The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1875-01-30
THE ONE THING NEEDrUL.

Y The Changers movement appears to be,
so far, as barren of any great results as
are the laborunions Of workingmen. While
the panic" demoralized the latter it had
no effect upon the former. Each move
ment. as well as any other effort Of the
farmers and mechanics to help themselves,
always meets with the combined opposition
Of the monied rings, the press, and the
twas a cunning device Of the latter to
bind down the Changers to political mac
ton, as Changers. 1t was like proclaiming
to well organized army, raised purposely
to conquer public foe, that each indi-
viduai soldier might skirmish and fight on
his own responsibility as a Republican ora
Democrat. but nothing must be done by
the army AS an army. No better device to
secure defeat could be imagined, and II we
ave to believe the partisan press, which Is
prone to II isrepresent any movement It has
reason to fear, the Changers have been
cheated pecuniarly as well as politically.
They are ssid 10 nave lost so many thous-
and dollars here and there, through dishon-
est agents, etc Every effort has been
made to discourage them by showing the
folly of tner movements, and its utter
hoPelessness.
The Changers. like the working classes,
are crushed and plundered by the specula-
tive monied rings. But neither party yet
sees clearly what it is figuring against. The
former struck against the railroads as the
nearest oppressor, and strenuous efforts
were made to get rid of the army of mid
die men But the railroads and middle
men are only part Of the oppression. They
are mere outworks, yet thoroughly sup
ported ard defended. The common enemy
If farmers and workingmen is the vast CON
s"lidated monlcd contederdcy. greedy and
INSCRIPTIONS, controlling alike the federal
and state governments; yearly grasping its
untold millions. and increasing itspower to
buy public men by wholesale. And this
potent enemy reaching his hands into every
mans pocket, through its tools, forbids
the Changers to work otherwise than
through the Republican or Democratic
parties And what have those parties be-
Gomez Scarecrows to brighten each other,
while the leaders are gorging themselves
with the spoils.
II there is a prime necessity of the hour
it is that farmers and workingmen should
combine together as vast individual party
knowing nothing Of Republicans or
Democrats, and utterly ignoring the guild
ance OF control Of the politicians. They
must trust to themselves, and the men in
their own ranks They must have plat
form not merely denouncing political and
financial rascahty, but setting forth a plan
IL financial reorganization that will over
throw and break down the power of the
monied rings 4 majority in Congress and
the States will enable them to accomplish
Having such majority, what should
they do! L+gislate the national banks out of
existence, and replace their labor-robbirg
notes by currency issued directly by the
government to the people-the same to be
a legal tender for all public and private
debts, interconvertible with registered
bonds, bearing rate Of interest not to ex-
coed 3.65 per cent. per annum.
What would be the effect of such a
change upon the oppressive banking and
monied despotismsl What its effect upon
the establishment Of industrial enterprises
and home markets in every locslityl What
its effects on thu drones who live on inter-
est Would it not add to the pecuniary in
dependence Of the producing community,
and save them countless millionsl Every
reformer must probe into our financial sys-
TEN, and reform that before any apprecia-
ted benefits will attend their efforts.