Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1878-10-03

Intre enUOuieu- Inc NdllOn HdS given IL
word precisely like an individual. Am
asking TOO much of the patriotic men of Obi
who so nobly served in the war to do thei
part toward keeping the pledge that the Ma
tion has made, standing as truth tellers ant
not truth-breakers?
will go step further, stating plainly tina
cvin is the money of the Constitution. Ther,
is no excuse whatever for the Government t
break its pledge. 1t is wiser at this time By
far to go forward than to go backward W,
are almost standing on firm, substantial
ground, and why turn back and fall into the
quicksand? Why return to the suffering anC
sorrow that have been nearly left behind us
There lie in the Treasurer's vaults at Wash
ington more gold and silver than will suffice
to pay all the Indebtedness that will be drawn
on in the event of resumption. We can pay
all that will be asked. We are, as Nation
in the condition of the thrifty man earning
more than he spends, and our credit rise.
while interest falls. There is no excuse to-
day for the country to be in any sense dis
honest
There is no danger in a continuance of the
policy of resumption, and there is peril in a
repeal of the resumption act or any move to-
ward it. Everything in connection with this
country to-day indicates prosperity. The
balance of trade to-day is in favor of the Uni
ted States. This Government is at this time
selling to the rest of the world more than il
buys from the rest of the world. We have
reached precisely the point that We coulC
have desired, in that all nations pay tribute
to US. Shall this tribute be paid in the coin
of the civilized world, or shall the United
States manufacture wampum for the sake OF
giving it to the other nations to pay us in
We grow to-day, in the vast fields OF OuI
country, grain and other products that the
entire world wants. We are furnishing Au-
stralia with products; locomotives, steam
plows, rakes, ETC., are being sent TO Russia
The world buys many millions of our manu-.
factures. The nations abroad purchase mil
lions more than the goods amount to that we
want of them. Shall we manufacture green
backs for these foreign nations to pay us IN
Our Yankee enterprise has put us in aposi-
tion where we can command trade; we can
do business with the world at profit to our
selves. Shall we be foolish enough to manu-
facture something cheap to pay ourselves with
through the medium of the nations abroad
Suppose the Government put its hand on the
printing press and began turning the crank
for the issue of flood of greenbacks, how are
you and to get them? You say it is pro-
posed to retire the currency of the National
banks. What are you going to give good
greenbacks to the wicked National banks
viii you give greenbacks that are worth 81
much to the banks that you are fighting
You say that you will pay off the bloated
bondholder in greenbacks What Give that
naughty class good greeEbacks, did hear you
say? Who are the blOated bondholders Not
more than one tenth of the public debt is
held abroad, and the remaining nine 'tenths is
in the hands of our own people. The savings
banks have a good many of the bonds. 1t is
in those places that the people have deposited
their money. The fire insurance companies
have great many bonds, and these cOmpa'
nies have protected the various roofs in
Cleveland. They are interviewer with the
business of the country. You might as well
attempt to pull down this building and expect
to escape scott free as to disturb these con-
Germs. Sampson was a National In that
he pulled out the pillars that held up
building, and it killed him in its fall.
If earn dollar and spend 95 cents l belong
to the capital class to the extent of 5 cents.
If earn dollar and spen1s $l00 land in
the poorhouse or Jail. You cannot rob the
bondholder without robbing yourselves. The
bonds are held all over this land by persons
who are connected with the pn)r classes, and
who, if disturbed, will affect those classes.
There should be given to the laborer all that
the bOndholder has IF the bOldhOlder is
paid in gold or silver the laboring man should
be paid in the same thing. We are asking
nothing for wealth, for that can take care of
itself, but we ask that wealth shall not be al
lowed ia years to come to give to labor
dollar that is deceit and lie.
AT about this point Mr.. Woodford was in -,
terrupted by man in the audience, who said
that purpose could be accomplished if the
Government should stop taxing the people and
pay its employees. Such course would bring
out the greeubacks.
The speaker responded: My friend asks me
a fair question He asks 1t SO kindly that were
| to withhold answering | should fall in COM
mon courtesy. lie asks me, in substance, can
not the Government stop taxing the people
for a few years and pay the new greenbacks
out to Government employees. Do state your
question fairly, sir9
The gentleman in the audience replied,
''You do"
This, then, is my answer: The Federal
Government raises its taxes in three ways,
First, by levying duties on imports of foreign
goods and foreign manufactures. If the Gov
ernment takes off these duties then all foreign
productions will come into our land without
paying any tariff charges This is absolute
free trade. These tariff charges protect Amer
ican industry and American manufactures. 10
day some factories are idle. Strike down the
tariff and all our factories would be idle. l
am not willing when men are seeking employ
ment, when skilled artisans are asking for
work and bread, to strike down the tariff in
the interest of foreign manufactures even for
the benefit of Greenbackers. American work.
ingmen want employment. The tariff of to-
day secures that employment to many. 1
trust my friend sees as clearly as see that
the tax which we raise by tariff helps our own
working people. Loud applause. We also
raise money by taxing whisky and tobacco.
Does my friend, who looks like temperate
man, desire to encourage tho consumption of
tobacco and whiskey by relieveing them from
taxi Laughter and applause. The next
great source of taxes are those horrible vam-
pires the National banks. They would like to
be relieved from taxes also. Does my green
back friend wish to aid these money corpora
ton by taking off their taxes? [Applause-
Question-If we sell our flour, which is a
commodity, and get in payment gold, which
is another commodity, are we not in precisely
the same fix as if we had not made the ex
change?
Answer-The gentlemen asks me question
WulCA OuOC blOuOACo hAy OUh DU1
wiser man than gave me an answer which
satisfied my judgement. l thing when l ex-
plain it to my friend | shall satisfy his. The
flour we sell gets eaten up and is gone. The
gold we receive remains here, if we only use
it as money. When we need anything we can
buy it with that gold. Holy writ explained
the matter long ago: ''The flour that man
eats enters into his belly and passes out with
the draught, which purgeth all things" Tier
rife applause.
Now, let me pass on. You can get these
greenbacks in circulation in every way, except
in the old-fashioned way of loyalty and hon.
esty know Of no manner in which success
can be attained either as man or a nation,
but by honesty. TApplause.] This dream of
fat money is as old as the hills. Marco Polo
conceived it, and went even further in relation
to it in his books than is talked of nowadays.
People were obliged to take the money, and
the Kahn of Tartary cut the throats of men
who rebelled against it. When Louis, the
spendthrift of France, made fiat money it was
at first thought it might prove a good thing.
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