davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Ottawa free trader., 1878-07-27

THE ONO NATIONALS held state conven-
ton at Columbus on Tuesday, which was rath,
er thinly attended and singularly devoid of
enthusiasm. Sam Cary, Of course, was the
master.spirit of the concern and directed all its
proceedings. He reported a platform, all of
which is meaningless rubbish except the iol
lowing:
We demand that the government shall issue
a full legal-tender paper money adequate in
volume for the employment of labor, the dis.
tribution of its products, the requirements OF
business, and the payment of all inereSt-bear
ing bonds as fast as rcdecmable, the withdrawal
and cancellation of all bank notes designed to
circulate as currency, the non-eXemptiOn from
taxation of all private property the passage OF
graduated income tax, the unlimited coinage
of gold and silver, and the repeal of the specie
resumption act; all legalized monopolies abol
ished and their establishment in the future
prohibited.
As this doubtless embodies the sum and sub
stance of what the Nationals are striving for
and is the gist of all their platforms, it may
with the first demand" that the government
shall issue full legal tender paper money" is
an impossibillty under the constitution rs il
now stands, for the Supreme Court of the L
S has repeatedly decided that further issue
of legal tender paper would be unconstitution
al The payment OF call interest-bearing bonds
rs fast as Iedeemable" in such paper would be
a breach of contract and disgraceiul TO the gov
ernment, as would also the "non-eXemptlon
from taxation of all private property" mean
ing government bonds, and the unlimited coin
uge of gold and silver would be absurd If We
are never to have specie payment, for with q
currency not redeemable in specie gold and
silver could not enter into the general circula
ton but would remain mere merchandise, and
as such ii might as we'll remain bullion aS
be coined into smaller pieces As to the can
collation. of the national bank notes, the pass
age of a graduated income tax and the abol
ishment of all legalized monopolies these art
measures about which certainly there is nc
such general disagreement as to make them
the basis for a separate party organization
The truth is, when you come to simmer down
the demands" Of the new party, they aie
found in Ohio as everywhere else TO consist OF
few impractcabe absurdities and preten
tious array of platitudes to which nobody pre-
tends TO object
The Ottawa free trader., 1878-07-27

4 year or two ago the Wisconsin Legislature
offered reward of $4,000 for the invention
of a practical steam wagon for use upon com,
mon roads. Last week two wagons claiming
the reward were to be exhibited at Madison,
one from Green Bay and one from Oshkosh.
The Green Bay wagon, however, broke down
by the way and was left in ditch at jefferson.
The Oshkosh wagon made the trip from F,ortr-
Howard to Madison, POI miles, in 33 hours,.'
being seven hours better than the time allow
ed by law, which Is 5 miles an hour. The
machine throughout hauled wagon weighing
$500 pounds At Oshkosh it made tour OF
the lumber-yards in the sawdust, with 9,100
pounds The weight of the machine alone is
1900 pounds, and, with water and coal for
eight miles, 6,600 pounds. 1t is described as
handsome affair, neatly and simply made, and
apparently calculated to do any amount of
work. The engineers reported no breakages
on the trip, no runaways and not bridge
plank disturbed Most of the roadway was
hard to travel, being heavy with sand an
gravel 1t is not settled, however, whether
they will give the prize of $4,000 or not, the
competition was so slight
The Ottawa free trader., 1878-07-27
HAS THERE BEEN CONTRADICTIONS

The burden of the /" National G, B." organs
is that since the good times" from 1866 to
1873 there has been fearful contraction of the
currency, and therefore to restore those good
tines we must have Eiore grcenbacks-eX
pansion. Has this hullabaloo about contrac
ton the least foundation in truth? Happily
the subject is one purely of official figures, and
statement put forth by the Treasury depart
ment mt Washington on the 18th inst. places
those figures within the reach Of all and arrays
them in way so simple and comprehensive
that we apprehend even an average n. G. b.
editor, by little study, may be able to under
stand them. According to this statement,
Aug. 81, 1865, the total paper circulation OF
the L. S., including greenbacks, old demand
notes, fractional currency and national bank
notes, was @G35,7192GG. Gf our greenback
friends are unable to procure copy OF the
above treasury statement, they can find these
figures on page 1j1 of Ex Mess. & Docs. for
1S77-7SJ On the first of July 1878 the total
circulation of greenbacks, national bank and
postal currency was 1854 4G5 692, being just
S4s. .G4G 1876 more than in August 1863 More
than this, however In 1865 our paper money
was worth SG032 to the 500, so that the actual
worth of all our paper money in circulation
then was but $40 06S5,j05, against its present
valuc-at about p per cent discount-of S6S1,,
100000. TO our present circulation must also
be added $50,000000 of subsidiary silver coin,
that has been issued to take the place of the
postal currency, making the present actual
gold value of our currency $731 100000 against
$40 GS5, ,59j in 1865 And of that amount of
currency in 1865, there has been no contrac-
ton to this day, as the official figures show.
(Ex Doc. 1S77-7S, p. 15l) The following
shows the exact amount of circulation from
1865 to 1873, including the currency price,
each wear in cold:
The Ottawa free trader., 1878-07-27

Kellogg is already beginning to receive his
reward for suddenly Topping over TO Hayes
and doing some stalwart swearing on the side
of fraud before the Potter committee. \ "spe-
cial case" has been made of his friend Sauer
who receives fat position in the New Or
leans custom house. Sauer is the man who
distributed the money to secure Kelloggs
ele, ion 10 the |. 5. Senate. He is said TO be
very low grade ward politician, and one of
the best men in the custom house was remov-
ed 10 make room for him
The Ottawa free trader., 1878-07-27

L is not socialism that is ihe rcd spcc,er
meiacing the safety of this country, says the
Springfield GGzettC, but the solid south" The
"damnabe hcrcsy Of states rights" which is
at the bottom Of it must be crushed out" says
the Gazc''e, and Gen Grant is the man to DO
IL Tie troubles smong the democrats IN
South Carolina, The "insurrcction" of the Ste.
phensiies in Georgia and thcKcy uprising in
Alabama and Tennessee would seem to indi-
cate that the solid south" which so horrifies
the Gazette i very largelya myth
The Ottawa free trader., 1878-07-27
THE MEXICAN DOLLAR.

The ordinary Mexican dollar in circulation,
like the trade dollar, generally contains from
2 to more g. aims Of standard silver than the
"dollar of the daddcs," which Is as good as
gold. Yet many merchants, bankers and busi-
ness men refuse to take it at par, and some ac-
tually discount ii 10 to 70 cents on the dollar.
DO these people know that the Mexican dol
lar is as fully legal tender as the dollar of
the daddies? We copy from the New York
Ereaiag Post, paper which never talks at
andom:
THE following silver coins shall be of legal
value and shall pass current as money within
the United States, by tale, for the payment of
all debts and demands Of the rate Of one hun
dred cents; the dollar, that is to say, the dol.
lars of Mexico Peru, Chilli and Central Amer
ca. of not less weight than 415 grains each,
and those restamped in Brazil of the like
weight, Of not less than 10 ounces, Is penny
weights of pure silver, in the Troy pound Of
10 ounces cf standard slver!- l}rightey's
Digest Vol. /, p 155, Laws Of the United
States act of Goth Of June, 1884
The aforesaid act of Congress has never been
rcpealcd. and the Mexican dollar of 4l5 grains
is a LEGAL tender in the United States, The
Mexican dollar weighs from one to two grains
more than is required by the law. They
should be at premium instead of Il discount.
II is a swindling transaction to discount them
1t is an oppression OF the weak by the strong
bankers which should not be tolerated.
The Ottawa free trader., 1878-07-27

TIE INDIANs.-The latest telegram from
the field of hostilties in Oregon, dated Baker
a junction with Forsyth's command and the
whole command had left the camp near Rob
insonville that morning to follow the fleeing
hostiles who are making directly toward Nal
heur Agency. The hostics will be forced to
fight soon, as trosps are coming against them
from several directions.
There is report at Washington that ter
bands Of the Sioux have joined to inaugurate
hostlltiUs against the whites and that Sitting
Bull has consented to join them with his
braves and lead them. The officials of the In
dian department however, consider the re-
port purely sensational.
The Ottawa free trader., 1878-07-27

The claim of the Nationals that they are a
"Greenback" party is a fraud, fol) the only
greenbacks that can ever be issued under the
present constitution and the decisions of the
suprlme court Of the United States are the 46,
0000O0 now in existence, and these are worth
their face in gold. Furthermore, they are
government notes promising to pay the bearer
their face in gold, which involves specie pay
ment Now the paper the nationals want is
fiat or absolute" money-that is, Il paper
money that shall never be redeerhable" but
which depends for its credit vn the sole quail
ity of itbeing made, contrary to the constitu.
ton and decisions ofthe supreme court legal
tender Instead of greenbackers the nationals
should call themselves the unconstitutional fl
alters
The Ottawa free trader., 1878-07-27
While the admlnlslrntlon of Prcsldcnt Have!

While the administration of President Hayes
started out with louder professions of civil ser
vice reform than any that had preceded it, the
blacklist chapter in It's history will be that re-
lating how by it the civil service was debauch.
ed. II il the iirst administration that made
scoundrelism special claim for office
There is not a man in Louisiana or Florida
who was suspiciously connected with the fraud
by which TIlden was cheated out of the elec-
toral votes of those states but has without the
emotest reference to his fitness otherwise, i'm
pudently demanded and received pay of Hayes
for his rascality. The last one thus paid is A.
B. Levisee, the Louisiana elcctor who stated
openly in Washington that his name was forg-
ed TO the electoral certificate on which Hayes
was counted in, but who is now bribed by an
office to commit perjury by swearing before the
Potter committee in New Orleans that his for
mer statement was a lie.
The Ottawa free trader., 1878-07-27

4 few weeks ago we mentioned that, under
the charter of the Union, the Central and the
Kansas Pacific railroads, the lands granted to
those r. Ids were thrown open to entry and set
tlement at the government price Of $1.25 per
acre three years after their completion: but
that, in spite of this provision of thci: char
tiers and the actual completion of the roads as
long ago as 1869, the companies continued to
hold their lands at the high prices of from 81
to So per acre and sold none for less. The
matter was brought few months ago to the
attention of Secretary Schurz and he now de.
cides that the provision of the charters referred
to is imperative and binding on the roads, and
that all moneys paid them for lands since 1872
by actual settlers in excess of S125 per acre
must be refunded. As the roads in question
have sold from five to twelve millions worth
of land each at more than double the legal
price the refunding of the excess will make
such serious draw upon their treasures that
doubtless rather than yield TO it they will
spend millions to weary out the poor settlers
by litigation, and in the end it will be found
that before the three years were up the CON-
panies had made some sort of bogus sale OF
all their lands to defeat the honest intention OF
their charters. Such adroit thieves as the
managers of these roads have proved To be are
not likely to be caught mapping In a simple
matter like that
The Ottawa free trader., 1878-07-27

Potter, the great election fraud-seeker, re
fuses to accept John Sherman's offer To far
nish one hundred witnesses to prove Demo
cratic frauds in Louisiana Potter is only
hunting for Republican frauds, and is deter
mined to conceal all Democratic irauds.-Wor
res Herdid
Brother Hayes, as a member of congress
ought to be better posted The Potter com
mittee in New Orleans last week did address d
note to Sherman's attorney in attendance on
the committee there asking the names of sher
mans hundred witnesses and Offering to hav,
them subpoenaed, but the attorney declined
The offer saying he did no; DOW propose 10 take
up line OF investigation that included in
timidaion.
The Ottawa free trader., 1878-07-27

Hon. L. l.. Cronkritc, democratic candidate
for state treasurer, was in Ottawa yesterday
making the acquaintance OF our leading citi.
zens and feeling the public pulse" He Ger
,ainly made u very favorable impression on all
who met him, His presence Is decidedly in
his favor, leaving the impression of high
toned, sterling and thorough gentleman. lie
has served several terms in the Illinois legis
lature, where his exceptional business tact and
fearless honesty and integrity always gave
him a commanding influence. The people
will never find more competent and trust
worthy man 10 place in charge Of their money
llags than Nh. Cronkrite.
The Ottawa free trader., 1878-07-27

The Democrats Of La Sale county are request
ed to Liect in their respective townships on Sat
urday, the 18th day of August, 1873, to appoint
held at the county court house in Ottawa on
Wednesday, August 2lst 1878, for Che purpose OF
nominating candidatea for state senator and mem.
bers Of the house Of representatives, and for the
various county offices to be filled at the next No
vember election; also to appoint 32 delegates Ia
represent the county in the congressional con.
vention called for the 2Sth day OF August, 1875
at Ottawa, and to transact such other business as
may be deemed appropriate for the good of the
party.
township will be as follows:
Adams, 9; Allen, 3; Brookfeld, 9; Bruce, 3
Dayton, 9; Deer Park, g; Dimmick, 3; Eagle, 3
Earl, 81 Eden, 2; Fall River, 2; Farm Ridge, 9
Freedom 2; Grand Rapids, ,; Groyeland, 3
Hope, .; La Sale, .; Manlius, 3; Mendoza, ;
Mcrlden, 9; Miller, 9; Mission, 9; Worthwhile, 2
Ophir, 2; Usage, 3; Ottawa, IL; Otter Creek, .
Peru, Z; Richland, 2; Rutland, 3; Serena, =
South Ottawa, q Troy Grove, .; Utica, 2; Yer
million, 2; Wallace, .; Waltham, 2.
j.. W, BREWER,
j. c. CRooKER,
WM. X. MILLIGAN,
ALEX. VAUGHEY,
J. 4. OCoyNoR,
WALTER IIoGE,
j. l.. Mccormick, JR,
II. f..,,. a. ~, 81.
The Ottawa free trader., 1878-07-27

No little alarm was caused at Brooklyn last
Saturday on the appearance of three deaths
from yellow fever, and three more cases not
fatal The alarming features about il were
that the disease was not imported but resulted
from local causes, supposed TO be the employ
meut of tainted material from an old vessel in
the building on the wharf, and that it has brok-
en- out almost in the heart of a crowded pop
ulation There appear, however, to have
been no new case since Saturday
The Ottawa free trader., 1878-07-27
OUR CLUBBING.

We are prepared to club the FREE TRADER
with the publications, furnishing both
at the prices named, postage prepaid. The Of
fer-open to old subscribers or new at any
post office IN the county--is the CHEAPEST
EVER MADE III this county:
FREE TRADER and Chicago Weekly Times. 81 10
FREE TRADER and Chicago Weekly Tribune. 26o
FREE TRADER and Chicago Weekly Inter-
0rcon 2.65
Fppr ,pFR and Prairie Farmer 800
FREE TRADER and either OF Harper's publ
FRFr TR,DER and Sc,ibper. 4. -
FREE TRADER nd GodeyS Ladies Book. $40
Fprr TRADER and Lire Stock Journal. ...... 3.i5
FREE TRADER and Pk,enoiogicdl Journm -. 80
FREE FRASER and ST. Nicholas. ............ 3.75
FREE TRADER and Demoycsts .NontHy. 3.od
FREE TRADER and LhtelPs Liciag Age...... S.25
FRrr TnADpR and Western Rural ..'... 29C
FREE TRADER and NOore'S Rurat Nctc Yorker 30
The Ottawa free trader., 1878-07-27
THE NEW YORK NATIONALS.

The Nationals of New York held a state
convention at Syracuse on Wednesday. Few
delegates appeared except from New York
City, but from tnat city four rival delegations
were present claiming seats Finally about
half of them were admitted, and the Shupe
and lIanlon delegations, which were rejected,
after threatening to organise separate conven-
ton, finally went home in disgust. The prin-
cipal speaker of the convention was 5. Myra
Hall, of the Woman's Suffrage PhalanX.
She favored the nomination OF woman to
every Office to which man was nominated
and wanted to see some good woman nomi-
mated for vice President on a ticket with Ben
Butler for President.
The platform adopted is communistic all
over. 1t declares in favor of absolute money
and the immediate redemption Of all interest
bearing government bonds in absolute money
urredeemablc shlnplasters) whether due or not J.
It demands the demolition of all the national
banks, the adoption of "land limitation" laws,
a protective tariff prohibiting the importation
of all articles that can be manufactured IN this
country, the reduction of the hours OF labor
and limitation of the use of machinery, the
reduction of all salaries of public officers OF
$1,000 or more to one half the amount, in favor
of "wise md judicious" system OF internal
improvement by the general government, and
opposition to the importation Of Chinese and
other servIle labor
Gideon l. Tucker was nominated to run for
Judge of the court of appeals upon that plat
form, the only candidate presented.
The Ottawa free trader., 1878-07-27

AN AFFAIR OF "HONOR."-The rotten old
Washington city board of public works a
year or more ago made an assessment of several
millions upon the property OF the city, which
Judge Bryan, one of commissioners in whose
hands the administration of the city has been
placed by congress, on investigation pro-
nounced fraudulent and corrupt Nevertheless
the ring" who expected to profit by the cor
rupt assessment prevailed upon Eppa Hunton,
NJ. G.. from Virginia and Chairman of the
committee on the District Of Columbia, to in
troduce q bill in congress to legalizc the "cor
rupt' assessment, and through llunton's intiu-
ence the bill passed congress. lIunton is now
a candidate for reelection and Columbus Alex
ander Washington city taxpayer who had
been fighting this assessment, made it the ba
sis of Il letter against Huntons reelection.
Hunton got mad and sent Alexander chal-
lenge The latter refused to accept but reit-
Grated his charge that llunton had prostituted
his position las congressman to forward the
schemes of corrupt confiscating ring Of
thieves" IIunton replied by posting Alexander
as II ''liar and vulgar blackguard." Perhaps
am" replied Alexander "but that don't make
you any less the confederate of thieves" And
there the matter rests, only Hunton will prob
ably lose his election under the present law Of
Virginia which makes :: man ineligible who
sends a challenge.
The Ottawa free trader., 1878-07-27
Democratic County Central Committee.

The La Sale County Democratic Central
Committee met at Ottawa yesterday and agreed
upon call Of a county convention to nominate
candidates and appoint delegates 10 the con
gressIonal convention as above. The sent
ment was strong with the committee 10 max,
a avigorous aud honest square democratic fight
and 10 have no cozening or fooling with sldc
shows
The Ottawa free trader., 1878-07-27

So, taking the gold value of our currency,
instead of contraction there has been an ac-
tual steady expansion since 1865, the greatest
being since the collapse in 1873. Verify, look
ing at these futures, the cause of the present
hard times would seem TO ce attributable rath-
or to expansion than contraction of the cur
rency
But" say the absolute money dclusionists,
"thiS statement is not fair In addition to the
grecnbacks, national bank bills and postal cur
rency in 1865, there was in circulation large
amount of other government paper known as
demand notes, compound interest notes, 7-30
bonds, 3G5 per cents, &c, in all amounting,
these high authorities are in the habit of stat
ing, to at least 81 $1,2OO,000,0OO Dr. Woolley,
we notice in his controversy with the Streaor
FIRE. Press, says our total circulation in 1865,
including this extra government paper, amount
ed to full $2,0OO,OOO,0OO!
Now see how fatty the official figures just
put forth by the treasury set him down. The
highest amount of demand notes, compound
interest notes, &c, ever in circulation at one
time was in 1865 and amounted to Just $685..
09j,7 In 1868 the sum was reduced to $2S,.
100000, and soon afterwards entirely dsap.
pcarcd. To swell the amount of this kind of
Indebtedness to 81 200,000000 the absolute
delusionsts 1--WE prefer to say they are deluded
to calling them liars add together all such pa
per that was issued from 1863 up forgetting
or conccaling the fact, that with every new
batch issued the old was taken up, so that, as
already stated, the total amount never reached
$500, 600 at one time.
But it is untrue that even this amount small
as il was, ever was designed to or ever did en-
ter into the general circulation, and it is dis
honest TO treat il AS such. 1t was in each case
a sort ofinterest bearing short bond issued fol
n temporary purpose, and generally fell int
hands that kept it because it bore interest un
| til ii was redeemed. II took exactly the place
then Of our prest 4 and Az per cent bonds tha
are issued in sums of 800 or less, which peo
| pie buy to invest savings in, and sell wher
they want to use their savings. Ii would b,
just as Legitimate to-day TO add the ana AZ
per cent bonds 10 the circulation as il is to say
the 1905 and compound interest notes of 1868
"a and 90 constituted part of the genera
circulation. The simple truth is they did nc
such thing and it is mendacious or betrays ig
norance to pretend otherwise
The cause of the smashup in 1873 and tn,
hard times" since then must be looked for in
something else than currency contraction. Say
rather, if the currency had anything to do with
il, that il was the increase in gold value and
therefore expansion of the currency that made
the trouble. But that is a branch of the sub
ject we have no design at present to go into.
The Ottawa free trader., 1878-07-27

Late dispatches from Minnesota contradict
the stories of a few weeks ago that half of this
years wheat crop OF that state had been ruined
BY wet weather and rust The crop is said To
be in process of harvesting in good condition
and will exceed last years crop of $4,000, goo
bushels by four or five millions
The Ottawa free trader., 1878-07-27

The Illinois Republican State Central Com
mittee, appointed at the recent convention at
Springfield, held its first meeting at Chicago
on Wednesday. The sharp contest for the
chairmanship between John W. Bum of
Springfield and A. NJ. Jones of Galena ended
in a victory for the latter by vote of 12 to H.
Dan. Shepard was re-appointed secretary, and
the Grand Pacific at Chicago designated as the
headquarters of the committee The election
of Jones as chairman of the committee is un-
cerstood to be a victory of the Logan Beveridge
combination over the Cullom Springfield ring.
After the committee had made its appoint
ments the doors were thrown open and a cou-
pie of hundred prominent republicans" from
different parts o: the state gathered in and
heard speeches from John \. Logan, Dick
Oglesby and the various candidates on the re,
publican state ticket The speeches were upon
the whole rather lugubrious Oglesby thought
the best chance for success lay in making it a
greenback campaign and SO partly steal out
the Nationals. Logan, on the other hand had
more faith in the resuscitation of the bloody
SHIRT