Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-10-11

! On motion OF Mr. Holton o. Jamaica, adjourned.
Gov. Talbot on the Issues Of the Day.
Gov. Talbot, of Massachusetts,, accepts the
nomination of the Republicans of the Bay
State in square and manly letter. Having
been workingman himself as well as an cX-
tensive, humane and liberal employer Of
wOrkingmen, he takes generous and sensi-
bic view of the labor question. A sound
man of business, he sees and expresses clear
ly the folly and wrong Of the Greenback in
fatuation. lie agrees with our own Cover
nor Proctor, and with most men of sense, in
the opinion that initiation and extravagance
are the causes of the hard times; that, as
Gov. Proctor so forcibly says, a return to
the causes of our present ills cannot cure
them. "Let us not" says Gov Talbot,
"turn the wheels backward to repeat our
suferings and losses" We copy the main
portion of the lat.er's letter. and commend
it as the utterance of a sagacious and honest
man:
Gentlemen Il am in receipt OF your let
| ter Of the Goth inst, communicating to me
the action of the Republican convention in
presenting to the people Of the common
wealth my name as a candidate for the
Office of Governor. am deeply sensible Of
| the honor done me, as well as of the respon-
slbility which devolves upon me in accept
Ing it.
We have reached a crisis in our political
as well as our financial affairs, when il is the
duty OF every Nun to take and declare his
position upon the absorbing questions of the
day. and to give his reasons for his faith and
actions. desire that no man shall support
me in ignorance OF my views or purposes.
believe that the distress which the depression
of business has brought upon the community
demands that the same rules of economy
shall lie applied to State affairs which we
have been forced to apply in personal mat
ters; that every ayoidable expense shall be
stopped forthwith; that every Office not at
solutely necessary shall be abolished, and
the salaries attached to those that remain
shall be reduced to the lowest point adequate
for the service rendered; that the length and
expense of the legislative sessions shall be re-
dueed; that the system of State charities shall
be revised and the cost thereof lessenei ; that
no further grants of the State money shall
be made to private enterprises or institu-
tions, and no new public institutions shall
be commenced unless absolutely demand
ed in the interest Of humanity that
the public debt shall not be increased, but
that vigorous measures be taken to reduce
and pay what has already been incurred, to
the end that taxation be lessened and the bur-
tph al nd Ian
alike, be removed.
As in times like these it is always the
laboring class which feels most keenly the
deprivation and suffering, it should be the
earnes. effort of all in authority to devise at
the earliest moment and in spirit of con-
ciliaton and respect, such legislation as is
possible to relieve and assist then, and the |
subject demands earnest, thoughtful, candid |
treatment. While it is the duty of the em-
ployed to be loyal and faithful to the EN-
ployer. it is no less the employers duty to |
make :le employed sharers, as far as possi-
BILE, in his own success or prosperity, by at
least furnishing work IS steadily as possible
and at the best wages which the business
can afford. Neither class can exist without
the other, and such relation should exist be-
tween them as will inspire mutual regard
and confidence. l speak from the heart upon
this topic have been working man my
self; know their hardships and their needs.
and respect their rights.
The grecnback theory seems to me the
most decisive and dangerous with which any
class of men can deceive themselves. If his
tory teaches anything in matters + finances,
it is that sooner or later the products OF
every community must be measured by the
standard of value recognized by the world at
large Were it possible to Surround our
selves with a wall of exclusion, we might,
for our own exchange, have any standard
We chose; but the spirit Of the age, the
universal interchange and communion of ma
tions renders such u thing impossible. First
or last We must take for what We have to
sell, as We must certlinly give for what We
have to buy, the money which the world
recognizes as the universal symbol of value.
Calling piece of paper dollar will never
make it IA dollar in the market of the world.
and in that market every days labor, as
well as every bush5l of corn or yard of cloth
is at last to bc valued however our national
pride or pretencc may protest or resist. The
law is as inexorabe that of death. The
suffering which We experience to-day Is
largely owing to our defiance of that law.
the penalty of which VIC knowingly risked
during the exigencies of our great civil war,
as n lesser evil than that which threatened
Us from scarcity of money of any kind Nor
do know any honest way in which money,
either PAPER or coin, can be obtained except
by gift or by rendering therefor Il Just equiv
alent in labor or the products of labor.
" ere all the Government presses to be set
running at once, do not know bow any
mnn could come honestly by any of the mil
lions they might turn of, unless he had =
something Of value 10 exchange. We must
work if We would obtain the fruits of Ia |
b)r, wages or wealth and we must
demand that those wages or that
wealth be represented in the only c
currency which the whole world recOg-
nizeS-gold, or its equivalent. The only c
remedy for the hard times. | believe, is :
financial policy based upon this idea. 1t is i
necessary to resume and secure specie pay
ments to encourage capital to commence new q
enterprises, and thus give employment 10 v
labor. This IS almost accomplished. Let.us a
not turn the wheels back to repeat our
and losses. Not more money of t
any kind, but more chance to work, Is what
We need. Agitation in regard to imitation OF j
the currency, to changes of the tariff, OF b
that excite nj feeling between capital and =
labor only retard our progress to better h
times. Let business alone, and the immuta-
bic laws of trade will bring about settle
mcnt advantageous To all. 1t seems to me, n
therefore. that the time has come when all y
the friends of rigid honesty and economy in t,
public affairs when all who believe that ma J
tiunal and municipal debts should be paid IL
promptly and squaiely, according to the b