The weekly clarion., 1879-10-01
NUMBER 40.

/ to bail on the condition that they would
promise not to vote, others again only or
condition that they would surrender theil
naturalization papers-papers that he had
no more right to take from them than ht
| had TO take their goods and chattels-wheu
that was done was that not interference with
the election of the officers of the State
| Was that simply a regulation of the manner
of electing Members of Congress Was that
not an interference with the election of the
Members of the Legislature of the State
who were To be chosen at that election
Was 1t not an interference with the cleo
tion of one of the Judges of the highest
judicial tribunal of that State then 70 be
chosen Was 1t not an interference with
the election of every State officer who was
voted for at that election7 Who can deny
1t? Nobody can. And sir, will YOU tell
me that Congress under the power to regu-
late the manner of elections in the choice OF
Members of Congress, can frame a law i'm
such wise as really to authorize "A Deputy
Marshal of the United States TO tear the
State Judges from their seats and confne
them in prison and stop the election, and
that all that is not interfering with the
rights of the States 10 hold their elections
for State officers according TO their own
laws viii you tell me that it is an exercise
of the power to regulate the manner Of
electing members of Congress? No, sir, il
will not stand one moments examination
There are some things SO clear that argu-
ment upon them only serves to obscure
them, and this is one of them. man
would be absurd who should argue that two
and two 10 not make four; but he would be
scarcely more absurd than he who should
argue that laws which permi. the interier-
ence OF which have spoken, can be sus-
tanned under the provisions of the Constitu-
tion authorizing Congress to regulate the
manner of electing Members of Congress"
RESUMPTION
But it is time for me to pass to another
theme
The Republican speakers and Republican
press are Growing Justify about what they
call the resumption of specie payments
Behold, say they, we are on the eve of
prosperity; resumption brought this about,
and we brought about resumption ergo.
you should all support the Republican
party. My friends, it requires no great
powers of analysis to explode this sophis-
try.
In the first place. have we specie pay
ments? Do any of your debtors pay you
in specie unless the debt be 50 or less Do
the banks pay their creditors in specie
Try and see if they do. Collect as many
bank bills as you can and assort them. Out
DTDDdDiN
5000 on the National Banks of Columbus. [
The remaining 80 500 are of banks scattered /
all over the Republic. TO present them mt |
the banks that issued them would require |
you to travel thousands of miles and incur /
hundreds of dollars of expense. To present |
them at the Treasury Department in Wash /
ington would cost less, but yet would be .
Onerous and expensive. So you abandon
the idea of doing either. But you have 5000
~ nIIlu ohE1S hi Nprt . !
the banks and demand specie Do you get
it? Not unless the banks see fit to give it
TO you. Our Columbus banks are very
accommodating, and l have no doubt that,
in case of necessity, they would oblige you
Dy giving you specie for your 5000 of their
notes. But they are not obliged to do so,
and were you to present $4,000 or $4,000
)f their bills for redemption, they would
lot do 50. They would pay you in the
greenback Then what would
you do with the greenbacks if you wanted
pecie for them? Present them to any
Federal officer in Columbus for redemption?
# you did he would smile al your ignorance
md politely tell you that the Government
lid not redeem greenbacks in Columbus
hat if you want specie for them you must
larry or send them to the City of New
York and present them to the Assistant
Treasurer of the United States. Well, you
ant afford to incur that trouble, expense
md loss, and so you conclude to keep your
yreenbacks. Why, what does the Secretary
ell us in the speeches that he is
delivering through the country: in
rider to illustrate, l suppose the
honesty of the Presidents Civil Service
ules? Does he tell US that the Government
5 redeeming greenbacks in specie? Far
rom it. He tells us that comparatively
ew greenbacks are presented for redemp-
ion. Our so-called specie payments, there
ore, are no specie payments at all.
Neither individuals, banks, nor the Govern
nent, makes payments in specie. Paper
money, when undoubtedly good, is so much
more convenient than specie that it keeps ,
pecie out of circulation. In no country
hat uses small paper money can there be a
pecle circulation, except small change. In :
England and France there is vertabe
pecie payment. Debts of large as we'll as ,
mall amount are often paid in specie. {
But in those countries there are no small
otes, and hence a large proportion of the !
money in circulation is specie. In our !
ountry we have small notes of both the
government and the banks, and hence we
AVE no specie in circulation worth men ,
ioning, except our subsidiary coins of half !
ollars and less.
But, while we have no specie payments, ,
ccurately speaking, / admit that our {
"a per money has been brought to par with
pecie. OF the sacrifices suffered by the I
'eople in order to bring this result about,
f the shrinkage of all values, the paralysis {
f all industries, the thousands of laborers !
brown out of employment, the bankrupt c
les, amounting to hundreds of millions of |
ollars, | shall not speak tonight If there {
5 one here who thinks that we have not {
aid very dearly for the whistle, / will not, Z
o-night, attempt to disturb his belief But Z
vhen the Secretary Of the Treasury peram- i
'ulates the country, boasting Of the t
Of bringing greenbacks to J
'ar with coin, it is not improper TO point (
ut to him the grayeyards through which {
We have passed in our dTeary march to this
esuLt And when he claims that this con-
was brought about by the
Act, and his execution Of it, it (
J eminently proper to show him how
useless is his claim, how hollow in his pre- :
entiOns.
There are various causes that have oper-
ted to bring our paper to par with specie,
nd among them the Resumption Act is the
east. Had that act never been passed, and
lad Congress authorized what the Secreta-
y of the Treasury, without authority of !
aw, now permits, the receipt of green backs
n payment of customs duties, they would !
ave been at par with specie year at least
,efore the time fixed for resumption by the ,
Act. When that act was be-
ore the Senate l moved an amendment
'roviding for the receipt Of greenbacks in
,ayment of customs duties. The Republi-
ans voted it down. | said it was worth
more than all the provisions in the act.
'1y opinion was treated with silent con
empt, for the bill had been concocted in
aucus and the Republican Senators would
lot debate it. Time has proved that my
Judgment was correct. With all the
of the Resumption Act, and its
ost to the people, the Secretary of the
Treasury found himself compelled to receive
n plain violation of law, the greenback in
,ayme mt of the duties.
have said that had the Resumption Act
lever been passed, greenbacks would have
cached par with coin. 1t would have /
,een through great suffering, as it has
zen through great suffering, aggravated