Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-12-07
The American Oatlook.


ing is Republican measure, so that
when the party brought out it's 'Rag
Baby" it showed conclusively that it
was warning against secession as q
pretext for handing the Government
over, boand hand and foot, to National
Banking, foe as dangerous to nation
al prosperity as secession, and which
was acting like n shyster who rescues
your property from a thief and keeps
1t himself. This may seem to be an
ultra position, but it is true for the fol-
lowing reasons:
Our system of banking Is based on
our national debt; therefore the more
debt the more banking. This gave an
excuse for dealing ON a gold basis and
at the same time sending gold out of
sight. 1t went up to 800 for only one
day-that is to Say, for one day Gov
eminent bonds were worth 333 cents
on the dollar; and if the Government
wanted one dollars worth of supplies
it must issue three dollars in bonds,
and SO widen the basis for banking.
Army and navy contracts at ruinous
rates were a necessary result of this
policy, until the hearts OF the bravest
began to quail at the prospect of
national bankruptcy. This made men
fearful in regard to investments in
Government debentures. This called
for more bonds and banking. Then
came the Homestead Law, the first
step to prevent the payment of the
debt by crippling the resources of the
nation. This is also a civil measure,
and did not grow out of any military
decree, and is one of those measures
on which the Republican party bases
its title to fame and the gratitude OF
mankind. But there are questions be-
hind this claim. Was the enactment
the Homestead Law went into effect
people were buying public lands wher-
ever they could, because the price of
those lands was about the only thing
that was not inflated, and men knew
that if the Government became bank
rupt the land would be good for all it
cost. The Homestead Law cut off nine
tenths of the Government receipts from
that source, and so called for more
bonds and banking.
Then after the war came Government
contracts on the civil list: erecting GUS
tom houses and other public buildings
on the moiety plan, enormous grants
of lands to railroads, the demonetiza-
ton of silver, and a host of other like
measures; diverting the resources of
the nation from the payment OF its
debt, crippling its resources, and so
perpetuating that debt and SO extend
ing and perpetuating the national sys-
tenn of banking, as based on that debt;
viewed from the standpoint of National
Banking, the Republican party had q
policy.
In 1860 the Democratic party went off
after States Rights and the Republican
party after National Banking, and for
the next five years the United States
Government, like the Son of God, was
crucified between two thieves, both of
whom are dead, but the nation lives.
But We are inquiring after the title
Of the Republican party to fame and
the gratitude of mankind in general
and of the American people In partic-
ular. Did the Republican party re-
construct the Confederate States? 1t
claims that it did. What is Southern |
reconstruction? Assuming that the
soil and climate of the two sections of
the country are equal in resources, it
consists in 80 arousing, developing and
directing the energies of the Southern |
people SO that they can understand
and make effective the res ources of
their soil and climate, until their Soc
ton of country will equal or excel the
North in productivea and self-sustaiHing !
power. What has the Republican par
ty done toward that object? 1t built
cob bridge, based on the will OF the mi
norities, spanning ..the bloody chasm,
across which the seeding States re-
turned to their relations in the Union.
Itset up systems of common school ed
ueation, which, as rule, were copies
of systems more or less effete through
abuses, and which, without.exception,
lacked adaptation to the people among
whom they were set up.
When the: States had resumed their
places under the Constitution the first
thing the people did was to take down
that bridge and remodel their common
school systems, adapting them to the
people. This they accomplished by
their State Constitutions
after their restoration, and
when this was done the real work of
Southern reconstruction commenced
and has gone forward, based not on
any action of the Republican party,
but on the viii of the people, who, as
rule, are not Republicans. i