The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1878-05-06
Another " Apology.
SEATTLE, May /, 1873.

T.
dark offense Of admitting my commuui-
cation Of the 29th ult. on the money
question into the valuable columns OF
the Ereniag Di,p1fch. 1t is said to be
natural for a drunken msn 10 consider
every one else drunk but himself; but
one would think that the great apollo
eist." at his time Of life, would have
learned that uucalled for abuse is not
argument. and that printing mans
contribution on public question only
a. the text for mean and scurrillous
personal attack on the writer by innu.
endo and ungentlemanly epithets, is
not perhaps the strongest yindication
of all editors own doctrines.
After keeping my letter until this
morning without publication. he met
me on the street. and said, Il will pub
lish that letter today. if you will
promise not TO write any more on that
subject - said, We'll, you need not
publish it if it is a burden TO you" If
there is any man living who has respect
for those older than himself, and who
endeavors TO show that respect in his
words and actions towards those per-
sons. / believe that | am one of those
men. |. has always been one of the
pleasures. as well as u pride of my life,
10 pay due Difference 10 my seniors.
But there Is once In while man of
great self-snperiority, who mistakes
these duties. when bestowed upon him,
for crouching submission to his stale
ideas; and when you chance to ques-
tion his Opinions-no matter how cour-
tcous your words, or how sincere your
lnotiyss-with peacock instincts, he
assumes the role of the doctor, who.
when the lady Of the house said, Il
don't think, doctor -" Think, think
Madam, you have no business to think
am here to think for you - The idea,
apparent in Mr.. Browns Apology"
that men in the common walks of life
have no thoughts upon the issues Of
the day that are worthy of notice. or
that he is bound to respect. and that
none but newspaper editors are self
constituted educators of the people, is
species of arrogance only becoming one
who has risen above his calling.
Opinions on expedients of public
policy may possibly differ. and at the
same time the advocate of one side be
just rs sane as that of the other. and vet
neither perhaps be absolutely infallible
in all respects.
We start out with the broad and in
controvertible proposition, which We
defy the Dispatch or any other man to
gansay. that the Government, which
the millions of struggling work.
ingmen throughout the Union tax
themselves out of their hard earnings
10 sustain, owes as its FIRST and para
mount duty To those citizens the pr0tec-
ton of their interest. Il owes. in q
certain sense, all its Industrious, law
abiding citizens, life. liberty and the
pursuit of happiness" How is this
duty TO be reconcled with the fact
that thousands of the wor,hiest and
steadiest men of the land-the miners
aud the mechanics of Pennsylvania and
the artisans of the East and North
West-sre to-day beggsred and home
less; families starving; and once sober,
contented and thrifty men, now trans
formed into tramps or criminals Why
this ferment and unrest that shakes the
nation from the Atlantic to the Pacific
coasts, and ever and anon breaks to the
surface IN mobs and violence The
reason is that they have been thrown
out of employment. Why thrown out
of employment Because the money
of the nation has been withdrawn from
business and locked up. 1t is said that
il has been decided by the government
to make gold and silver only, the medi-
um of exchange. But gold and silver
is practically foreign commodity
Europe has monopoly of those COM
modities To say that our farmers. our
manufacturers, our ship builders, and
our merchants shall do no trade except
by means of the metals which are un-
der the control OF an inimical foreign
monopoly. is 10 say that American in
dustry shall be throttled by foreign
capital. Ii we are compelled by law
TO get gold from the vaults of LON.
bard street for the transaction of all
our domestic exchanges. We must take
the chances of getting it on their own
terms. 1t puts it in the power of the
of the foreign money
market to regulate rates of exchange.
regulate rates of interest, and regulate
too the prices of all our exportable pro-
duce which we are under compulsion
TO send abroad for their enjoyment on
their own terms, in order TO get their
geld.
If the United States were in posi-
ton to control the money market of
the world an opposite policy would be
but as il is. TO ALLOW the
foreign financiers to dictate our none
tary system for us. is 10 place our lib
critics practically at their mercy. indie
pendence always has been the
motto of tho American people,
and it is the only safe one to adhere
20. Unless American citizens can keep
clear of eptangling foreign alliances
in matters OF finance. they cannot be
independent in their business For
purposes of domestic exchange and
(Which. by the way. in a
country with the scope and resources
of ours. ought to be nearly the only
kind carried on. the Government. may
and ought to provide a medium of cur
rency that does not have 10 bs i'm
ported from Europe. 1t should be just
enough, also, and not too much to &C
all the necessary or desir-
able business OF the country, and no
honest industrious business man ought
TO be bankrupted, or laborer thrown