Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1878-10-17
The Ono Idea Party.

The Ono Idea Party.
The movement inaugurated in this city,
four weeks ago, by Hotcnkiss & Co., un'
der the name of the "National Grecnback
Party" is based upon single idea-that
of the pretended financial reform. Its
champions claim that proper adjust
ment Of the monetary system will relieve
all classes of industry from the strin
gency which prevails throughout the
country at the present time; that it will
reopen factories and work shops long
closed; incite to the renewal Of public
enterprises of pressing importance. and
re-establish all those conditions requisite
for an extended and advantageous com
merce both interstate and forei gn. That
it will create demand for all unemploy-
ed labor; make q market for all surplus
products and open way for the more
extensive and rapid development Of the
varied resources Of the country; that it
will settle all disputes between capital
and labor, obviate the growing tenden-
cy to communism and establish condl.
tion of general prosperity and a feeling
of universal good will.
The "National Grcenbackcr" pretends
that all this will result from the success
not Of his party, for he has none-but of
his ticket. Man never indulged in a
more flimsy fancy. If the institutions OF
this government are founded upon the
currency Of the country, if our mines
and quarries aud forests, our labor and
skill aud energy, our morals, intelligence
and patriotism, were all mere creatures of
money-if they were its offspring instead
Of its creator, there might be some plausi-
bllity in the theory of the "National
Greenbacker," but money is only an Incl
dent to the vast business operations of
our peoples mere incident to the ex.
change Of commodities, ncccssitated by
a variety Of protection and difference of
locality. 1t is nothing but an implement
which labor and trade employ in the
multitude Of their operations. To say
then, that any party formed solely for the
purpose of making and managing a cur
rency, can be of any service to the coun.
try or to any of its people, except those
who may chance to obtain the offices, is
to state what all the world knows to be
foolish. Yes, more than that, to be abso-
lutely false-falsc as to the assertion,
false as to the principle involved, and
fa.se as to the alleged purpose which in.
spires it.
We do not believe that our ina. .,cial
system is what it should be. First, in
that the government notes are not legal
tender for all dues; second, that
fluctuations in the money mar.
ket tend to unsettle values, impair
confidence, and thus to interdict free
circulation and to pr.cipi'ate disaster
and ruin. The existence Of these facts
the government has alrea iy recognized,
and has begun already to profit by what
it has learned. No one, except the par
ties ia interest, denies that the money
power is a gigantic monopoly. Because
it is go, the difficulty in the way of prop.
erly controlling it, is much greater than
it otherwise would be, but it is not insur-
mountablc and it will soon be overcome
if the people act judiciously; it can.
not be done by the establishment of a
new party, nor can any effort to create
new party for such purpose be success
full. 1t may win in some localities where
the people are divided upon local ques-
tions, and where personal feeling and the
rivalry Of factions dissolvcs party ties
and dcbauchcs the morals of voters, but
not elsewhere, or under any other cir.
cumstaDces. If any man asserts that the
present depression is attributable to the
policy of the republican party, he asserts
what he knows to he untrue. If the peo-
pie Of this nation are, some of them, out
of employment, and others in debt, be.
yond their ability to pay, (and in both
cases they are), it is mainly their own
fault. That class IN the cities, who "work
out" as we say, is far too large. AT least
one half Of them shosld go into the
country and under the homestead laws
get farms for themselves, and thus make
comfortable homes for their families.
Such action would abate the "tramp" null.
sance, and put stop TO communism;
fnr thon moot ,,,on xuorld Lovo ho,ooo IN
protect and those having none, would be
too few in numbers to be q dangerous
element. Of the debtor class, it may be
said truthfully, that most of those whe
are embarrassed tor want of means to
meet their contracts, are SO because they
have been either extravagant,h+. improvi-
dent. Few can deny this, for il ts true.
What reason have they then to complain
Of the government or of the party in con
troll? They know very well-at least
they should know, that politics furnishes
no remedy against personal delinquency
or neglect. 1t is not the fault of the gov.
ernment but of the people as individuals
that we have hard times; and tho man
who proclains different doctrine has
an lake to grlnd," and should neither be
followed nor trusted, as leader. To the
voters of Mower county, therefore, we
say, be not deceived by any specious pro-
misses for better things. Promises are
easy made. But should the greenbacker
succeed in electing his ticket, there will
be no change in the financial legislation.
This move is fallacy from beginning to