The workingman's advocate., 1876-07-15
PROF. WHITE ON THE AssIGNAr.

Banking to perpetuate their piracy under
the imposing cover of pretended specie
payment, il we were not in like condi-
ton with Esop's frogs-lt may be sport to
them, but 1t is death to us. One Of their
favorite modes of attack through pen
stoned press, is a species of sepulchral
dramas over the horrors of an irredeemable
currency written by some mummy pro-
fessor. This delectabls species Of wild cat
literature is almost universally drawn,
either from the Mississippi Bubble Act Of
John Law, or the illegal issue of paper by
the confederate colonies Of North America
now known as the United States, called
the Continental, specie Redemption
obligation repudiated, or the land dis
tributing, and land redemption issue, or
that spawn of Revolution known as the
''assignat" Of France.
Oh what an ocean Of crocodile tears
has been shed over these ''iTredeemdbleS"
by those who desire specie redemptions,
to devour the hard earned substance of the
people, without paying for it This species
of gold payment robbery, is now generally
known as the Sherman bill, which provides
for redemption in specie by 1879. This
up by the paper, gold earning gentry to
close up for their special benefit, the re-
suits of the robbery and desolation of war,
by funding the balance Of every species Of
non interest bearing paper, and floating
Indebtedness of the general government
in an interest bearing gold bond. oh, how
benevolent and honest these men are
How IT shocks their moral sense to have
his forced loan-the greenback and frac-
tlonal currency circulate, and not yield in
terest to till their Golfers. Senator Sher-
man says, this disgraceful forced loan ought
not longer to continue. 1t is convenient,
cheap and safe money for the people. Why
don't bear gold interest. But if it is made
TO bear gold interest it is all right, the Ma
tional honor and faith is redeemed-re-
deemed, did We sayi By whom, and to
whom-by the people to the paper owners
and dealers. This then, is to be, by this
funding act, perpetual forced loan out
Of the people for the special use Of the pa
per issue dealers, and for nobody else. Well
this paper in the beginning was
forced loan out Of the people, for the same
purpose-they only paid commodities and
coined 1t in blood on the battle field But
| what wrong did this forced loan do the
paper dealersl They furnished no commod-
tiles, fought no battles, and lost no blood
all the battles they fought, all the cam
paigns they went through, were at Wash
ington, drinking champaign, and drilling
Congress in the art of piracy upon the peo-
pie; and the benefit Of these campaigns
may all DE summed up in the acts of Con
gress limiting the issue of greenbacks, re-
| peahng the convertibility clause Of green
backs into bonds making the interest
| payable in gold, and that crowmng infamy,
Il hAAtNh as bAiC publAI
ing act, among the first acts of Grants
administration, by which the paper bond
ed debt Of the United States was legisla-
ted into gold, whereby $500, 600, 900 was
legislated out of the people into the pockets
of their oppressors- pirate paper
money Kings. The military reputation OF
Grant was ased to make him President-a
figure head to dignity that steal, and the
series Of fifteen years piracy is to be wound
up by the gold bond interest funding Of
the balance.
All the party machinery and robberies
Of revenue thieves, if not Of the treasury
itself, is being brought to bear by the Re
! publican leaders to consummate this un-
paralleled villany. While on the other
side, the dead carcass Of slavery propaganda
ism Of Tammany, Tweedism, and every
device of stealing Of Lombard and Wall
streets outside Of Republicanism has been
galvanized into life in that valley and
shadow Of death known as democracy,
and between these two thieves the people
and their rights are to be crucifed, and
laid In the grave until called forth by an
other Revolution These are the solemn
issues before us, and pensloned presses are
goading the people on, as i'll days of yore
under slavery, they Voaded on the conflict
through which We have just passed.
In the Times Of last Saturday is contain
ed one of those sepulchral articles against
paper initiation, by professor White, of
Cornell University. 1t appears that this
tripod professor has collected all the infa-
tlon Of the ''aSsig1dt" into a volume, a gas
bag, ornamented with copious notes, and
sage reflections Of the hard money specie
redemptionists He is now prepared to
sally forth with Hudibrasic valor TO battle
down all opponents Of hard money, that is
all men who do not believe that money
which circulates as the medium, for the
exchange Of ninety-nine dollars worth Of
property, should be exclusively, the sub
lect Of redemption, by Law, by one dollar
out Of every hundred in specie-for the
proportion Of gold and silver to that u all
other species Of property, does not exceed
one per cent.
Well what was this horr1d "assignat"
about which, Professor White and the
Times descant so learnedy 1t was
not an attempt 10 found an irredeemable
paper money system, but revolutionary
scheme to use large body Of land AZ cap
ital, not by sale Of the land, but by pledg-
ing al undivided portion of it, for the re-