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

know nOlhlng at all about IL. How does u
happen that the English system or finance
has been engrafted upon our Republican in-
stitutions? England had enslaved her peo-
pie through the medium of her national
debt, and that was the instrument seized
upon by the money-power in America for
the like purpose. In England. her public
debt began to operate about two centuries
ago, and to-day, as the result, you have in
the kingdom OF Great Britain only few
thousand people owning all the real estate;
and they have come to such u pass that the
laboring millions of that mighty empire pay
all the taxes, bear all the burdens OF the
state. while the purse.proud, land-holding
aristocraoy have absorbed all the money
empire. Here in America like causes will
produce like effects. Smallpox is catching
in New York; so IL Is in Vienna, so 1t is in
Paris; the contaglon Is self-propagatlng
everywhere alike, You allow the same in
tluences to work upon American civilization
that have operated In the British empire,
and the time will as surely come when the
American laborer Will be as perfectly ensla
we'd In this country as In the empire of Great
Britain. My friends, the discussion of these
questions takes US clear back TO the very
Declaration of Independence-to the foun :
dation ot our national constitution; II goes
even further BACK than tnat-to that great
fundamental declaration OF principle to be
found In the word OF God Itself Talk about
the Greenback party being dead Applause
The other, old parties, stepped In crime and
infamy, and with their eyes closing in death
are looking at this young giant, this adoles-
cent youth, and saying to IL, ~ guess you're
dead, aren't you, father" [Great cheering. J
II Is the old man that is dying; and II is the
young David that has been sent out to slay
these mighty men of Gath that are fastening
upon the American people system of scrvi-
tude more deplorable than any other in eX-
i5tence, and lie Is ready, with sling in hand,
to meet any OF you any time and anywhere.
[Cheers.
Now. once more let me ask, how did IL
happen that this English system of finance
became fastened upon us in America. In
1869 we had debt of about fifteen hundred
millions of bonds, known as Five-Twenty
bonds, because the Government had right
to pay them Off after five years, and they
were due in twenty years. Every one Of
these bonds were payable in greenbacks.
Every one Of them could have been paid of
ere this. The law Itself said the greenback
was legal tender for the payment of all
debts, public and private. except duties on
imports and interest; and John sherman, in
the second chapter of John, llaughterl, says
there can be no doubt that the principal of
the tlve-twenty bonds were by their terms
and by the law payable In the lawful money
didn't they so pay them? II is not because
they hate greenbacks that they refuse to
take greenbacks for the bonds; II is not be.
cause they hate silver that they do not want
to take silver for their bonds;-it Is because
That is the trouble with them. Laughter
and applause.l Ny friend. If you had mill
lion OF dollars invested in government
bonds, what would they pay you? There is
no farmer in Indiana to-day who realizes
four per centup the money that is invest
ed in his farm, after paying the expense of
keeping 1t up and paying the taxes. Voices
Nothing like four per cent; Two and half,
etc.) But suppose you have money Invested
in bonds; what then? Would YOU want those
bonds paid? Would you want the money in
place of the bonds? No. sir: because then
you would have to pay taxes, Ike common
man. While you have the bonds In your
hands you pay no taxes. and have nothing
to do but collect the interest ms 1t falls due.
Besides, you have no risk to run. NeighbOr
Smith may come running over to you and
tell you how all neighbor Jones' hogs have
died with the cholera, or nelghbor Smith
may bring you the news about how neigh.
Dor Jones sheep are all dying of with the
scab, but IL does not affect you at all. You
say: go. go to the devil with the hog cholera;
nv bonds won't take the hog cholera. All
the sheep In the country may die; the scab
don't affect my bonds. am entitled to the
sale of them whenever please, to make me
comfortable; ifit don't suit me here | will
90 somewhere else. l am not concerned in
the hog cholera: am not concerned in any.
thing. Whether sleep wake; whether II
Is the Lords day or week day, whether IL
IL cold or hot all Is one to me; my bonds are
drawing the same interest all the time /
am exempt from the burdens of the State;
my neighbor can toll, and strive, and pay
taxes: IL Is of no concern to me. Now, my
friend, suppose you had ten thousand dol
lars in bonds, and he had ten thousand in
vested in his farm. He would toll day in
and day out, cold weather and hot. wet and
dry; and at the end of the year as like as not
he finds he cannot make two per cent. on
the actual investment. You, on the other
hand, sit back in your easy chair and make
ten per cent. upon your bonds, and II the
weather is warm you have n fine handker-
chief with the initials OF your name en-
broldered In the corner OF II to wipe away
the persplration from your brow. Cheers
and merriment.) But that Is not all, In
addition to that the government Is so good
to you. If you are the holder OF bonds, that
you can take your bonds and put them IN
the hands Of the Secretary Of the Treasury.
He bows TO you with the greatest politeness
as he looks at the bond in your hand You
say to him: "Mr. Secretary. wish you to
keep these bonds for me; will you do SOP
"Certainly, SIR" "Will you charge me any
thing for taking care of them?" mo, sir"
"Well. understand there Is law by which
you can give me back money for my bonds
TO the extent Of 20 per cent "0h, yes. GER
talnly; wen let you have $4,000 for your
slOOOO0 in bonds without any expense but
the cost of printing" Now that Is an abso-
Lutte gift to the bondholder, and you know
1t, every one ofyou. Applause. Now that
is the operation of this English system of
finance, right here in America; u system
whereby can loan my money TO the gov
ernmemt at u high rate OF interest, and at
the same time go exempt from the burdens
Of the State: throw my share OF the labor on
the shoulders Of my Woodworking farmer
neighbors: and the government gives me
ten thousand dollars of bonus-just for the
taking.
The GreenbaCk party is dead! Let me tell
you in view of such Injustice as this, that
when mankind's natural love OF Justice and
his native hatred OF oppression die out in
.trxF lNn laaNl arfN
die, but never before! Applause
Gentlemen and ladies, that bill will be-
come law! loud cheers. IL is u just an
obligation as was ever contracted on the
face of the globe. The bill itself Is meritor-
ious. and though the man who introduced
II (your humble speakerl may not live TO see
rate have enough confidence in the sense
of justice In the hearts of the people, 10 be-
lleve that the work will go on TO completion,
| though the workman may fall at his post
| Hon. Reuben A. Riley rose in the audience,
and addressing the speaker said: "General
Weaver. we Intend to have you approve
that bill II they don't do II pretty soon -
This hit was greeted with prolonged ap-
plhuse. s... ..-....-.
These holders of government securities
were paid back what they had invested, but
not at the face value, while the soldiers were
paid in face value, What Is the present pay
OF the bondholders? Have ye 40 far depart
eu from tne truultlOub Ol your government
and of your fathers as TO have completely
reversed this thing. and have brought upon
yourself the anathema; "Woe! woe! to
him who calleth right wrong and wrong
right and TO call darkness lightr They
have turned the very fundamental maxims
ofliberty against us. and II man demands
| his rights he is denounced az demagogue
or q lunatic. Why, my friends, you know
that the maxim was that capital ought TO
own labor that is, capital should own tho
man Just as IL owns the horse. They began
TO teach and preach In their pulpits and In
their Sunday schools, that the Bible sane.
TONED slavery-perverting the very word OF
than hell Then they attacked tho Declar-
alton of Independence. and said that where
| IL said "all men" were created freeand equal
II meant "white men," Next they came TO
the constitution OF the United States and
said 1t established slavery, and then they
had the supreme court of the United States
say. in the bred Scott decision, that the
black man has no rights which awhite man
Is bound 70 respect. That was the last step
In their Infamous scheme-turning The con.
stitution itself into q battery TO be used
against the people. What is the result now?
Not that capital shall own exactly, but that
capital shall control the price flabor which
Is the same thing. What difference does IL
make to mewhether am slave by law, or
whether labor, and you control my labor.
want to know II all thesa enormitie are
10 be engrefted upon American ciyilisation
well TO the dreams OF our fathers, for the
flag OF our country means nothing II IL does
not mean that you are equal before the law,
each OF you, 10 any other man. 1t is enough
to startle every man and make his very
leg of or both. or both arms on, when he is
carried up 70 the paymasters table--to see
him compelled to take his pension In ma.