Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1881-01-20
Fair Notice Served Upon the Eastern
Dick Turpins.
The Days OF Legalized Robbery In This
Country Are Numbered.
Rebellion Against the Rule Ofthe Rob
bers In Congress.
The People Of the West viii be Mort.
gagged Neither to the Banker Nor
the BOndhOlder.
SPECIAL pIspstch to the Enquirer !

WASHINGTON, d. c., January 8, 1881.
Representative Belford, of Colorado,
and other Representatives of the far
West left here to-day for Mentor. to urge
the appointment of General Routt, of
Colorado, to the Postmaster r-Generalship
in General Garfeld's Cabinet. Belford
is liberal, outspoken man, and speaks
his convictions without any contortion
of words or sentences. His speech in the
House yesterday on the Funding Bill
was just and severe excoriation of the
attitude of the money power of the East
ern wing of the Republican party. He
opposed the bill quite vigorously. Said
he:
''There have been some peculiar feat
ures attending this debate. was not
surprised at the speech of the gentleman
from New York (Mr. Chittenden). He
has gone wild on the gold standard theo-
ry, and every session denounces every
one who favors the silver coinage as a
thief and robber. Blinded by his rage
against all money but that preferred by
the Wall street sharks, he overlooks the
fact that silver was the coin of this coun-
try before the Constitution was adopted.
1t was the coin of all the States durir g
the Confederation. Each State reserved
the right to regulate the value of foreign
coin, though the States gave to the Con-
federation the right to regulate the value
of their own if nine States agreed to it..
There being want of uniformity in the
coinage of the States, and want of uni
formity in the yalue of foreign coins,
when the States came to adopt the Fed
eral Constitution they relinquished their
right to com money to the General Gov
ernment. In doing SO, they never contem.
plated that silver, which, as coin, had
antedated the Constitution, would cease
to be money, for they reserved to them
selves the right to make gold and silver
coin legal-tender for all debts. Botf
were money, and the only power thai
the States parted with was the power to
coin this money and make it alega
tender. They did not give to Congress
the right to take away its legal-tendel
quality.
"In 1869, at the bidding of this country
and Europe, we passed the Public Credit
Act, by which we made our bonds paya-
BILE in coin or its equivalent. This Injured
to their advantage. When we funded
our debt, under provision allowing it
to be paid in coin or its equivalent, we
were told that the word coin meant
gold, and not silver; and Eastern states.
men labored long and arduously in the
Senate to convince the people that coin
meant gold, and did not include silver
If any man doubts this refer him to the
speech of Senator Edmunds, in the reso
lutions introduced by Senator Matthews
of Ohio. The gentleman from New
York (Mr. Chittenden) says that he is 6
simple merchant and not a lawyer, anG
that he can not communicate his views
in apt phrase to the House. The gentle
man seems to be an adept and expert or
the gold standard theory; and he is to be
pitied if he does not understand that the
word coin means that which may be
coined into money.
"The act of 1887 provided for the coin
age of the silver dollar. Under this act
existed the right to coin it. We might
coin it in greater or less quantities, but
the right to coin it continues while the
act remains in force. If the Govern
ment contracts debt, while the right
to coin silver exists, which is payable ir
coin, then even simple merchant
should know that payment can lawfully
be made in any coin which the Govern
ment has the right to coin or issue. 4
wayfaring man, though fool, could un
derstand that if he were actuated by hon
est purposes. But this gentleman pro
poses to stop the coinage of silver, to de
stroy the greenback, and to hand US owe
70 the bankers and robbers of the coun
try: and because we will not march. t.
his music we are obnoxious to the charg
of dishonesty! The Republican part
can not afford to follow his Leadership
unless it is willing to surrender the West
u ern States. I for one am opposed to re
Is tir,ng the greenbacks; and wish to ca
10 the attention Of the House to few fact
~ of recent date that should not be forgot
4 ten., On the Goth Of April, 1878, the gen
- tleman from Illinois, (Mr. Fort moved t
= = suspend the rules and pass the followin
:. bill:
,e "Be it enacted, &C., that from an
N after. the passage Of this act it shall nc
70 be lawfulfor the Secretary Of the Treas
O. ury, or other officers under him, to car
a: eel or retire any more Of the Unite
,e States legal-tender notes; and tkat whe
ID any said notes may be received into tn
le Treasury under any law, from any sourc
rt whatever, and shall belong to the Unite
n, States, they shall not be retired and cal
celed or destroyed, but they shall