The Portland daily press., 1878-07-27
The Money Power.

The Nationals in this State declare with
considerable vehemence ald much repetition
that they are fighting the "Money Power"
They make the declaration in broad and
general way, disdaining to particularize. By
their course they have aroused considerable
curiosity as to the nature of this Money
Power that is expressing the country, curl
osity that should be gratifed. Is it combi-
nation of the rich men of the land to keep
their poorer neighbors in poverty? If so it
must include the Greenback candidate for
Governor and other wealthy gentlemen who
have been named for Office by the Green
hackers OF Maine. Does it include the large
owners of real estate whom the Greenback
county conventions have nominated for
county officesp Does it include the bank
directors to whom they have given their con-
fidence and purpose to give their suffrages?
Does it include manufacturers who have
built great mills, offered employment to hun
dreds of mel, and added to the productive
ness and material wealth Of the country?
Does it include railroad stockholders who
have opened new markets for the chief prod
ucts of the land, and given the farmer a
chance to sell ten bushels of grain where
otherwise he would have sold but onep
The Greenbackers, unless they be Commu-
nists, which few of them in Maine are, will
say that they do not mean to include these
men in their denunciation of the Money Pow
er, that they do not intend to denounce any
man who is producer, who contributes to
the wealth of the country. 1t is, they say
against the non-producer that they are waging
battle. Do they then class the exchangers
as minions OF the Money Power? Are
the country store-keeper and the city mer-
chant, those who exchange the productions
of others, then enemies? Are we to under
stand that the man who starts country store,
who by industry, frugality and sagacity gains
a competence, and then builds him home,
thus adding to the taxable wealth of the town
/ in which he lives and so relieving others of
portion of the public burdens, is an enemy of
the producing classes, and to be condemned?
II so the list Of Greenback nominees must be
revised. If the war is against the non-pro-
ducing classes it must be against the barber,
the florist, the lawyer, the insurance agent,
and men of a hundred other non-producing
occupations. But that war would decimate,
nay, diminish by half, the Greenbackers be-
fore,they went into their first battle. They
cannot mean that. Would they include the
workingman who by the exercise of strict
economy has saved fifty or hundred dollars,
and invests his earnings in government bank
instead of savings bank; who has not suffi.
cient capital to go into business for himself,
and so-puts his savings into some good stock9
That would make another hole in their
ranks. =
But if they do not mean these men, whom
do they mean? They must nneau those re-
naming after these exclusives. They must
mean the speculatnss, the men who make
their monoy out of changing prices and vary
ing standards Of value, who grow rich by
buying cheap and selling dear, Who have
made their appearance for the first time in
large numbers during the last eighteen years,
and who amassed great fortunes in the flush
times after the war. These are the money
changers, the non-producers, who contribute
nothing to the wealth of the country, who
thrive ~, ore misfortunes OF others, who
make fortunes by impoverishing their neigh
hoss. The complaint against tiIsrn IS not Ill
founded. Within few years they have
amassed wealth, have grown rich largely and
suddenly. They have increased with won
derful rapidity. And how? They have found
their opportunity in an irredeemable
and fuctuatng paper currency, in sudden
and enormous changes of values, in the wild
speculation caused by inflated credits. 1t
was a redundant paper currency that afford
ed them their harvest. They make up the
Money Power that we wisely dread, that we
| all wish to free ourselves from. How shall
| that freedom be accomplished? By restrict
ing the opportunities of these men, by de-
stroying their occupation, as the resumption
lists tspropose? Or by multiplying their oppor-
tunlties and enlarging their occupation, by
| giving into their hands again the weapon
they have so effectuay used, by returning to
thedags of varying prices, OF unstable '"i-
ues, of wild speculation, as the GroohoacAerS
propose? Who is the enemy OF this money
Power, the man who fosters it by enlarsing
its opportunities for increasing its gains, ike
the Greenbacker, or the man who Wouio
cripple and destroy it by taking away us most
formidable weapon, like the resumptlonlstf
| Which of these ways is the better? Whlcn
| is preferable, to 90 back to the good olu eco