The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1871-06-17
FROM CALIFORNIA.
SAN FRANCIsco. June 6. Is


To the Editor Or the woRkxoxAEs ADVOCATE
The proceedings at our labor meet
ing last evening were unusually inter
esting. The question under discussion
was " CURRENCY" The opening speech
by Mr.. Hennenger, gave history Of
money, its uses, objects and purposes
from the earliest dawn Of civilization
down to the present time when in
llue of fostering industries it was alb
sOrbed for speculative purposes and
controlled by corporate bodies, the sole
Object Of these combinations was for
the purpose Of robbing the Industrious
people. Mr. HIS deductions were very
logical and conclusive; he started out
With the hypothesis that money, first
used as an instrument Of exchange,
came finally to be considered as an in
strument Of production-a position
which labor had to concede from these
circumstances ofinevitable viscissitudes
which are the lot Of mortals, and which
1t is not the purpose.of established gov
ernments to correct.
The eloquent address Of the evening
was made by Mr.. John Mason, an auth
or of celebrity on the financial issues Of
the day. Mr.. Ms remarks were prin-
cipally confined to the efforts which the
issue Of legal tenders and expansion of
the currency had upon our national in
dustries, the comp elsation for deprecated
paper by universal prosperity, the
evil efforts of the present national
bank currency, and by very ingenious
argument explained the injustice Of
contraction for the purpose of raising
the gold standard of government pa
per, and the hasty and authoritative &C.
ton Of the treasury secretary. Mr.. Ma
sons interesting arguments were enrich
ed by referring to historical facts,
drawn from a memory that appeared
to be stored with an lllimi.atabls supply
of knowledge on every point affecting
the money question.
Mr.. NJ. il one Of those evidences
which prove that the workingmen need
not 90 out of their own ranks TO find
minds capable Of handling the most OBJ
truse questions, for this gentleman is
a son of Crispin who gains his bread
by the sweat OF his brow, and on that
brow, phrenologically -peaking, bene-
violence is large. TIE subject of cur
rency goes on for further discussion at
our next meeting.
The address is still In the hands of
the printers, which is particularly IN
fortunate at this juncture, while 30
much dissatisfaction is expressed by the
adherents OF the other parties. The
railroads are exerting powerful intlu-
ence, and the question is often propoun-
ded ifthese unions ostensibly organized to
resist the encroachments Of capital ;r.I
not the creatures Of these monopoIists.
and even the Labor Union has not es.
capped from the universal distrusts which
prevades the honest portions Of the com
and to this cause is doubtless .
70 be imputed the slow progress which I
the organization has made since its in /
ceptiOn here
The invitation to the industrial or
ganization of this city, to attend the
meetings Of the Labor Union, have met
with no response. One would almost
be led to believe that the workingmen
were totally Indifferent to their present
ar d future fate, and to Judge them by
any other standard then my own feel