Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-10-23
Greenback Meeting at Platteville


On Thursday, October 10, bills we're dis
tributed over town giving notice that Profes,
sor Wiley of Minnesota, would address the
citizens of Platteville on the subject of what
few of the Wisconsin people who are heav
ny in debt have organized under, and for the
want of more appropriate name have termed
themselves Greenbackers. The meeting wa:
to have opened at 7So o'clock, but when thai
time rolled around only eighteen persons had
wandered into the hall, yet Mr.. Wetherbee .ot
Hazel Green, mounted the platform with an
armful of statistical records, having the an.
pearance Of age and as if troubled minds he'd
often perused their pages. The defeat of the
Greenbackers at the coming election will
make them look not little like the worn vol
umes which they perused so steadily during
the present campaign. At o'clock the mem.
beers in attendance swelled to so, at which
time the Chairman introduced the speaker
Mr.. Wiley, from Minnesota He said tina,
the audience made him feel awkward. He Is
probably not accustomed to meet even AZ
many as had dropped in, many through curl
osity. to listen to the fallacies which he. the
spoater, might chance to advocate.
He requested any one to question him in
case he said anything untrue or that tended
to misrepresent. He wanted no one to 90
away, after he had made so pressing an inyi.
tation, and say to the world outside that he
had told but part of it or that he had lied
Perhaps he regretted extending such an inv.
tation before he finished.
Said he "There are many reasons why the
people do not know more about the currency
question:" but he drifted from this saving
with his unsettled mind into the following
calumnious remark that, so near as he could
ascertain. "Gen. Grant never cast Republi.
can vote" and then made reference to Blaine.
Conklin, and several of the prominent Repubs
licans, declaring that they were always DEM
ocrats, that they became Republicans only
when they saw that it would pay better to be
Republicans than Democrats. His remarks
continued against the Republican party and
in favor of the Democrats. He even gave as
a reason why the Greenbackers in Congress
voted with the Democrats for the repeal OF
the election laws, that they voted we'll know.
ing that President Hayes would veto the bill
and by so doing would create capital for the
next campaign. Thus showing that even the
Greenbackers would trife with the head OF
the Government at the risk OF the welfare of
this Union if they thought to gain capital by
SO doing for their own party use. How has
it terminated. They have lost thousands who
are too wide awake TO adopt principles of
such PLATFORM That what they supposed
would be a resource has turned out TO be a
liability. He offered some statistics attempt
ing TO show that not bond was sold by the
United States for the purpose of carrying on
the civil war, but he gave no account of what
was done with the money received for the
bonds which were sold. With great empha.
sis said the speaker, "Not the sale of SIN
gle bond was inspired by patriotic motives.
You need not fear voting for the Greenback-
ers on the ground that the Democrats would
get possession of the Government and pay
the rebel war debt" If this is not admitting
as much as to say that the Greenbackers
would vote with tie Democrats then what
did the speaker mean ? for he said that il
would take two-thirds of the Republicans to
make enough to carry out such step. He
spent large portion Of the evening in trying
to prove the contraction of the currency, that
gold was the Auctuating medium and that
greenbacks had always been at par and gave
ia proof OF this supposed case where man
went to New York Bank for gold to paw
duties with. He asks the price of gold and
is informed that it is worth 81 so. He leaves
tor another Bank to try to get it for less, but
the first Bank telegraphs to the second that
a man is coming TO buy gold and to send it
up. He enters and upon inquiry is informed
that gold is Sl.55, thereupon he returns to
the first where he proposes to take the gold
when he IL informed that it has gone up DUR
ing his absence and is now worth 3l6O He
wishes to give this as fair illustration that
Greenbacks are not and were not the huct-
uating medium.
No one will question but that in this case
the Banks took advan tage of the purchaser
and instead of any advance in gol d he really
demands bonus for his trouble and that gold
in the market of the world should be the
same If man comes to me and wishes 20
borrow money, may tell HIM that will let
him have it providing he pays me So for 500
extra, but being dissatisfied goes away and
again returns and accepts the offer, when |
tell him that must have IS instead of $2.-
Does this indicate that place less value on
his paper, or that money has become scarce
during the few minutes of his absence The
question is whether Greenbacks and National
currency Is acceptable abroad as being of any
value intrinsically. Are they refused or were
they ever payment of debts either at home
or abroad? Should dollar of U. S. gold at
the time when gold was so high Gas Mr. Wiley
spoke of buy any more in England than a
French dollar of the same weight would buy?
Why should paper money remain al par here
while abroad it did not Or in other words
why should gold be worth 81 so in Ameri-
can currency while il was worth but 81 .OS in
some other country? If it was not the I'M
certainty of the value which the people
placed upon the paper currency Of the differ
ent countries then what was il? If the same
amount of gold was worth in U. S. currency
81, so why should it not have been worth
81. so in other countries in their paper cur.
rency! The reason is too plain and needs
no answer. What next does he assert ? Here
are his words: mo man familiar with the A
C's of the sense of Government but thai
will tell you that if you make the volume o.
currency smaller you lower prices II yor
make the volume larger you increase prices.
Here he admits that when there is not ar
over supply Of currency, it is worth more or
a dollar and consequently the price in dol
lars or cents will be correspondingly less, and
0iee versa. Still be continues and says thai
'the present money system means the ruin o.
the nation aud all business !" and declare:
that q man who saws that we have currenc,
convertible into coin either knows nothin.
about it or wrongfulIy misrepresents il, RICH
here he was charged BIZ a Republican to bt
the very one who was misrepresenting. Since
resumption no one has wanted to exchange
currency for coin but that he could get the
coin and at par When the Government will
make the exchange 10 sums of $50 does /
look reasonable that the smaller Banks woulC
MT axohanra for still an, altar s,raaq Tbn,