The examiner., 1882-02-04
Bank Treason.

That there has for some time existed and still continues,a conspiracy between the national banks and the treasury of. fcials to rob the government of it's con stitutional powers and to evade and trample upon the laws of Congress in defiance of the will of the people, there should no longer be doubt.
 Secretary Sherman's conspiracy with the New York clearing house ascoci- ation in 1878 50 nullify and render in operative the act of Congress restoring the silver dollar, ought to have i'm peached him and forfeited the charters of his fftysnine corporate confederates.
 In his report, December, 1879, as we'll as in each subsequent one, he was 1 guilty of misrepresentation when he said:
 "The fear that withdrawal of the legal tender attributes from the green backs will contract the currency or de- tract from the usefulness, safety or cur rency of the notes, is 8 delusion.'
 His argument was that, being on an equality with bank notes, the two would circulate side by side at par with each other.
 From the start of this movement the Express has claimed that the sole ob- ject of depriving the greenbacks of their legal tender quality was to force them into retirement. The advocates of de- monetization declared on the contrary that, as their legal tender powers would remain on an equality with bank notes, they would circulate side by side as now. The Enpress pointed out the fact that the banks were able to give circulating credit to their own notes, even without the legal tender quality, and as they were interested in driving the green backs out of circulation, nothing but their legal tender attribute would float them at par against the current of bank opposition. All the banks would have to do would be to refuse to re- ceive them except at Q discount. The moment they should do this the notes would seek redemption, and, after hay ing been redeemed, the smallest dis count would be an effectual bar to their reissue. In proof that our theory was correct, and our warnings we'll founded, we offer the following startling facts:
 CIVILIAN, Mich., January, l882.-To the Editor of the Express The banks here are discounting the silver certifi- cates two per cent, which has the ten- dency to make them unpopular with people in this vicinity. MT. Burt, the hardware merchant, and myself are doing all we can to counteract this by giving all who come gold, silver or cur rency for their certificates at par, and the opposition to them is subsiding in | cOnse uence.
 were sent here this fall to pay for wheat, pork and apples. The farmers took them readily at first, but some of them had notes to pay at the banks, and were discounted two per cent. Then the farmers began to refuse them, and the merchants began to refuse them also. except at the bank discount. If this action of the banks becomes general will it not have tendency to drive them out of circulation and thus defeat i the object of their issue?'
 Most certainly it will, and that is the sole object of the discount, and that | which the banks will resort to to drive the greenbacks out of circulation as soon as they are deprived of their legal tender qualities. It is treason in it's most ungrateful form. Between the reigns of Henry VT and Queen Mary of England the "clipping of coin" was declared to be 8 reasonable offense punishable with death. To create or coin money was sovereign prerogative, and the act of depreciating coin was justy regarded as capital crime against the government. Under this law the Milan bankers would suffer death for doing violence to the gov ernment credit. The " clipping of money" is not included in our cata- logue of reasonable ofenses, but this infamous act on the part of the banks, amounting to criminal contempt, should forfeit the charter if any are guilty of practicing it. If not, 3hen the people everywhere should combine and refuse to accept in payment dollar of bank currency. If the banks discredit the peoples money let the people discredit the banks money. Throw their tea overheard. Refuse to patronize these infamous plunderers of the farmers hard earnings until a Con- gress can be elected that will sweep them from the face of tie earth. It will cost @ sacrifice, but as was said by our Revolutionary sires, "The harder the corfict, and the greater the sac ri6ce, the more glorious will be the triumph."- Chicago Express.
 Confusing.