The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1878-07-25
BEN BUTLER.
A Significant Address to the Workingmen
OF Massachusetts.

OF massachusetts,.
Some Pertinent Conundrums Propounded
( and Their Solution Attempted.
+ HIS FOURTH OF JULY ADDRDSS AT
NEWBURYPORT.
The great Greenback meeting,
which is looked upon with cOnsidera.
lille significance as to Ben Buffers DO.
htical future with that party, was
beld here to-day. There was a ire.
mendous throng, and the speech of
the day was made by Butler himself.
He was introduced as the man who
dared thousand newspapers. Butler
began by asking why. in land where
all the eastern section had it's store
houses bursting with the products of
industry, while the west was over
loaded with the neoessaries of life.
should the people be starving as we'll
as having to go naked. II the reasen
was found we could apply the remedy.
lie alludec to the great railroad strikes
last year. and accused reporters of
having misrepresented the strikers,
whose movement did no good. Strikes
for higher wages did no good, and it
was beneath the dignity of American
WOrkingmen to strike for higher
wages.
The word communist had been ap-
piled to the movements of working
men. Communism in the old coun-
tries was a protest of the people
against the wrongs of the ruling class
es, and was characterized by murder,
violence and destruction of property.
Communism has no business in this
country, because every man here had
aremedy, rs he could control the laws
under which we live 10y the ballot,
which was the only weapon. The
w0rkingmen, if united, would control
the destinies of the nation. They
could take the state government of
Massachusetts into their hands and
carry it on for twenty years for their
own benefit.
Frequent elections were necessary
for the preservation of our liberties.
WOrkingmen were divided on the DO.
litical dogma, because of somebody in
the west Orsouth. They should unite
and stand together, and then they
would have control Of the national
government, which, instead of being
run in the Interest of Il few, us in the
past, would be conducted for the good
Of the whole people.
Seven years ago he said he intro
duced in congress bill to have the
money of the country in the hands of
the government and not in the hands
If corporations, and he WAS beaten by
eight votes. In the majority that
beat him there were siXty-live bank
presidents and directors, and voting
for his own interest, and who were
sent to congress by wOrkingmen. He
sad he had nothing to cOneal. and no
interests to promote except those of
all present. The difficulty was not in
the want of railroads and cheap trans
portations, and not in over-pr0duction
on either continent. The latter as
Sertlon was not true, when we con-
slider the needs of the shOeless and
hungry, who, if supplied, would ex-
haust any surplus. Wheat was being
sent to Europe to feed the hungry
mouths there, it passing the mouths of
the hungry here. In Europe the hun
cry could pay for the wheat they eat,
while here the hungry could not.
That was the trouble.
Our enterprise was stopped. for the
it was more profitable for the capital.
list to put his money, in the present
state of the nations finances. into
government hands. National finances
had been managed that accumulated
capital was not taxed. At the begin
ming of the war the government had
to have money, and depended upon
gold and silver. 1t issued it's own
money, and that money. greenback
money. for II while maintained itself
at par, then it went down because
there was doubt about the credit of
the country and the result of the war.
1t went down. down under the enor-
nous issue that had to he made TO
sustain our armies. and because our
credit WAS doubtful. We had no bales
OF cotton to lodge rs collateral securl.
ties with the bankers OF Europe. as
had the confederacy, and therefore
ourloan went down lower than theirs.
The money kings had control, and
put into this war measure two pro-
visions, both of which made that
grand old man Thaddeus Stevens shed
tears rs he came from the Conference
room of the confederate committee.
The first was that that money should
INV w ASSSi'St ~ CNCl pDuN eN-
cry thing. 1t was made receivable
for the blood of our soldiers, for the
tears of the widows. for the groans Of
the orphans, for every thing but in
terest money of European bankers,
and tina. must be paid in gold. ard
therefore 1t went down to thirty cents
on the dollar; and there was provis-
ION that it might be funded in per
cent. gold-bearing bonds and brought
up ut 80 cents on gold-bearing bonds
at 100 cents or the dollar-S6 for the
use of $50; hard bargain.
He said he was beaten in this dis.
trict because he dared to take the
stump and say that the bargain was
that these bonds should be paid in
greenbacks precisely what was paid
for them. But for the honor of our
country we are to pay SlOO for $40:
and In 1860 that act IS passed--one,
of the most iniquitous acts ever 49,
ell since God allowed a ley;slative
sembly to meet. He voted against Z
almost alone. spoke against il alone
1869. He believed that there ~