Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1880-05-13

deema0le bonds into those which viii
have thirty or fifty years to run, as is pro
posed, we will pay in premium to the
members OF the sydicate, from whom We
will be compelled to purchase them if oul
debt IS not to be perpetuated, more thar
we will seem to save by having reduced
the rate Of interest on debt, which, since
the Sth Of November last, we have beer
eStinguishing at the rate Of s9,0O0,000 q
month.
Mr.. WEAVER. yield for minute t.
the gentleman from Indiana.
Mr.. CALKINS asked and obtained
leave to print some remarks upon this sub
1ect.
Mr.. WEAVER. Mr.. Speaker, | reckon
myself most happy in having an opportu.
nifty OF witnessing a vote upon these reso.
lutions which have so attracted the atten.
tlon OF this house and of the country ioI
the past three months. lam not surprise
at the opposition of the gentleman from
Ohio, Mr.. Garfield. | understand very
well that that gentleman and his party
stand in the road blocking the progress Of
the people toward financial reform.
ilC hNhullCu lutot lCs6lullDUS WIFI LWU
distinct propositions: First, that they
favored centralization; second, that they
are in violation of the public faith of the
nation, in that they propose to pay the
pubic debt in manufactured money" as
the gentleman styles it. call his atten-
tion tU the resolutions themselves in re.
sponse to that. There is not one word in
these resolutions looking to violation of
the public faith or to the payment of the
public debt in anything not strictly in ac-
cordanCe with the contract. That is the
language of the resolutions, that the bonds
shall be paid as rapidly as possible and
according to the terms of the contract.
We all understand very well what the
gentleman means when he raises the cry
that the public faith is about to be endan-
gered. He means that it is violation of
the public faith to pay the public debt in
silver dollars of 4l2l@ grains. That is
what the gentleman means. The resolu-
tions propose to pay the bonded debt in
silver dollars, if the bondholJers prefer
coin. Every man of sense in all this broad
land knows that the holders OF these bonds
do not want them paid in either gold, sil-
yer, Or greenbacks. They simply want
Them to be funded perpetually and be ex-
empted from the burdens of the State.
| say here and now that the National
Gr9enback party is opposed to the viola
tion Of the public faith, and is squarely
opposed to the reputation of any portion
Of the public debt. Applause. We are
in favor Of the payment of the debt ac-
cording to the contract, and we are the
only party that desires ever to pay it.
And while we are in favor of that, we are
determined that the moneyed interests of
the country shall not repudiate again
those features in the contract which are in
favor of the people, We say that the
6ondhoIder having specified in the law
that he would receive the silver dollar of
4l2l9 grains in payment for his bond, in
all good faith he should be held to the
strict terms Of the contract. He may have
his pound Of flesh, but not another drop
OF American blood!
We do not seek to compel the bond
holder to receive the greenbacks in pay
ment Of his hond The people once had
the right to pay them, but that right was
ruthlessly and wiCkedly taken away by a
change OF contract in 1869, which took
from the telling Taxpayers $G00,0O0, 900,
more than half Of which went to enrich
foreign princes and u'urers. These rcso-
lutious do not propose to interfere with
the contract Notwithstanding it was CON
cciyed in sin and fraud and brought forth
in iniquity. II proposes to pay in stand.
ard silver dollars. All, it is not green
backs, it is not silver, that you hate. It
is the payment of the debt that so en-
RACES you. But the gentleman charges,
vehemently, that the resolutions tend to
Capitalization and CHsarism. 1t is well
that the gentleman has announced to the
house and to the country that the Repub.
liz an pa-ty prefers to trust The national
"ankers, and the banking corporations, to
contro! and issue the volume of the cur
rencY, rather than congress Of the sworn
rcpr 'ntatives of the people. That he
prefers the bankers OF the country, not
elected by the people and not responsible
to them, should have the power to control
the volume Of the currency according to
their own will, rather than the represent
atves Of the people, who are directly re-
sponsibic to their constituents. Let that
issue be sharply and squarely drawn.
Applause 1t is the great practical is
sue to-day in the American republic.
Who shall issue the currency and control
its volume? Shall the bankers control it
for their own selfish ends, or shall its issue
and volume be controlled by the whole
people for the benefit of ALP
That say is the colossal issue, and in it
is involved the very existence of this gov.
eminent and the freedom Of the people.
Capitalization" The congress of the
United States, chosen for two years, COM
ing directly from the people and directly
responsible to them for their conduct, are
not to be trusted! but the bankers of the
country, who are not chosen by the peo-
pile, or elected by them, are to be trusted
with the great power involving the happi-
ness and welfare Of fifty millions of peo-
pie, and their countless posterity, without
a murmur from the gentleman and with
his express approval. Let me repeat it
again, so that the American people may
fully understand it.. These bankers are to
be trusted, says the gentleman, in prefer
ence to the people and their chosen repre-
sentatives!
Is there no Capitalization, no Cnsarism
herep In the name Of public peace, in
the name of honesty and fair dealing, in
the name of the laboring millions, who
toll and dig and pay the taxes Of the
country, | invoke the soft-money Demo-
,rats OF the United States and the hun
dreds of thousands Of Republicans who
have been long looking in vain for eco
nomc reform within their party, to join
with us in death-grapple with this cor.
porate monster. In the name OF the humble
poor who struggle not for office, and who
simply want fair chance in the race of
life, | ask you to give one vote for the
republic. Let there he no dodging to-
day, no hiding in the cloakroom; you
cannot serve two masters. You cannot
avoid the issue if you would. 1t is vital,
permeating all classes, and engaging the
attention Of the people as never before in
our history. This is supreme moment in
the history of men and Of parties in this
house. Reflect well before you vote.
ask the congress Of the American peo-
Pile TO stand up and assert with Thomas
Jefferson that the issue of the circulating
medium should be taken away from the
banks and restored to the government, to
which it properly belongs. Applause |
ask my Democratic friends to stand where
Jackson stood when he said in his fairwell
address that the banks could not be relied
upon to keep the circulating medium uni
form in amount. [Applause.l | ask you
TO stand where Calhoan and all the other
great leaders Of your party stood in the
past and purer days Of your history.
And ! ask my Republican friends here
to repudiate the doctrine of the gentleman
from Ohm Ynn owe IL 10 vnnr dignity