The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1877-07-28
Tie HaRdvsfkGs Of the Mississippi VALLEY
---eaeif Power and Responsibility.
An Address Delivered Before the n1i-
nois Farmers a ssociation. I'm the Sem
ate Chamber st Springfield. Ill, Jan.
IS, 1877.

nois Farmers a ciation. I'm the Sem.
ate Chamber &C Springfield, Ill, Jan
\ IS, 1877.
You have found that the governing ma
shinery Of your country and its financial
machinery is continually out of order
that it does not perfolm its work that il
is continually either breaking down OF
.rattling and jingling, indicating derange
ment. You have been told that these
great machines are too complicated for you
to understand or handle. You say if it ID
not more complicated than my thrsshing
machine, or my mower or harvester, / can
understand it you examine it, especially
the English financial machine you study
its construction and it's history, and it,
work you find it is q machine or system
that promises to pay gold when it has No
gold to pay, and can not get it it is q
system nnder which, while the nation has
become nominally rich, the people have
become correspondingly poor and deformed
in body and mind, that more and more Of
the children of each overworked genera
ton become too weak to snatch living,
in tho midst of fierce competition, and
drop ~ into the poor house or the prison;
you find under that system that trading
and professional callings are deemed more
honorable than the labor of production
that producers are degraded, because of
the small share they sceive of what they
produce that undue competition between
the members OF an overcrowded CONNER
cial class have caused business" to be-
come system of war or q game of chance
you lind that the best merchants and the
candid AfDdents and writers Of England
declare their financial system a failure, and
the Bank OF England an overloaded, over
worked and inefficient machine. That the
continued RAISING and lowering Of the rates
OF interest, in order to keep coin in Eng
land, Is continually changing the market
value Ct all commodities, so that he who
carrlss on legitimate business is subject
ed \ all the uncertainties and risks OF
gam ling. That of those who engage in
tradc4nd commerce, large majority die
after 4 career of labor and anxiety, leaving
AZ y e ssssspptfsSd to hnd merchant who
has not failed at some time. As you inves.
tiRate you wonder that the mercantile
classes have not discovered that the prime
cause Of these evils is in their financial
system. You become doubtful Of the cor
rectness of your own conclusions, as to the
cause Of these difficulties, social derange-
ments and sufferings you inquire of mer-
chants whether they. have examined the
matter most of them say no, that il is
too complicated, that he cannot understand
it; You accompany q merchant through
his great establishment you admire, un-
derstand and are interested in the steam
engine which is psed to elevate or lift his
goodsN You are quite likely to find that he
does not understand the workings of the
parts or bis own steam engine; he tells
You, perhaps, that it is too complicated,
that he cannot understand it that he
leaves that 70 his engineer az he leaves the
subject Of finance to the Rothchilds.
The fact Is that merchants and business
men are very acute, AAd very quick, and
are intelligent in certain ways, but they
make pack horses Of their brains in their
every day work, so at night when they put
the tired pack-horse in ITS stable, they dc
not care to study the steam engine or any
other machinery.
Professional men in cities are 30 engross-
I'd with their special lines of thought and
efort, that few give much attention to the
grand machinery Of society; they do not
relize, like Emerson, that ''Our state OF
society is one in which the members have
suffered amputation ffom the trunk, and
rtrut about so many walking monsters
god finger, neck, . stomach, an elbow,
/ az ever ma. The priest becomes !
5rsn, he attorney . statute book, the me.
chanica- mAchiHe, the sailor the rope Of .
ship" -
system Of finance lress ed in the Middle
Ages-the Dark Axa. under which
government debt sappied the circula
ting medium that She government deb
evidences were for centuries worth I
premium over coin chat for centuries
there was rUthing IN vsancs corresponding
to q suspension of specis Payment, 6nan
cial crises, and the troubles and vicissi
sudes which are expsrisAsed now "a bust
pess life; you discover that what
Familiarity called the greenback, Ii . go,
eminent bond that its delivery transfss
shares in the national debt, which, by Law
is made legal payment you find thu
the government itself now discredits thei
notes and makes them worth less tina
com, because it refuses to receive them Il
custom dues, for which it demands gol
instead and you find, further, that ii
government has rendered these notes irr,
deemable by repeating the provision ,
law under which they were issued, whic
provided that they should be receivable b
| A. .xova~unonf a. man Co.. IN. ~a~< -. -,
obligations of the government
You demand
LIST. That greenbacks shall be receive
for customs and all other dues 70 COVER
ment the same a. gold.
I'd. That the silver dollar shall Be q
stored to its old rank in the list Of coin
and that the products of our Amsrics
silver mines shall be coined, a well - q
products of the British gold mines.
Sd. You demand that If any person hi
greenbacks-United States notes not bea
ing interest-and desires TO exchange the
for government notes bearing interest, th
the interchange shonld DO made At Il
sub treasures, and that the holder Of q
interest bearing obligations may rec
| ch&nge it for greenbacks at par and interl
~ pleasure. Vi
| Hou demand that without suddenly d
t9rbing existing conditions, the policl'
tkis governmsnt shall be 10 supply, in 4
form Of evidences of its own debt. a
paper currency Of the country. instsai
Ifnfming out the privilege to coEpdrn&01
, 10 supply the paper currency 10 <r11>H
evidences Of their debts.
II While managing your pioughs, ~ <I4
your hafvestez and pour thrsshin4 n
ohinsa, farmers ct chs Mississippi Valls
, you have time and opportunity 70 hss