The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-10-17
IugersOll on Imitation.

. The solid good sense as well as the brilliancy
Of Bob lngersoll appears in his handling of
the financial question in his speech at Terre
Haute, as follows:
There are some other questions. One is the
question of finance. Everybody you ever
heard on the subject was dry, 1 presume.
Our greenback gentlemen tell us that the
government in some way supported US, and
Can 10 some way furnish US money. do not
understand it that way. The government does
not support us. We support the government.
The government is an everlasting chronic old
pauper. Everybod has to throw in bis share
for the support of the government and every
body does throw it except Tilden. daughter
and cheers. The governmensis simply an agent
to carry OUT your will The idea that you can
live upon your agents, upon the men you em-
ploy; that they can make your money for you
You might as we'll say that my hired man could
issue certificates of my indebtedness to him
for me to live on. (Laughter.) They tell me
that the government can make money upon its
sovereignty; that that makes money.
The other day saw piece of silver bearing
the sovereign stamp OF Julius Caesar. julius
has been dead about two thousand years. but
that piece of silver was worth Just as much as
though Julius Caesar was at the bead ct the
Roman legions. Was it his sovereignty that
made it valuable? Suppose he had put his SOW
regnty on piece of psper; it would not have
been worth any more than a Democratic plat
form after election. But they stick to it that
the government can whack a little sovereignty
on a piece of paper. What is the use of SOW
ereignty on oue-dollar bills? Why not make
ten dollar bills? Why not make million dollar
bills at once, so we Can all be millionsires? If
the government Can make money, why don't it
make what money it wants, take the taxes out
and give the balance to as? loud laughter }
Why should the sun get candle from us?
Mr.. Greenbacker, If your doctrine is correct,
say IN AXE all the money you want, take the
taxes out, and send me my share. (Renewed
laughter)
Now, it seems to me, il our Government can
make money by impressing its sovereignty on
piece of paper. don't you think it is heartless
ana cruel to be following us day after day, with
bayonet behind us and saying: "Pay your
taxes or We will put this bayonet into YOU?
Let me ask you another question. Is it pos
sible that certificates of indebtedness can be a
basis of wealth, especially to the debtor? Mr..
Greenbacker, why don't you 60 one step farther
and make law that every man shall take
every other mans note? Then we would have
| all the currency we desire. There is this
! trouble in the greenback currency; you have
| got to have something to measure values. That
| which measures the value of anything must Do
| of the value of the thing it measures. La otner
| words, a dollar in gold will buy the same
| amount of labor in every other direction that it
| took to make that dollar, taking into account
| the work that was done digging Tor the gold:
| You have got to have standard OF value OF
| the thing you measure, otherwise there can be
no measurement