The Portland daily press., 1878-09-05
Some Greenback FaIsehoo DDS.


came down here to spend few days among
the green hills and breathe the free air of this
sturdy old town, little expecting to find that it
contained single Greenbacker. Iregret to
say that it does very few.
Last night went to meeting of the Green
packers at the Bear-Brook schoolhouse. Mr..
DOW, the candidate for Representative, and the
Rev. Mr.. Maddox were the speakers. Now il
such speakers as these and their fallacies had
any effect on the people of the town, one good
result should follow. The people must know
that something is radically wrong in the
schools if such CAB has any effect whatever,
and forewarned is forearmed. don't think it
did, As one man expressed it to me, "Ee had
felt himself q pretty good Greenbacker but if
this was all the party had to offer he guessed he
should pull out" There;were, by actual count,
26 men and II boys present, and some ten
women. Now, to my certain knowledge,
twelve OF the men were the hardest of hard
money men, and L have no doubt there were
more whom did not know.
Mr.. Dow arose and spoke for three.quarters
of an hour in a rambling style saying nothing
but the old platitudes. He made the statement
that one-third of the farms in Gray were mort
gagged and that the farmers were paying II to
Is per cent interest. 1 don't believe either as
sertlon. This know. Any farmer in Gray
who can give a good farm for security can Dor
row plenty of money at four per cent in Bos-
ton. Maddox said that the peoples property
and stock had been reduced one-half or more,
while the taxes were up yet, not having been
reduced. Now will not argue the first point
with him. The second 1 pronounce false. 81
no a. Mo in fhn5n n,Ia
calling things by their right names. In this
towns farms which paid tax of $50 ten years
ago. and which have since been much improv-
ed, now pay only $35. The same will undoubt-
eddy hold good with other towns. He told us
how sight factories in Amesbury shut down
they were still shut down. Now first, there are
not eight factories in Amesbury; second, there
were never SO many carriages manufactured in
Amesbury and Salisbury as during the past
ought know, now, the Newburyport mills
have been running on double time. The
Naumburg mill at Salem is working from early
morn till late at night
The next falsehood was that there were
millions out of employment 10 this country.
These communists have told US that Massa-
chusetts was the worst off in this respect and
by actual canvass it had only 10000. The
speaker had great deal to tell about the $50,
100000 of demand notes. One would think
that these notes saved the Union. Maddox
said they ware at par with gold all through the
war. 1t happens that by June, 1868, every
dollar of them was out of circulation and all
but So, 600, 900 had been retired and destroyed,
But granting his own argument, why ware
these the best money? Why did they save the
Union? Simply because they were based on
and paid in gold on demand. He made
strong honest-mon ey argument that time, sure.
His statement that our greenbacks were as
good as gold in Enrope was an Ignorant false
hood. Never dollar of them circulated there.
He said the bankers Of the whole country
went on to Washington Especial trains" to
bulldoze the Senate and Secretary Chase. This
is false, and either Maddox knew it or he must
be very ignorant. We all know that, in an
hour when the government had no money to
carry on the war, Secretary Chase sent for
some of the bankers to comeland see him, aud
see what could be done towards raising some
money. And these "bloated bondholders,"
these shell hounds" these "vampires," loaned
the government their money at six per cent.
and helped it over the chasm. In other words
they saved the nation just as much as the
soldier did, and now this rebel denounces them.
What would the country have done without
the money? Maddow wanted the bonds taxed.
Well let me ask him whom he would tax.
Where would he find the bonds to tax them?
Does he suppose these bloated bondholders
who, he says, are no better than thieves 40
cut threats would tell the assessor how many
bonds they had? Does he suppose the English
and German 11 - holders san Of bonds would
and see. They hold half Of them.
Don't be know that to tax these bonds would
require an increase of interest greater than the
amount of tax? Why, he doesn't seem to
know the first rudiments of finance. He
bankers on depositing 100000 of bonds with
the government took out $4,000 in money. 1
suppose most of our children know that the
10000 are only blank forms which have no