Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1872-08-13
Spirit 0f A1ffersoll.
Charlestown, Jefferson County, West Va.
TUESDAY MORNING, AUGUST ts, 1872.
lFrom the Pennsy lvani ian anb LaborTribune.1
Grant and Greeley, and Much Else
z. N. Burdick. M d


| DEAR SIR :-I have just received the La
| Dor Tribune of yesterday, read it rapidly. and
| purpose to notice brify some of its items and
first your own, on the 5th page of the paper.
in which you state the relative positions of.
Greeley and Grant in regard to money or cur.
rency, which are practically the same thing
nothing but medium of exchanging valu.
able things, which valuable things are the
equivalents and paying powers, the money or
currency only Convenience to effect the
results created by the agreement of the whole
people Tor that sole purpose, and never in
tended to be used as commodity for sale, or
| speculation, or investment. And as it was
intended for the convenience" of exchange.
when created, it never did hurt it never could
or would hurt any one but when illegiti.
'mately and fraudulently used, as it has been,
for the purpose of sale, and speculation, and
Investment, it is of all the pernicious things
not excepting sin-the vilest evil ever in
troduced into this world since the FALL of man.
Far better to go back to barter, when each
man, looking to equivalents and weighing
labor against labor, could not be much cheated.
than use this furtive, clandestine, invisibls
and fraudulent agent; used as it now is. and
perverted and abused as it is I regard it as
the cause-peryerted it is-of all the pov.
erty, and crime, and wretchedness now extant
Oh earth and cursing the children of men,
And yet you truly state the questionable
main question of our creed-on this subject,
as between Greeley and Grant Notwith-
standing the idea We had at the Columbus
convention, when Greeley was voted for, and
the idea derived from his own paper, that
3.64 per cent. was enough interest on govern
ment bonds, and by consequence enough on
private bonds and dues too; yet Greeley, in>
dorsed by the Cincinnati convention on the
hard money platform, and accepting that plat
form, just as much as Grant, truckles, bows
down and worships the golden calf of the days
OF Moses, or the golden pillar of Nebucbad-
nezzar-the beginning and cause of all the
woes OF mankind, from those times to the
days we live in. Those idoatries were hard
money, and nothing else and these are tie
ldoatrles and worship of the rich to which
Greeley and Grant now, both Of them, kneel
and truckle, and to which both of their parties
kneel and tucke, because they think thew
cannot get at the "loaves and fshes"-the
honors and emoluments of place and power
without the aid aud couutenanoe of our own
modern Nebuchadnezzsrs! [ think they are
equally mistaken in their calculations. I
Know the power OF money. 1t was once om-
nlpotent, when sutfrage-political power-was
confined to money, or as it is falsely styled,
capital; but now we have universal suffrage.
and when the people are taught not only to
know, but to use their power, both Greeley
and Grant will learn, and their insolent deyo.
tees and hackers too, that voting or fighting
two millions of men who have, through hard
money idoiatry robbed and plundered them,
are not their absolute masters forever! But.
as L was about to say, you have truly stated
on this point their common status and SER
Witty to the golden calf and s.golden pillar"
OF the rich-the bond-holders, the bankers.
the railroad kings and other hideous and in
famous monopoiles-when you say ''Greeley
goes TOR specie basis and return to the old
State bank system and wildcat currency, and
Grant does the same thing. The Greeley
party and the Grant party believe in and work
for organized capital They both 90 for
money against men. They both stand in ad
miration and fear of the almighty dollar
They both respect money more than men,
Both these parties sold"-and l fully
agree with you,-"body and soul, to capital
and will do all in their power to make it the
supreme ruling power in the nation. Neither
hold out any relief for the working classes
they caJole them, lie to them, make fair
promises, talk very smooth, and by turns in,
woke both heaven and hell for their votes."-
All this is SO, and thus far we agree to a dot
but as to the balance, aud ''the milk in the
cocoanut." "But Greeley is not a monarchist
and Grant is. Greeley is man of brains and
Grant is not. Greeley is the great average
American, while Grant was, up to the time of
the accident OF war, nonentity. If we are
forced to choose between the two evils we
shall take Greeley as the least, on purely per-
sonai grounds" say "as to the balance and
the milk in the cocoanut," 1 am greatly per-
nj vat. SS1uh, nt, T =
on horseback, as his insolent, infatuated, and
beastly followers represented him, and shouted
to him, IN the Philadelphia convention, is
Pollyphemus easily and willingly made drunk,
aud you can "bore out his eye" if you will.
with "mere bodkin 2" But Greeley, backed
by all the patronage that Grant now wields,
aud the two thousand national banks, and the
railroads, and all other monopolies, is a much
moro formidable monster. He is Briareus
with his. fifty heads" and lone hundred
arms" Nowwhat is poor bedevilled Labor
Retormer to do in this strait, and situated as
we are. Why vote, or fight, and perhaps
both; for as you say Horace Greeley used
to cry con to Richmond" )" he is now crying,
con to the White House. Who knows but
general will be required to carry out his de-
mand." I, myself, think it highly probable
a'general will be required y and my consola-
sion is, that when ''rogues fall out" honest
men may, possibly ''get their ownp' We
shall see and take the chances!
Well, | said there were or two other
items of this issue of your paper, and this, as
all OF your issues, pregnant with instructions
to workingmen, from the day-laborer to the
farmer and producer who is worth half mill
lion, as against the money power, and railroads
aud monopolists, to which I desire to advert
But, fear have taken up so much time on
your own topic, that must be limited as to
others, and even touch what do lightly.
wish to say to your correspondent j. l..
B. that he has uttered in prose, and garnished