Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-03-29
PREROGATIYES OF SOVEREIGNTY
Glass Legislation ReprOBated.

Glass Legislation ReprObafed.
To the Editor Of the Ledger:
The power that had lain so long qnies-
cent and %supiae-the people in their
capacity of ultimate sovereigns-awak-
ened from the repose Of confding slun-
Der to the full consciousness that the ex.
ercise Of that sovereignty was indeed BE-.
ing stolen by the few, that the wolf was
really at the door, that imminent danger
of destruction threatened from the very
custodians left in charge to ward it of
and to watch over and insure the safety
Of that too trusting sovereignty. To
awake 10 such consciousness preluded
immediate and decisive action for self
preservation, aud pointed to the steps
needed for the establishment and
future conservation Of the equality pro-
vided for by organic Law, SO slealthily
intended to be done to death.
Aiming at the most conspicuous 0
nifty FIRST, there swept over the land with
the force of a tidal wave, a demand for
the restoration Of the bi metallic coin
standard, intending thereby to cut of
the octopus like grasp in which-through
perverted legislation = bond.lords held
the labor-energies Of the country; and
then to place on a level with other cred.
Itors a preferred class which-tbough to
modest seeming gorged almost to repl
ton with their legislative aided raids on
the public treasury-were still insatiately
craving for more plumber and cryin-,
" gold and gold only" with the purpo )
of greatly increasing 10 value bond,
held by them, previously so largely asd
uujustly enhanced by exaetions from
the public purse.
Therefore, it was, that congress il.
nored, as unso1nd and spurious,
the p%retensious assertions-glibly nut
forth by the paid partisans Of these
wrongful privileges-that national honor
would be impaired If, conf citing With
their interested and peculiar interpreta.
ton, contracts as to them were 10 be
truly and rigidly enforced; therefore il
was, too, that, obeying the mandate of the
peoples will and in conformity with
plain and common sense Construction
congress declared in substance that the
onerousness, to full compliance. of bold.
ing %inviolate the public faith in which
that honor was implicated, had been
more than kept by the government ana
had been bravely borne by the people to
the verge Of ruin in the distresses Incl.
dent to and following on The irst modiG.
cation of the wording Of The bond con.
tracts in favor Of the thereby upduly
preferred aud oveFpsid eomplaiuauts.
Tardy as it was, this dictum ia in the
right direction, and is regarded BY the
people as an earnest OF the needed future
legislation to make the policy indicated
by it paramount. II is accepted in that
light, and is considered a warranty that
IN fact, as well as in name, both political
and money equality in and before the
law, will, in the future, really prevail.
In short, in order TO conserve our insti.
tuition Of true republican government,
the public sentiment Of this Union, now
aroused to q full sense Of the danger.
imperatively demands, at this climax.
that that most baleful Of funguses on
healthy social growth and the most de.
struetive Of parasites on constitutions
free government - legislative-preferre
and privileged elaases-be forever done
away with and reprobated.
PHO JUsTITIA.