Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1878-08-05
THE GREENBACK MOVEMENT.


few years will make in the opinion of |
tickle minded Americans. Only few
years since almost every anti-Republlcan
in the country was violent hater of the
greenback. That money was denounced
as the dishonest, dirty, irredeemable
"rag" currency of country that had
been dishonored by its creation and its
use. The party which had called it
into being was rallied and abused for
having created it, and the woes of the
country were nearly all said to have
been caused by the "rag" currency. The
scene has changed. A new party, COM
posed almost entirely of the democratic
'rag" denouncers of ten years ago, comes
into being, making its Alpha and Omega,
greenbacks.
1t is useless to attempt to reason with
many who are infatuated with the notion
that the greenback is the only panacea
in these days of financial depression, but
there are some who can reason if they
have no greenbacks in their pocket to
found financial theory upon. To get
at the theory of the greenbackers we
print portion of their platform as put
forth by one of their conventions held
in Syracuse, N. Y, last week, which is
as follows:
First-The greenback dollar must be
full legal tender for the payment of all
debts, public and private, and by the
government issued, protected and receiv-
ed as absolute money.
Second-We demand the immediate
calling and payment of all bonds with
absolute paper money, without regard to
the time they may have to run on their
face and nc. further issue by the govern
ment of any bonds.
Third-We demand the repeal of the
national bank act, the immediate with
drawal from circulation of the national
bank notes and the substitution therefor
of absolute paper money.
Fourth The increasing poverty of the
working classes is attributable in great
part to the monopoly of the soil, the nat
ural source of wealth, and therefore we
demand the adoption of land limitation
laws.
In regard to the first plank in the
platform, "The greenback dollar must
be full legal tender for the payment of
oil debts" &c., it is only necessary to
recall the fact that fourteen years ago a
greenback dollar was worth only SO
cents, either at home or abroad one year
previous to that date it was worth ~
cents, fact which shows that, in and Of
itself, it has no fixed standard value. A
kind of money that may be deprecated
one-half in few months, is not the kind
men want in doing an honest, stable
business. There is now and then lit
tie Of the Confederate greenback currency
to be seen in these parts, but money
men, or poor men do not want to TAKE
that kind of greenback currency at it,
face value. And yet some national dis
aster. such as may easily be brough
about by the communistic elements in thu
land. or by their allies, the Greenback
ers, may make our national greenbacl
pledges as degraded and cheap as the.
were in 1864, or possibly as WORTHLESS
as the Confederate money of the sam
period. 1t is impossible to make a cur
rency that is safe or stable, unless it i
made of precious material, or redeem
able in something that has value i
itself. The only reason why greenback
are of any value, is because there is still
some honor left in the American natio
and because the world knows that fac
Let it be understood that government
did not intend to pay its obligations i
gold, and greenback would be no be
ter than government stamp prepare
for q tobacco box. 1t would be mer
picture, scorned by the world and di
carded by everybody in the United State
The second demand" of the Greer
hackers is ''the immediate calling an
payment of all bonds with absolute pi
per money" Now this is most di
honorable repudiating scheme. 1t vi
tually makes government say to a
parties to whom it is indebted: "N
promised some time since, if you wou
loan US your gold and other money,
give you note (bOnd) bearing certa
rate of interest, which we would pr
semi-annually, and that on or before
certain day we would take up that not
paying for the same in coin we a
growing tired of the burden of our i
debtedness, and we now repudiate o
obligation and our promises and propc
to pay you in handsome, well-engrav
pictures, (chrOmOs if you please, viii
you are to take and use as money,
devote to other purposes as you plea
AS We are owing two billions of dolla
one way and another, the amount
these pictures which we shall get {
and force upon our creditors will be
great that we have no doubt they "
become exceedingly cheap in the mark
making them easily Obtainable by p
men. II they should become as che
aud valuless as brown paper. it will
be our fault entirely. as there is at pr
ent large call by greenbackers, &C