary Of the Treasurer, and all
he tive-twenty bonds were created aft
r the passage Of this law. Had the
secretary Of the Treasurer acted n
.ood faith toward the people it would
ave been impossible for money to I
ave become tight or business dull, for !
G would have paid off the debt as it e
ecame due in the legal tender. Then +
the holder ofthe money did not want \
/, he could have given them bond, t
caring three per cent, allowing them Z