New-York tribune., 1879-01-02

obligation the Government to be responsible for it,
and to be Issued in such quantities as etc, etc. etc.
for just here paths. opinions and amounts
diyerge like the ribs OF palmetto fam Yet in spite
Greenbac kers, which must not be allowed to ai1ect
obscure the real matter in hand, the question re-
mains: II the Government the sovereign power IN
State, chooses to print and issue piece ot paper
call 1t dollar, invest it with paying qualities, ana
therefore with purchasing power make II the stand
ard of value, and all this either with or without
promise TO pay metallic cOn and II the Goyernment
then stands by ii and backs II up through thicK ana
thin, why is it not dollar, and inst as good dol
lar piece Of gold OF sIlveff Why is 1t not abc
sOute money! in the language OF the patioim VI
the National party of this Slater
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOLD AND PAPER
The answer is solid and true, # not plain to all
Let ii DO first expressed in several propositions
Any of these, if true is sufficient; and II all are
true then all combined make o sad case for the
Greenback theory:
Fnst-The difference is the same as between the
labor of mining OF washing for gold, and feeding
steam printing press with sheets OF paper; the dll-
ference between the labor Of mining and coming
dollar and printing figures, pictures, promises anu
threats on piece OF paper
Second-A standard OF measure must have stability
and regularity If tcannot be perfectly stable, IL
should approach it as nearly as possible. Carpeh-
ters' work and farmers fields cannot be measured
with ROD OF wn1cn n Ioot Is INC IL o'N
day that foot is as long your foot the next day as
long as your arm, the next day as long as your eg'
the next week as long as your whole body ana Tue
next week only as long as your hand
Third-Admitting the legal possibility of control
the moral and political fact is that you can no more
control the amount Of paper money issued by Gov
crnment than you can the volume OF circulating
promises issued by wildcat banks. If the voters
and the Congress of to-day pass law that 1t shall
not exceed certain limit, the voters and the Con-
gress of next year can repeal the law ana douDie
the limit, and SO on without end.
Tourth-If one Government would fix reasona-
bic limit and adhere to it, the evil is not avoided
As it takes many families to make nation
so it takes many nations to make our
modern world. Exchanges buying and
selling IN order that we NAV derive the greatest
benefit from them must go on between natlois as
well as between producers of he same nation. lhe
nations of the world, after many vclSsltudes OF eA
perence. many disastrous experiments nave
Welded to the necessity of the metallic standard.
Every departure from 1t has resulted IN return TO
it. International commerce requires money that
does not depend on the faith OF TINS or tnat uoVct
ment nor the caprice OF its Legislature as TO tho
amount to be issued. We must nave money whIcn
other nations and peoples will respect accept, be
glad to get Our paper money i sacn only daHand III >" n
FYnh-If the United States may PRINT and issue
1000 OOO, 900 of greenbacks and call them dollars
deemable III coin, Russia may IN the same way ana
for the same purpose issue 0OOo,OOo.ooO OF fed,
backs, Spain 1O,0O0,0OO,000 OF bluebacks and
Turkey 10 600, 600 of backDacks ana SO on
around the circle of nations.
Srth-But Governments cannot thus trhe wlta
the precious metals cannot thus qyerssuc gold ana
silver CONS Nature has regulated that, and has
placed limit upon the amount.
When gold mine shall be discovered which
yields that metal with the abundance that some
mines now weld iron coal, my argument VIII
cease to hold good; not as against irredeenable
paper money, but i'll so far that some other sub
stance than gold will have to become the principal
standard. As none so well adapted has yet been
discovered, gold mine so prOlliic as the one sup
posed would be an enormous calamity. The work,
ingman does not wish to have TO carry basketinl
of money to market whether OF paper or Oh gold, 10
be able to return with loaf OF bread for his family.
ESSENCE OF THE GREENBACK DOCTRINE
A little girl asked her father to buy her pony.
He gently declined Oh financial grounds, and then
asked her whether, if they had The money to buy
the pony and keep it at the livery stable she would
be wiling to spend the money that way, seeing so
many little children every day go ragged and
hungry; when she exclaimed ooh, dear me |
wish everybody in the world haG 100000 600 !;
then everybody would be rich, nobody would have
to work and everybody coud buy just what they
plcascdD That infantile speech covered the whole
ground the theory, the substance and the hopes OF
the greenback doctrine.
WANTS OF THE wORKINGMEN.
So much space has been given 10 the Greenbacker
that little remains for the wOIkingman and the
Communist st Socialist-if these two terms the
same. which do not pretend to say or know. But in
truth the discussion far is equally applicable to
the opinions and errors of all three classes.
What do the workingmen want I Some men work
with their hands, and some with their heads. and
these latter generally go to bed more tired and weary
than the first. Only few fragmentary suggestions
can here be added Cruelty to children in factories
l., had Io,u ,uota ell ayarU
may be prohibited by law; but the idea that the
number of hours grown-up free man shall DO
for q days work, or the amount he shall
be paid for it. can be regulated by
law is the same sort of fallacy committed by the
irredeemabe Greenbacker. That is, the reasoning
simply omits to consider the nature of things Any
polilcian Orpublic man who tells you that such law
is worth the paper spoiled IN writing it, either does
not know whereof he arms. or else he Is wllful dc
ceiver for base and selfish ends.
But cannot Government, National, State or city,
furnish employment" for the honest and needy
unemployed who are willing and anxious 10 work
The only legitimate business or duty OF OOvefnlnent
is TO protect you i'll the enjoyment of what yon earn
Concede the duty of Government to employ you,
and yOu cOncede its right to drive you to your
task and bind you TO ii until done. Yet such EN-
pl0yment might be provided for a season. Some
millions might be borrowed to grade, pave, sewer,
tional miles of untravelled and unused streets,
avenues and bonevaTds, through vacant and uu-
built lots. Bonds could be issued for the money,
and taxes levied to pay the interest now and some
dav the principal High taxes make high rents,
and high rents make high other things Except high
wages, and thus in the rents of your houses OF
rooms and in all the expenses of living, you are ulti-
mately punished for any attempt OF Government
to 20 out of its way and provide employment.
THE DISPARITY OF FORTUNE.
Without venturng to charge Communists and So
cialists with holding any wei-deiined convictions,
they should reflect that nature has made une-
quail, both mentally and physically. Some men can
earn more than others, and some can save more Of
what they earn than Others can. If, therefore,
equality of fortune and material comfort is what
you aim at, you must square the books and inforce
division every Saturday night. And to anything