River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-09-26
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EVIL TENDENCIES OF GREEN
BACKISM.

right and Industrious men are thought
lessly following the lead of that party
of political agitators popularity known
as Greenbackers, feeling as we do that
the tendency of that organization is
towards the submersion of our Repub.
lie, and we are constrained to believe
that should many who are inclined to
lend q willing ear to the teachings of
fiat money advocates lay aside or over
come the unwarrantable prejudices
aroused by these unsound agitators,
and give existing political questions
that calm, deliberate and conserva-
tive consideration which they should
receive, their implied allegiance to
the Greenback party would be with
drawn. Whatever may have been the
doctrine promulgated at the inception
of Greenbackism, so-called-before
Cary, Pomeroy, Shupe & Co. assumed
the leadership of that organization,
as generally understood noao one of
the purposes of that party is to dis
honor our national obligations, than
which none can be more sacred; to
pay the national debt in greenbacks
which shall not be redeemed, in short
to repudiate it: Suppose that one
of our Greenback friends should loan
a neighbor sum of money, receiving
a note to secure the repayment of the
same, the one giving the note being
considered entirely responsible, and
| when SAID note became due the bor-
rover should tender in payment there
of another note not redeemable, at
the same time telling his creditor that
he must accept that note or nothing
money which he has loaned. What
would our Greenback friend say! He
would denounce the one who had thus
wronged him as a knave, and in fact
he would be one; such an act would be
dishonest, unjust, a betrayal of faith,
a reputation by the borrower of the
terms of contract entered into in
good faith by both parties, and would
bring into disrepute i'll the eyes of all
honest men the person perpetratingit it.
This illustration shows the Greenback
plan for the adjustment of our nation
al obligations and is SO simple and COM
prehensive as to be easily understood.
Many feel impelled to JOIN the Green
hackers in the hope that the burdens
of taxation will be lessened by the as
tendency of that party. Do this class
of people ever consider that the
amount of tax which they pay for the
support of the Federal Government is
but small trife compared with their
State. county, town, school, road and
special taxes which they annually
vote upon themselves The man who
abstains from the use of liquors and
tobaccos-not regarded as the heces-
saries of life-is not very materially
affected by his Government tax, and
we are at loss to know how his con-
dition in this regard would be at all
improved should the Greenback party
become the dominant one. Others
join the "new party because office
holders are literally paid for their
services and in some instances have
their '.stealings in. While we are
not the champions of princely salaries
and do not approve of ''steals' in any
form. we can safely assure all Green
hackers that if they expect those who
are elected to office by their votes to
work for less pay or do less stealing
than officers of either of the old par
ties, the time will soon come when they
will see their mistake, should they,
unfortunately for the country, emerge
from the pending contest very gerer-
ally successful. Though we do not
class all Greenback leaders as office
seekers, bummers and dead-beats we
are warranted in saying that the num-
Der who assume to be and are recog-
nized as leaders in that party that are
men of questionable antecedents COM
pares fayorably with that contained in
other organizations of a political ma
ture. The notorious "Brick" Pome-
| roy, bankrupts Shupe and Allis, Credit
Mobilier and back-pay Butler, and 9TH
ers of that ilk are among the most con-
spicuous Greenback champions and
they are not men who are very well
calculated to inculcate benifcent prin-
ciples. We could of course mention a
| number of Republican and Democratic
scamps, for there are lots of them. who
| have been high in position, but the
| purposes of this article do not require
| it and we give the above names only
as an illustration of the fact that the
Greenback party is entitled to no re-
cruits upon the strength of the supe-
rior purity of Its leaders, orators and
| statesmen. The inevitable tendency
| of Greenbackism as now taught is
| communism and this fact alone should
| repel from it all who have due re-
| gard for individual or property rights.
| In Justice to themselves we appeal to
| all who feel inclined to cast their lot
| with the Greenback party as now con-
stituted to consider calmly, carefully
the probable and possible results which
would follow in the event of that par
tvs success. Our reference to green
backs and Greenbackers in this article
applies only to the ''fiat" sort, for no
one looks upon dollar greenback that
is worth 99A cents in gold with more
sublime emotions of pleasure and sat
isfaction than do the proprietors of
this family JOURNAL.
IT is but few years since the idea
of bridging the Mississippi and Missou-
| ri rivers was held to be both imprac-
| ticable and undesirable, and as eontem-
plating an infringement on the rights
of navigation. There have been built
since 1866 no less than eleven bridges
across the father of waters. between
Winona and st. Louis. Ten are on
piers and onels a pontoon bridge. The
| longest are at Winnna and Quincy
4 AKIN feet each