American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1880-07-17
General Weaver Accepts the Nomlna.
ti0n for the Presidency.


General J. B. Weaver, the Green
back-Labor nominee for the Pre- sidencv,
has addressed the following letter to the
committee which was appointed to mott
~ him of his nomination:
Hons. S. F. Norton. f. II. Gillette, Scion Chase
5. ID. Diaye and f. p. Alls, Committee:
GENTLEMEN: 1t Is my pleasure to acknowl
edge the receipt of your letter of the I'D of
June formally notifying me of nv nomination
To the Office of President or the United Statcr
by the united GreenbacksLa Labor party, Whose
lSo,A
The three great political parties have each
selected their Candidates, aud made formal
decliI at ons of their principles 1t il now the
high duty of every citizen of the United States
to Judge between them. ard, after careful in
quiry into the AIMS and purposes of each. to
determine the Organization with which duty
calls him to act.
The admirable platform adopted by the Con-
vention meets my cordial approval. II is COM
prehensive, reasonable and progressive, CON
tanning those principles of economic reform
and prosperity of the whale people.
IL being the duty of man to earn his broad
In the sweat of his face. it becomes the first
duty of civil government to foster industry.
All laws, therefore, which place q premium
upon i'd ness, whether of men or money, UNI
justly discriminate in favor of capital, or
withhold from honest men the full and inst re-
ward or their labor, are simply monstrous-
Capital should be the servant of labor rather
than Its master, This great truth can never
be realized until there is an adequate circulate
ing medium. Inasmuch as this circulating
volume should be sacredly kept Under the
control of the General Govern ment, without
the Intervention of banking corporations All
money, whether goid silver or p per, should
be issued by the supreme authority of the Ma
ton, and be made full legal tender id pay
ment of all debts, public and private.
The system which now prevails gives into
the hands of banking corporations absolute
control over the volume of the currency, and
hsfp ruh fl.t.
price of the labor and property of 5O.OD0.OlO of
people. BY provision of law the methoi is
they vi
Ccgnate to this, and part of the sumo
scheme, stands the system of fundiur the
borrowed from the English monarchy. BY
this sy st I'M an enormous non-taxabe, interest
bearing debt is to be perpetuated. The bonds
support the banks, and the banks foster the
banks must ce Use to exist. Hence, if the Ma
perpetual bonded debt. Both patriotism and
sound craftsmanship loudly call for the abO-
OF legal-tcnder Treasury notes for their circu-
lation. Pay the bonds Ring to contract,
and as rapidly a. poss BILE.
Seven hundred millions of the public debt
become redeemable At the option of the Gov
ernment during this and the ensuing year.
Two Funding bills are now pending before
and the other by the Republic leader of the
1t is proposed to deprive the
TOT ,|eRy a and OF the ere
against the laborer and the taxpayer, and
should cause widespread alarm among all
classes.
The annual surplus revenues, and the idle
coin now in the Treasury and that which must
prayed February IS. ISIS, shall be honestly
are ample to pay every dollar of the
seven hundred millions, both principal and
IS not the slightest excuse for funding these
bonds, except to perpetuate the debt as the
must be apparent TO ali that the great mon
eyed Institutions and other corporations now
have control of nearly every department of
the Government, and are fast swa lowing up
he profits of labor and reducing the people to
I condition OF vassalage and dependence.
These monopolies, of whatever class, headed
1y the associated banks, are interIocked in
purpose, and always act in closest sympathy.
There are three great industrial classes Ia
our raw materials and prepare
hem for use; 3. The distributors of these
legitimate fruits and profits of their labor, but
houid not be permitted to extort from and
.nslave the others.
The great problem of our civilization is. how
o bring the producer and the consumer to-
pether. This can only be done by providing
IN adequate circulating medium. and by rigid
equation of Interstate commerce and trims
,ortatOn. This was wisely foreseen by the
ramers of the Constitution, and. accordingly,
~ the eighth section of article first. Congress
clothed with power :" to regulate commerce
With foreign Nations and among the States"
his power luipOSes dcpTTcspDnUl0K upon
congress to see that it is enforced. The two
-reat agents of cOmperce are money and
1t is undeniable that both of
hese agents are under the absolute control of
nonopolies. By controlling the volume of
money, the banks fix the price of all labor and
and the railroads, by combination,
bsolutely the price of transportation. This
1aces the people between the upper and
lether millstones, and grindS them to pOverf
nd ruin. 1t results in the wholesale robbie :
both producer and consumer. Who is al 4
Q controvert this stupendous fact? Farmer
liant e. and laboring men of the United State
beseech you to open your eyes at oncet
his alarming condition of things. l am e.
ecially thankful that the platform of the par
Y which placed me in nomination is open,
old and unmistlkble on these great Ques-
ions. The Republican and Democratic plat
orms are either silent with regard to these
Ital issues, or they have pronounced in favor
( the monopolies and against the people.
ace and pleading for relief, they utter not
ne word of promise or hope. Their leaders
indicate, gigantic bank corporations and rail-
Dad monopolfes, and have neither the dispo-
tion nor the courage to strike one generous
low for industrial emancipation.
An area of our public domain larger than
ne territory occupied by the great German
while a bill introduced by the
lon. Hcndrick b. Wright. of Pennsylvania,
feS ee aes has nea Seen sooa
diculed and defeated in Csngrcss. In conse-
uence of this stupendous system Of land
"a, and millions more of industrious people
-om abroad seeking homes in the New World,
oman must be sacredly reserved TO actual
sttlers. and where corporations have not
ompiied strictly with the terms of their
rants, the lands should be at once reclaimed.
he immigration of persons from foreign
seeking homes. and desiring to be-
1me citizons of the United States, should be
hut the importation of Chinese
,rvile laborers should be prohibited by strin-
ent laws.
While the bondholder has been paid gold in
eturn for his deprecated currency, the
ONES, our money and our affairs, and whose
lood COS secra,ed every battlefield from Bel |
lont and Donelson to Gettysburg an! Apo
lattox, are denied the pittance justly due |
lem under their contract with the Govern |
We on gratitude alone. By the answer of |
ecretary Sherman of June 10, Is o. to the SEN |
g resolution OF in luiry; IL appears that the |
Iring the war of the rebellion, $1,2i9,5l9,-
8. l6- The total interest p aid in gold on the |
lblic debt from July ], 50, to June 20, 1879, |
as 81, 800, 3Ol, 4S5.I9. The soldier has been |
Lxed to pay this interest while the bondhold-
has gone free.
During the present Congress 1t has been i'm
)ssible to induce the committees to report |
ngle bill to remedy existing evils. The i'm
ituted. and the despotic rules of that body so
to render relief impossible.
= h ,1 tnese rules the speaker IS as much
Emperor and ruling in the most despotic
)vernment on the globe.
One of the grand missions of our party is to
'nish forever from American politics that
,plorable spirst of sectional hatred, which,
II base purposes, has been fOstered by the
aders of the old parties. This has greatly
,ceved and embtteced the public mind,
,th North and South. Our civilian
IN demands a new party. dedicated to
@ pursuits of peace, and which will not
low the war issues ever to be reopened, and
III render the military strictly subservient
the civil power. The war is over, and the
rect voice of peace, long neglected, calls us
worship Mt her altIrs; let us crowd her tenn
es with willing votaries. Let us have a free
Hot, fair count and equal rights for all
lsses-fOr the laboring man in Northern
mines and workshops, and for
e struggling poor, both black and white, in
e cotton-fields of the South.