Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1878-10-15
To the People Of the Ninth
Congressional District.
FELLOW CITIZENS 4:

the town OF WytneVllle, Oh tIlo otn
day of August last, for the purpose OF
nominating candidate to represent
the people of the 9th Congressional
District of Virginia in the 46th Con-
gress of the United States. That
Convention selectedm as its standard
bearer, and on the day succeeding my
nomination l entered vigorously upon
the work and prosecuted it with all the
energy and ability of my nature, full
ly intending to meet the people at every
public place in every county IN this
Congressional District, but, before L
had completed the canvass in the 7th
county, was Frustrated with chllls
and fever, which rendered me unable
to fill many of my appointments and,
as I cannot now visit all sections of
the country and discuss the questions
involved in this canvass before the
whole people, l have concluded to ad-
dress YOU this circular-letter, setting
forth my views in plain and unvar-
nished manner.
The first, and most important issue,
is money. Money we want, money
we need, and money we must have IN
order that the languiShing industries
of trade and commerce may be revlv-
ed that the property and products of
the farmer may bring remunerative
prices, and the laborer find employ
ment at living wages. Gold and silver
are the standard of all values in the Uni
ted States, and, if the Government
had a sufhciency of coin to meet the
business wants of the people, no other
currency would be needed or wanted,
but as this is not the case, and perhaps
never will be, it is the duty of the Gov
ernment, through its Congress, to pro-
vide the people with a sound, whole
some paper currency, in suficientquan-
titles to supply the deficiency equal in
value with coin, if that end can be
attained. have from the beginning
favored an increase in the volume OF
the old legal tender greenback money
which money, as every one knows,
was issued on the faith of the Govern
ment. This money, however, never
was upon a gold basis, or upon a ba-
sis equal to gold, which means one
and the same thing, and never can be,
because it is not a legal tender for i'm
port dues or interest on the public
debt, exceptions which any man can
see by inspecting legal tender green
back bill. The imitation which | pro-
pose will be a new issue, and that IS
sue / propose to base on the faith OF
the Government, TO be redeemed at
its pleasure, but receivable without the
exceptions now made, which will
make it full and complete legal ten
der for all debts and dues, whether to
the individual, the government, or
the Bondholder-and will, with that
change and improvement on the old
greenback money, be upon a basis
equal to gold and silver, or upon a
gold and silver basis, which means the
same. 1t is charged against me that
l have said, in my speeches in Scott
and Lee counties, that wanted these
greenbacks made equal to gold and
silver. plead guilty to the charge,
and repeat, my fellow-citizens, that
do want the greenbacks as good as
gold and silver. | want no gold
gamblers or silver spectators, but let
us forever close the doors against them
by making the greenbacks a full and
complete legal tender for all debts and
dues, as above stated, and that will be
accomplished. / want the greenback
dollar to perform all the functions oi
the gold or silver dollar, or, in Other
words, to do whatsoever the gold and
silver dollar will do-then we have q
sound, stable currency, which protect:
the laboring man as well as the pro-
ducer, ! never have said, nor do ]
ever expect to say, that l want the
greenbacks upon an actual gold basis
that is the gold actually in the Treas
ury to redeem them with, because tha
would lead to contraction instead o
imitation. I shall favor the abolition
of the National Bank system, because
it is ruinous in its operations and il
the highest degree oppressive, and th'
issuance of legal tender greenbacks tt
take the place of the national curren
cy as it is withdrawn from circulation
l shall heartily endorse and favo
any measure looking to the repeal anC
destruction of that most detestabl
system of Internal Revenues, whicl
operates the grossest injustice to tn
people of Virginia, and requires he
people to pay for the support of tn
Federal Government near four mil
lions of dollars annually, more thai
her Just quota, which tax is in viola
ton of every principle of justice ant
: fair dealing. The tobacco growers b
that system pay tax upon their land
and also upon their products, and ar
forced to contribute largely to tn
support of the government, while tn
northern people pay no such tax, an
thus the Virginia people are made t
bear an unjust and onerous burde
: which they ought not to bear, an
, shall not, if l can have any infuenc
s in giving them relief. The same ma
0 be said as to the distilation of Brandy
shall also enter my earnest prote'
against the Tucker-Hunton bill, whic
! has for its object a further grant
t power to the Federal Courts to exc
o else a supervisory jurisdiction over tt
: decisions of the Court of Appeals