South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1878-09-06
A scATHING LETTER.
wA,nINoroN, June Goth. 1878


DEAR COLONEL It'll am In receipt OF
the first number OF the Ne,c Deal, and
thank you for 1t. II is bright, clean. and
spicy. and is, thank God. on the side Of
the people. 1 hope it will "live long
and prosper" and receive support
worthy OF the sacred cause in which it
is engaged, and never be compelled to
strike its flag and become n suppliant to
the Golden.God, and receive it's inspi-
ration from some national or other bank
parlor. While you have il, am, you have
breath in you, l know this will not hap.
pen. A national paper at Milwaukee
and one ut Madison are yet needed and.
when these wants are supplied. cannot
see but the press will be in condition TO
preach the sound political sospel with
effect to the farmers and business men,
and iaboring people OF Wisconsin.
The question before the country is
whether, under the lead of Jonn Sher-
man, the ruinous legislation for the past
sixteen years to promote the interests
OF capital ut the expense of labor shall
be perscvered in. or arrested, and labor
restored to somewhere near an equality
with capital in the race of life. In 9th
er words, is it to continue To he such
that the Scotch, Hebrew. and other mi.
sers and brokers are to be made very
rich, and the labOring people to be made
very poor? Is the minority Of pettifog-
gers, schcmers, shavers and spectators
to control and run this government ex-
pressly in their own interests, or is the
majority OF farmers, merchants, mecllan.
les. and other laboring people, who create
the wealth of the country, and have the
power to protect themselves from farther
robbery and extortion. if they but will
it, to assert their rights?
One OF the most eloquent, energetic.
! and truthful writer's Of the present cen.
tury, says: when men agree in their
theory OF government, they must also
agree to act in concert, or no practical
advantage can result from thoir acoor-
Dance"
Burke says: "For my part, find il
impossible to conceive that any one be-
lieves in his own politics, or thinks them
to be of any weight, who refuses to adopt
the means Of having them reduced to
practice
The expenses of the United States
are enormous. 1t is estimated they are
annually from $3.50, ZOO, 900 to 500, O00,.
| 900. .Wisconsin's share oftlis immense
sum Is more than It's annual wheat and
lumber crop. The hanks, railroads and
other corporations TO not pay taxes on
fifty per cent, OF the real value Of their
property, while the farmer pays on the
full value Of his farm, anl mechanics
and laboring men do the same on their
| homcsteads, and the merchants and man,
ufacturers on their goods and machinery
Bondholders pay nothing! Add to this
the state. city, county. and town indebt
edness. and the interest on it-which
must be met or have the cry Of rcpudia
ton sprung on them-and is it any won.
der we are said to be among the worst
taxed people on the face of the earth
IL we had not our unequalled rich. vir.
gin soil, and n race OF the most intelli.
gent, energetic, and hardy people the
world has ever seen, this country would
have been bankrupted and brought to n
stand years ago. 1t is wonderful, the
capacity OF our country to endure and
bleed! One would have thought the
people would have aroused themselves
long ere this, but II would seem that the
more they toll and economic aud save
and earn, the greater is the crcvasse
made by the authorities to absorb all
they produce over i bare existence.
Our country is all dotted over with
banks. There are over seven thousand
of them more by several hundreds than
there are barber shops They are
lending money for business purposes ut
from three TO five times more than the
annual increase ofthe wealth Of the coun
try. They are just as certain to capture
what money their customers have. ms
the faro or roulette is to take the money
Of The gambler. There are twenty.one
hundred national banks. They have
formed league, and around Lake Mich
igan. as if by way Of sarcasm, they call
it the Honest Money League r. The
secretary of the national league boasts
that the national banks he represents
control over two and half billions OF
money
Then there are the railroads, which are
largely owned and represented by the
banks, and mainly owned and represent.
ed in Wall street. The only capital
they had to start with was city. town.
and county bonds, and mortgages on
farms. The stock and securities taken
and paid for by the people and the mu.
inequalities have been wiped out by the
foreclosures Of mortgages-the compa.
MES re-organizcd, and stock and bonds
issued for. from two to three times the
actual cost OF the roads TO the present
proprietors, or what they could have
been built for-and freight and passcn.
ger rates are charged that will insure Mt
least sixteen per cent, dividend on tho
nominal capital-stock.
Then take your courts. IL is estima.
ted that in your neighboring State OF
Illinois. the cost Of its courts, over and
above what is realized on judgements. is
enongh annually to pay all State expen-
ses. educate every child in the State be-
tween the ages Of five and fifteen, and
build and equip three hundred miles OF
! singletrack railroad.