The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1877-12-27
Tie Nesting Saturday Night.

Elsewhere will be found a call for meet
giving some expression to the convictions Of
our people touching the great question of the
hour. The call is signed by farmers, mer-
chants and mocha mics without regard to par
ty, The EAGLE has had considerable 10 say
upon this question Of late. The gold gam
blers, nor the bond holders, nor corporations
can long direct the legislation of the country
when once the people are awakened. There
is great and growing discomfort through
ont the country, and ia spite of She convic-
ton of the people that legislative tinkering
with our money is a dangerous proceeding
still the cry goes up for relief The people
are coming 10 see that the painful process of
reducing prices and shrinking values, which,
while 1t promises prosperity in some I'M
certain future, prosperity based on bed
rock, OF specie paying basis, nevertheless
they see too that the only present benefit il
to the untaxed, reproductive annuities CT The
bond holders. All other values are reduced
in value. The silver men are not repuia-
ti0nis:s in any sense, but stand ready to meet
lie spirit and letter of the bonds. A large
proportion Of the public debt is not payable
even in coin. The very act which provide.
for the legal tender also provides for the five
t. enty bonds. The act itself declares In SO
many words that coin shall be paid for the
interest OF the public debt, but that the notes
provided for by the same act shall be a law
iul tender in payment OF ali pubic debts.
The law reads:
.sSueh notes, herein authorized, shall be re-
ce;yable in payment OF all taxes, internal du-
ties, excuses and debts and demands Of every
kind due TO the United States, excepting du-
ties on imports and all claims and demands
against the United States of every kind what
ever, excepting for interest upon bonds and
notes, which shall be paid in coin; and shall
also be ldwfA meney and legal tsnder in pay
Inent OF all debts, public and private in the
United States, except duties on imports and
interest as aforesaid"
by the above act equity and justice are sat
isfied il we redeem all the ye.twenty bond,
with the same kind of money, OF the same in
trinsc value IL bore when it was issued.
Now in 1869 the Congress, in order 10 stop
the complaints of growing. grumbling bond
holders, passed resolution declaring all the
public debt should be paid in coin, except
where the law expressly provided something
Ali Wall Street shouted then, but
now that silver has been deprecated by the
same power. they raise another howl, asking
that the word coin be changed to '.gold."
Our readers will understand that the EA-
GLE makes no particular claims 10 either
financial sccumen or far-seeing statesman
shp-that it is as plain and unpresumins in
its assertions as nine out OF ten OF its readers
among the farmers of this valley upon all
these abstuse subjects, but they do know
that, while We have held against imitation and
for ultimate specie payments As the only true
road to enduring prosperity, that we still
have been utterly and vehemontly opposed
TO the destruction of silver as money. If we
arc wrong we want to be convinced of that
wrong, a. does every honest man. Let us
have an interchange of views next Saturday
night.
We might add that our delegation in Con-
sress is certainly sound. Senator Ingalls,
IS the author of the silver bill; Senator Plumb
denounced the decentralization trick in a
speech at Wichita over year ago; Ryan,
Haskell and Phillips are for silver, the latter
gentleman having made a splendid speech in !
congress in its behalf upon the passage OF
me of the House bills