The daily Argus., 1874-05-13


Some one sent me copy of your paper
in which are three clear falsehoods con-
corning myself:
the Movement. so small that few could
control IT,"
tried TO keep it in the hands of over
three hundred thousand of the wealth,creC
ato,. of the State, and out of the hands OF
'cne few non. producers that are robblng Us
of all the profits of our labor, IN order 10
stop the robbing. =,
Lie No. 2. I was never inside OF Y an
kee woollen mill.
Lie No. 8. am not in favor of protec- |
ton. but am in favor Of so adjusting our
tariff that the largest amount of revenue
may be collected, irrespective of the effect
upon our manufacturers.
In the report of our proceedings at De-
catur you viii find upon page 100 how
much of protectionist | am
But you are right on one point: | am
not in favor of that exploded humbug of
the Democratic party, a specie basis cur
rency, which deluded and robbed the peo-
pie every time. | am in favor of currency
based upon the credit of the nation, cur
rency that cannot be manipulated to make
the rich richer and the poor poorer, and
one fact alone is sufficient for me on this
point, viz: That the men who have be
sieged Congress all winter to procure con-
traction and who procured the veto of the
currency bill, are the men who fatten upon
the necessities of the poor by making mon
ey scarce and consequently dear.
Try again you only injure yourselves,
not me. Yours, s. NJ. SMITH.
*The following is all there is on page log
upon the subject.
sM Smith, offered, as a substitute for the sew
enth, resolution demanding the repeal OF the du-
ties on clothing, lumber, salt and iron the princI-
pal articles used by lhe Industrial classes-as they
were oppressive to labor, and tended TO create mo-
su a. s III I y
Smith said they had 20 meet much pr ldice utside
OF the state on h snbiect II the auesrol affect
ed Illinois only, II would make no difference. There
were Free Traders and p otectionists In the East,
and as his resolution simply demanded the repeal
OF taxes upon i've staple articles used by the rich
and the poor,no more would be asked and harmony
maintained.
The substitute was adopted without debate
REMARKS BY THE ARGUS.
Mr.. Smith was opposed to admitting all
the voters of the State into the Independ-
ent Movement who subscribe to the Deca-
tur platform, and he was terribly beaten.
1t is said that only two votes out of the
whole convention we're cast Sin favor of
keeping up the bars against people who be-
leve in the Decatur platform. Mr.. Smith
acted good deal as some of the old fossils
in the late Democratic party used to--they
didn't want anybody in the party who -,as
likely to have any influence in a. -
policy. Mr. Smith was be- W
:. . 70 ,.octrine that MAORI
the wealt' = WI o''i'''' 00o'N
man 'I-'''' " -
.agement the new movement would
need no help from anybody else. But a
he can't do that, the most practical way t
accomplish any real reform is for thos
who agree on any given policy to act to
gether and carry out the reforms on whicl
they are agreed, no matter what their oC
cupations may be. That's the view tn
Advisory Board took of the matter, an
that's the view the people take of it.
Mr.. Smith stated to US, at Hillsdal'
that he learned his trade in a factory
is no matter whether it was Yankee on
or not. He was once believer in the mt
nopOly doctrines of the protection pirate
His present tariff views are exactly righ
we are now glad to say-exactly the vieV
of the Free Traders.
As to the currency Mr.. Smith is just
wrong as he can be. He and the Wall sire
gamblers agree exactly. Either we ha'
read history wrong or, of all devices
make the poor poorer and the rich rlche
paper money is the most insiduous al
dangerous. Thomas II. Benton said
IF we're going to establish a workir
man party ,tEhould be on the basis of hal
money--a hard money party against p
per money party. Paper money banks tel
TO aggravate the inequality of fortunes,
make the rich richer and the poor poOrt
to multiply nabobs and paupers. Pap
money is injurious to the laboring classe
because they receive no favors, and &
price of the property they wish to acqui
is raised to the paper maximum, whl
wages remain at the specie minimum"
And Henry Clay said:
IF there be in regard TO currency o
truth which the united experience of t
whole commercial world has established
had supposed it to be that emissions OF !
per constituted the Uery lC0rst Of all CO
ceiUdbLe species of currency The objt
tiOns to it are, first, that il is impractical
to ascertain q priOri, what amount can
issued without depreciation and secor
that there is no adequate security. and
the nature of things, none can exist agail
excessive issues.
Gen'l jackson wrote -
''The Constitution of the United Stat
unQuestiOndbly intended to secure to
people a circulating medium Of gold a
SiIUer. The paper system being tOunC
on public confidence, and having of it,
no intrinsic value. it is liable to great
sudden fluctuations. thereby render
property insecure and the wages of la
unsteady and uncertain.
John G. Calhoun thus expressed h
self:
The banking system concentrates
places this power in the hands of th
who control it, and its force increases
in proportion as it dispenses with metz
basis. Never was an engine invented
ter calculated to place the destiny OF
many in the hands of the few, or less
vorable to that equality and iudependt
which lie at the bottom Of all free il
tutions,"
Daniel Webster said:
"Of all contrivauces for cheating the
boring classes of mankind none have
more effectual than that which del
them with paper money. Ordinary ty
nv. ODDrpSQi0n pxcpQSiva taxatinp z