The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1878-06-20
GREENE BACKS.
Address of the State Executive Committee
Of Illinois.


National Greenback and Labor
party of Illinois, to whom has been
committed the conduct of the coming
campaign. deem it proper to submit to
you brief statement of the present
condition and prospects of the party
in the State and nation. together with
some suggestions for the future con-
Quoting Of the campaign in this State.
1t is natural, if not inevitable, in
the formation and growth of a new
party, gathering the converts and re-
cruits from all existing parties, that
differences Of opinion should exist.
and that it should take time to be-
come acquainted with each other, to
harmonic and consolidate, and be
able to work under the new banner
and the new leadership. That, as is
the case with an unorganized army of
citizen volunteers, a few campaigns
must be lost before we are able to
utilize our full strength, is inevitable
That our rapidly evolving party
has had to contend with these incl
dental difficulties, drawbacks, and
misfortuIes, not only in Illinois, but
elsewhere, was to have been ex-
pected.
The growth of the Republican party
was afflicted with everything we have
had to encounter in the line of divis-
ions and defeats. 1t passed through
every discouraging incident Of devel-
opment, from infancy to power which
we are now experiencing. It died
finally, many times according to the
estimate of it's enemies. A great
exhausted to effect it's everlasting
quietus. But it would not, and did
not die, or consent to be quoted until
it had done it's appointed work; since
such time) no earthly power can pre-
vent its dying, as fate has so decreed.
We must expect to be assailed by
all possible enemies, avOwed and dis
avowed. We must expect to be pre-
Scrlbed for, to be reported dead, to be
betrayed by pretended friends, to be
dlsgraced by rogues, demagogues, land
political schemers from the old
parties, to be pestered by fools,
blood-suckers, and babbling idiots.
Every man who has had experience
og men and affairs, and especially
with the rise and growth of political
parties in this country, expects all
these things.
We have had, and still have. the
usual run of these Affections, and ex-
pect 70 have them in the future. But
from these we have nothing to fear.
Our real danger will come when in the
near future we shall have become the
n >D,t,r
gogues, political scOundrels, and con-
5plrators will flock to our ranks.
Attorneys and agents of the European
Dondhelders, corporate monopolists,
contractors, bankers, robbers, and
rings of all sorts, like the present Re-
publican Secretary of the Treasury,
Will come over to us in shoals. in reg
iments and battalion. From these
hypocritical and unprincipled enemies
of the republic, and only these. have
we reason to apprehend real danger.
such men have destroyed both of the
Old parties. 1t is for us to guard our
organization against these dema-
gogues. and we cannot begin too
soon. In the past we have had real
differences of opinion upon funda-
mental principles. This was inevita-
bic. Happily such differences have
nearly disappeared. One point of
difference was upon the interconvert-
ible bonds as basis for paper cur
rency. We now agree that no bond
is necessary. We demand that there
oasis for paper currency is better
than individual or corporate credit.
Bonds rest on the credit of the people
alone; why should not the currency :
But bonds draw interest, and are ex-
~ aElm from taxation Greenbacks
vest upon the credit of the people
alone, and do not draw interest, and
are not exempt from taxation This
is the reason why bondholders and
shvlocks prefer bonds as 4 basis for
Creenbacks. This is the reason why
bankers prefer national bank currency
to creenbacks. Nobody distrusts the
credit Of the people when that credit
pays interest.
The National Greenback and Labor
party now agree unanimously in pre-
ferrlng currency independent of
bond, because this would avoid inter
est and secure equal taxation. We
further agree that all bonds should
tt pstiu DIS SOOi ssS poSSiut0s VIC AAtVI-
est stopped. and the exemption of
bonds from taxation repealed. That
no more bonds should be issued. We
believe that the bonds and bond cur
rency under control of shylOcks are
the chief instrumentalities for absorb
ing the surplus earnings of labor by
the idle: of fixing the value of prod
ucts and raising and depressing the
markets in the interest Of money
lobbers and monopolists who produce
nothing.
To the end that the currency may
not be thus used. we propose that
under the Constitution the Congress
shall provide for its control in the
interest and for the use of the people.
without basis of interest bonds. and
without exemption from taxation.
Upon these principles we are unit,
or nearly 50, drought the nation.
We are charged with being Commu-
nists and agragrians. Communists
are defined, by those who make the
charge, IS men who favor division
Of property without regard to owner
ship or who earned It. Property
-1ouoht 70 belong to those who earn 8,