The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1881-07-07
ADDRESS
To the People Of the United States.

To the People OF the United States.
The Central Committee Of the Nation
al Greenback- Labor party, by its Execa-
tive Committee, publishes the following
address to the people of the United
States:
Never since the liberty bell in old Independ-
encc Hall first rang out the adoption Of the
Declaration Of Independence have the liberties
and the material welfare of the people and the
or in such imminent danger Of being oyerrun
and stamped ont by the cohorts Of dcspotism,
as at the present time
After the close or the late war, the billions OF
credit tokens authorized by Congress to restore
union to the Government and freedom to
900 Of colored laborers were seized upon
by Mammon, who, under the trp-hammer Of
national legislation, forged them into nanacles
Tor the limbs Of every toilcr and producer IN
the republic.
i We travel the scrpentine track Of this willy
fee Of labor, this enemy Of God and Christian
civilization, from its first step Of crime. in the
following seven acts Of legislation
/ !. The net of Congress Of 1862, placing two
exceptions on the greenback dollar.
| 2 The act of Congress of 1863, creating the
4 national banks.
s. The act OF Congress Of 1865, contracting
tue currency. law to make less money aud
more bonds.
4 The act Of Congress OF 1869, that changed
| the condition Of payment of tie $40 bonds,
from payment in paper money to payment in
coin.
s. The act OF Congress of 1870, authorizing
the funding of the bonds.
6 The act Of Congress OF 1873, demonetizing
silver, thereby making our debt payable in
gold alone.
!. The Redemption &C. 81 1875.
These laws bring us down by their inexorable
operation to-
|. A single gold standard as . measure Of
value.
1 2. A bonded debt never to be paid.
J. Bank paper issued on these bonds inflated
and contracted at the will of the bank corpora
tions, giving them the absolute control Of the
wages Of every mans labor, and the price Of
| every species OF property and merchandise.
Out of tins legislation has grown giant
money monopoly without parallel in the
worlds history. The opposition it has met
4 from the Greenback movement has forced it
into closer alliance with Other giant corpora
tlons, and to-day the National party finds itself
confronted by confederation Of corporate
powers, to overcome which will put to test the
political inte- -rity, the patriotism, the moral
courage and the wisdom of the American peo-
i II.
these corporate monopo!lcs were created FOR
the purposes Of robbery. Endowed with priv
ileges denied to individuals. and clothed with
| powers impossible for private enterprise TO ex-
etcise or cope with, they went fortn under Their
charters of nlarqne and reprisal 10 prey upon
| industry and individual effort with results
which to-day hang like a pail of death and
desolation over every field Of productive in-
dustry and along every channel Of legitimate
enterprise.
The powers granted by the National B,nking
act. permitting the creditors OF tie nation to
monopoze the MONETARY element of conf
mcrce and production, gave to the associations
organized under il power to rob every laborcr
OF his wages, every producer OF the value OF
hls products, and every citizen Of his right to
independence.
The fruit Of this monopoly may be seenin the
thousands of financial wrecks. the millions Of
hcnscless families and penniless tramps. the
contscated estates, the lost and ruined homes.
the dcsolated and disrupted households, the
strikes AMI labor riots. and the CRIME, misery
aud moral degradation which characterized the
bankrupt period Of 1873. on the one hand. and
OH the other the princclv fortunes Of that
| squad ot new. tledged millioilaires, which, like
mushrooms, sprang up IN night from the de-
composing and dislntesratsd socalmass around
them. But this is no. the only oppressive mo
| no, oily which is devouring the substance of the
industry about per cent. per ai,ium as divi-
| dcn;ls Oh fraudulent stock share super,true
tire amounting i'll the aggregate to -, 500 0O0,-
| 600. wi ieh neytr cost the corporations one dol
lar, ana Tor which the public never derived one
| pyiiiy o! be.eiit. This constitutes burden
rpon the people equal to public bonded debt Of
six billions of dollars at the present rate Of
interest OH the funded debt.
4 The telegraph corporations, monopo.izing
| electric communication. are harvesting anllu-
| ai.y from the wealth-produccrs leo per cent.
profit on their investment.
Gods soil. fuel beds and fountains of light
are under the ban Of monopoistic extortion.
| Sucll il the tendency Of monopoly to absorb
every public and private right and necessity as
well as luxury Of life, that an eminent divine
has recently been constrained to exclalm from
his pulpit:
II tell YOU that the oyershadowing curse Of
the United States to-day il monopoly. II puts
| its laud upon every bushcl Of wheat upon
every sack OF salt. upon every ton Of coal. upon
| every tap.r that lights the sck-room, and every
man. woman and child feels the touch Of that
heartless despotism.
..Monopoly in England has ground hundreds
and thousands Of her best people into semi or
absolute starvation. and IN ireland It has driv-
On nation of tenants to the verge Of open
| reyo!t, lreicrring to give their lives, brayelv
fighting the demon. rather than cowardlv per-
ish III peaceful submission. And in the United
States this monster proposes to take the wealth
Of 50.O00,aOO people peacefully before their
eyes and put II in few siken wallets.
.sMonopoly! brazen-tac.d, iron-fngered.
yulture-hearted, proposes his hand, offers his
hand to the republic. Let the millions of the
people-North, South, East and West-forhid
the bans of that Marriage-iorbid them ut the
ballot-box. forbid them bv 100000 school-dls-
trict organizations. forbid them by the oyer-
wheming voice and sentiment of an outraged
.A.,k Sc
speech. forbid them by prayer to high Heaven
that Hcrod shall not have this Abigail.
We are assured by the most positive and nm
mi taxable indications that the confederated
monopolies, having conquered the wealth re-
sources Of the nation, are now laying plans for
the conquest Of sovereign power.
Not satisfied with robbng the present gem
Grafton Of its material wealth, it seeks to en-
slave it. that it may reap the fruits Of the toll
of postcrity.
Ii has already secured the executive and one
branch Of the Legislative department OF the
Government, and ~ rapidly AS death or resig-
nation permits il il rcconstrncting the judicial
.i.pa, tment, to override by decisions OF last
resort any legislation inimical to its diabolicai
schemes.
Men and brethren, sons Of Revolutionary
sires. Ye who have the blood OF rs courslng
IN yonr veins. Ye who have fled from OPP
preston and TYRANNY in the Old World 70 en-
10Y freedom Ill the New !. 1e WHO love uDcEtN
and hate despotism! American citizens, re-
laYdlcss Of name. nationality, color or pre-.
yions condition OF political seryltude. listen
to the voice Of wisdom and the prayer Of patri.
otism.
DO You believe the old political parties are
corrupt?
Do yon bell vc in the rights Of the many A.
against the few?
| DO yon believe that the just powers OF Gov
ernmtnt are derived from the consent Of the
governed
Do YOU believe that the true objects of Cov-
ernment arc to stahsh justice, insure domes-
tic tranquility to promote the general welfare,
sid To secure the blessings Of liberty to our
selves and Ia posteiity?
no .on Le ,ye that labor and not money il
the foundation of all progress?
Do ynn believe that those three great civil
iz.rs. the Dollars, the Locomotive and the
telegraph. should be made Til. intelligent
servants, and not the greedy, brutal masters.
oi the peoile
la short do you believe in ma,hond's rights
and peoples government M a ainst the rule
of those souess monopolit !, which, according
to Til. report ~ Congressional committee,
~ hut n,