Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1880-06-24

OF human slavery upon the policy of
the country, 1t may cost us yet untold
millions of treasure and rivers of blood.
| pray to my God that the evil may be
averted; that this bloodshed may be
spared; but the history of this country
makes great stretch of faith to believe
that we can ever again reclaim to the
people this power that has been taken
away from them and bartered for gold,
except by the sword.
And all good men must work to pre-
vent a catastrophe of that kind, but
such power as that when once taken
from the people is seldom, if ever, re-
linquished without bloodshed.
Now gentlemen, let nobody say to me
that am n communist. am opposed
to communism. | am opposed to the
Use of the sword. am opposed to
bloodshed; ; but there is weapon placed
by the trainers of our Government in
the hands of the people that they can
use, and that is the all potential ballot.
lApplause.
Now you understand the difference
between our form of Government and
that of Great Britain, but let me revert
to it for one moment. The government
of Great Britain is Il cross between Il
monarchy and an aristOcracy. The sys-
TEN of finances in that country was
| framed with Il view to the occasion that
| 1t was to serve, we all know how it af-
fects the people there-the English sys-
TEN OF financcs-we know that it builds
up the few ut the expense of the many.
The aristocracy, the nabObs, the
dukes, by the way, we have a duke in
this country now, are all satisfied with
the operation of the financial system of
Great Britain. 1t is exactly in accord
with the genius of their institutions,
and hence they seek not to change.
But do you believe that Il system of
finance that is Just calculated to serve
Great Britain is exactly the system you
want here.
Now put this question to our Repub-
lican friends,-for there should be no
dispute among us on that roint,-what
is good money for you is good money
for me. It's only conflict of thcO-
ries, we all want good money. Now |
put it to my Republican friends to say
IL lIltlC IL OllC VI tllCIll W llO llldU
free America, where the power resides
or ought to reside, and was intended to
reside, in the hands of the great body
of the people, wants Il system oftinance
here that is just adapted to the purpose
of the British aristOcracy. [Cries of No!
no. MOI What are the essential feat
ures of the English system of finances?
read speech of Mr.. Gladstone's near
ly two years ago, in which he said that
the English Government had caused
all English-speaking people to adopt
the English system of finance. When
read it | stopped and said to myself,
What's that? read it over again.
That the English Government had caus-
ed all English-speaking people to adopt
"Our" system of finance.
| said to myself: Well, this is an
English-speaking nation. Is it true of
us that we have adopted the English
system of finance! | went to work to
find out if that was true or not | went
to the books and inquired, what are the
essential features of the English sys-
TEN of finance, and what did find them
to be? First, large national debt.
Loud laughter They call it "na-
tiOnal blessing" Renewed laughter
and so it is to those who own the bonds
and the men who say that, but it is quite
the reverse, assure you, to those who
pay the interest. They say it is not
only national blessing, but it is prop
to the British throne. Well, those at
the upper end of the prop may feel well
enough, but how about those ut the bot
tom? Laughter Those upon whom
the other end of the prop rests do not
admire the prop. Well, that was the
first essential feature of the British sys-
TEN of finance that found.
found, second, that debt drawing
high rate of interest-higher than the
annual increase of wealth, and of course
it is only question of time when it
will absorb everything.
found third, that bonded debt eX-
empt from taxes. Laughter and ap-
plause.
4th. The Bank of England resting
right down on top OF all these bonds
and endowed with power to issue to the
people currency and say how much
they should have. said / thought |
had seen something of that kind in this
country, and | began to look around to
see what we had of that kind here.
What was the debt of Great Britain?
Why, 1t is four billions Of dollars, and
1t has been running nearly 200 years,
while our national bonded debt is two
billions of dollars and has not been run
ming twenty years. The bonds are eX-
empt from taxes and fourth we have
the National Bank system resting down
OH top of all these bonds, and clothed
with the power to issue the people mo-
ney, and to say how much they shall
have. [Laughter.l
Now, my friends, seriously, as Amer
lean citizens upon whom the response
bility Of preserving the grandest gov
ernment that was ever given to man In
the munificenue of God, can you, in
your conscience, vote to perpetuate a
system of that kind? [Cries of No!
mol Iput 1t to the religious men in
this town this night, If they are ready
and willing to give away the sheet
anchor of our religion. How in the
, maine of conscience can you 60 and vote
for ticket that is in favor Of perpetua-
ting that arist0cratic system of finance
instead of a Republican form of govern
ment, and then go to prayers? Applause
: and merriment. | do not say you can
: not do 1t; because there are great pos
= sibllitles in grace, [laughter,l but you
4 wish to preserve your government In
[ all its force and beauty and power, you
+ cannot do that. A conflict is inevita-
i BILE, it is irrepressible. The spectacle is
, that of the will and soul and spirit of a
monarchy inside of the body Of this re-
g public. And the ease is desperate you
, must either drive out the disease or the
/ body must die. Applause.I That is
/ true. l do not know great deal about
i these things, perhaps, but here in my
hand is a book that settles 1t. 1t is a
book published by man who Is at the
a present time prominent candidate for
n the Presidency in your party, my Re-
publican friends-not published by
= some ''crazy" Greenbacker, but pub
5 lished by John Sherman. Now let me
Y read to you letter from the first chap
= tor Of John, Cheers and laughter.
: This Is not John the Evangelist, II Il
f the one-eyed John. Laughter.l lie
has can eye single" to the interest Of
' the banker and the bondholder. [Cries
: from gallery: "That's a fact!"l Heal
n what he says
Z "Both England and the United States have
= settledr-no controversy any more; "b0th
Q England and the United States have settled