The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1875-07-29
to icon them alive from sun to sun.

the farmers, by the name OF Grangcrs
have been driven together to consult fol
the general interest of agriculture, be-
cause that interest has been entirely lg
nored.
What spectacle it would present i
the curtain should be lifted, and tho
realty revealed to the eyes of the people
Why, here are forty millions of people
more than eight millions of them voters
engaged in all the avocations of life
about two-thirds of them cultivators o1
the soil. Now lift the curtain, and lei
us see who occupy the seats in Congress
That tells the tale.
A majority of the whole number are
bankers, bondholders, stockholders, OF
persons vitally interested in making laws
for their own benefit. so that the rich
may become richer, and the poor poorer,
Suppose that the farmers, the laboring
people, the manufacturers, the merchants,
the shippers, and all the great industrial
classes Of the United States, were repre-
sented in that Congress in proportion to
the interest they have, how many bank
ers would be there? They would be
crowded out. They are not one per cent.
of the voters of this country, and yet in
point of representation in Congress they
amount to about eighty per cent, and
the other twenty per cent. of the people
amount to very little more than disfran-
chised units, having one great and pre-
cious privilege, that being the privilege
of paying taxes. Now, the Democratic
party intend to right up this state OF
things, if possible. What have these Re-
publican leaders to offer to the people,
what do they propose to do?
Nothing but to get on their knees and
ask pardon, and then turn around and
whisper, "Can't we get up something
about Catholics? Can't we get the great
American family by the ears on some re-
ligious question, and while they are pull
ing and fighting each other about reli-
gion slip in and get possession of the
Government again?" If we can't do
this, then we ought to begin to pack
laughter, for the warning given us last
year, when the people, without intrigue,
silently-so silently that on the election
day there was hardly man to be seen
speaking q word about the election
sadly moved up to the ballot-box, and by
sending an immense majority to the
Lower House of Congress and carrying
about twenty-one States in favor OF the
Democrats just signed dismissal to the
Republican lawmakers, saying we have
no further use for you. Laughter anu
applause. That is what they did. Is
there any denying it? What produced
this tremendous change in the minds of
the American people? Perhaps full
million of these very men, forming part
of the great Republican army, had con-
fided for years in their public men, but
they had confded to their sorrow. They
saw the country drifting to ruin as fast
as the impetus of the storm could carry
it. They saw, and they see now every
dav. the losses by whisky rings, Credit
Mobilier rings, salary grabbing rings,
District of Columbia rings, land grabbing
rings, Pacific Mail rings, Custom-house
and Indian rings, these latter brought
about by the connivance of Custom-housc
officers and Indian agents. These I'M
mense larccnics are committed upon the
peoplc. for every dollar they steal from
the public Treasury has to be taken out
of You're pockets by the taX-gatherers.
That is the fact about it. The Govern
ment can get no money except from
taxes, and every fellow that runs off with
a dollar of the taxes makes it necessary
for that dollar to be put on you next
year.
But these gentlemen who are making
such hue and cry about "rag money"
have no word of depreciation for the two
thousand National Banks to which we
| pay twenty millions of dollars per year
| for the blessed favor of furnishing us q
currency. And what kind of q currency
do they furnish us? Is it not rag cur
rency? Is it not made out Of the same
material out of which greenbacks are
constructed, and is it not redecmable in
greenbacks Then why is this species of
rag money better than the greenback,
and why should we pay this enormous
sum every year for the privilege of hav-
ing currency redeemable in greenbacks
when we can have the greenbacks them
selves and save our twenty millions OF
dollars? If we could hear the clink of
the coin on the counter when we pass a
National Bank bill to its maker for re-
demption, there would be q distinction
with difference between the two kinds
of money. But while the National Bank
rag is only redeemuble with greenback
rag, and the faith and prosperity of this
great Government is pledged to redeem
the greenback, it seems to me that the
greenback is the preferable, as it certain
" is the cheapest currency. To call the
ereenback worthless and an irredcema-
Bic currency is to impugn the honor and
credit of the Government. Upon the
face of each note is printed, ''The United
States will pay to bearer - dollars:
1t does not say when it will pay it, as it
does in its Understanding bonds, but it
nevertheless solemnly promises to pay
the amount.
The matter Of the payment of either Of
the series of the interest-bearing bonds
rests entirely upon the honor Of the Gov
crnment. There is no power under
heaven to compel the payment of any OF
our bonds if the Government declines tc
do so. Therefore, what right have the
Republicans to say that the Government
will pay one class of its honestly con-
tractcd Indebtedness and refuse to pay
another? The obligations of this Gov
ernment will all be paid. The people
will not allow reputation in any shape
Their moral sense rcvolts at the idea
But say our Republican friends, yor
Democrats have hard-money record