Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-09-22

pose of getting his vote of hoy
much more he can buy with tn
same amount of money in gold
over and above what could pun
! chase with paper currency. III
. fOrgets to tell him that his wage
: win be contracted, always a little il
J advance of the price of provisions
But we will see how much trutI
!. :. there can be in regard to the reduc
!, ton in the prices of the necessarie.
of life when we have the gold to pay
!. for them.
, During last winter, in many por
!, tions of Tennessee and other States
! corn was sold at from ten to fifteen
cents per bushels; about One-half OF
the cost of production. Wheat was
sold at from sixty to eighty cents
per bushei in Tennessee and Ken
lucky. Taking into consideration
the many crop failures, the average
cost of production and getting it to
market is about seventy cents. Pork
sold at from four to five cents net.
This is less than the average cost of
production, when the number of
hogs lost by disease is considered.
Manufacturers of all necessary sup
plies in the way of clothing, have
said frequently during the past few
years, that their goods were being
sold for less than the cost of pro-
ductlOn, and have in many instances
closed their mills, or reduced the pay
of employees on this account. Rail-
road Companies have carried freight
at from thirty to forty cents per
thousand miles, and passengers at
from One-half to one cent per mile.
Now suppose we resume specie pay
ment, farmers, manufacturers and
railroads can work for no less than
they do, and, therefore, no neces-
sary supplies can be purchased for
less with gold than they can with
greenbacks, except, perhaps, coffee
and tea, and the difference in these
| articles would be so small that the
consumer would never see it.
The law of supply and demand
and not the resumption of specie
payment will govern the price of all
necessary supplies, and the same
cause that will make a general re-
ductiOn in the price of all necessary
supplies will reduce in the same pro-
portion the wages of the laborer.
To interest bearing bonds, the con-
traction of the currency, and to the
corruption of officials, must be at
tributed the general depression in
all classes of business, and the prin-
cipaI cause of all trouble entailed
upon the industrial population of
our country.
The troubles caused by the con-
traction of the currency can soon be
remedied after the meeting of Con- |
gress, provided a majority of its
members have honesty and indie |
pendence enough to resist tempta- |
ton, and defy the power of the cap
italits and bOndhOlders.
The troubles entailed upon us by |
intereSt-bearing bonds may be to |
some extent remedied, but not easi-
ly abolished. Our children for gen.
eratiOns to come will feel the effects |
something is soon done to check |
their mighty power. Not another
should be issued, neither by the
National, State, County or Munich
pal Governments, under any cir
cumstances, nor for any purpose
whatever.
If the money that is now invested
in interest-bearing bonds within the
United States was invested in agri-
cultural, manufacturing and other
industrial pursuits, every honest la
bOring'man would find work at pay
ing wages, his family supplied with
all necessaries of life, and labor and
capital being compelled to acknOwl-
edge the necessity of each to the
other, would be bound together
in friendships strongest ties. AS a
proof of my assertion / will for eX-
ample state: $4,000 invested in
farming, with land at so per acre,
will furnish employment to ten Ia
bOrers. The same amount invested
in many of the manufacturing en-
terpriSes will employ the same num-
Der hands, and 81 900, 900 invested in
manufactures will employ from 100
to 500 hands, whilst 500, 200, 600 in
vested in interest-bearing bonds will
not furnish employment to one
single labOrer.
Now, Acknowledgment, before
close | desire to say few things di-
rected especially to you. l claim
this privilege because | am work
ingman myself. My father and my
grandfather before me were work
ingmen, and l am proud of my an
cestry. One of the principal mon
sters that is ruling you with rod
Of iron is interest-bearing bonds.
You can not destroy all of their
power at once, but by combined and
determined persistence you can do so
gradually. You can enforce the
payment of both their interest in
greenbackS. You can demand that
they be assessed and taxed as other
property. You can insist upon their
gradual redemption and greenbacks
issued in their stead. You can pre-
vent further issue of interest-bear-
ing bonds by either National, State,
County or City Governments. You
can insist on greenbacks being made
a legal tender for all dues within the
United States Government. BY
united and determined efforts, prop
erly directed, you can again bring
prosperity, peace and plenty to not
only the industrial classes, but to
the entire country. But this can
not be done by riOting and blood
shed and the destruction of proper
ty. Nor can it be done by strikes.
1t must be done in accordance with
the laws and Constitution through
that which is the right of every free
man, the ballot box.
Vote for principle and not far par
ty, for honest men and not political
Vote for no man,
because he is a Republican, or be-
cause he is a Democrat, but vote for
him because he is honest and true
and will advocate to the best of
his ability the principles you wish
to see carried out. There is nothing
in the name of a party. Ifthe prin-
ciples of the Democratic and Repub-
lican parties had ever been as good
as their names, our country, to-day
would be in a prosperous condition.
Partyisms work for the good of the
politician and OfficehOlder, and mo-
nOpOlieS and bOndhOlders, and not
for the industrial classes in general.
If an honest man holds Office, and
has ability and firmness enough to
do his duty, it certainly should not
matter with the farmer, the mer-
chant, the mechanic, or any other
working class whether he is called
a Democrat, a Republican or by
some other name. Principle and
not party, is what we need now, and
. l.