The Labor enquirer., 1884-11-01
Voters, Read a Few of the Rob-
berries Perpe!rat by the
Republican Party.
Also See what the Democrats Have
Done---And Have Left
Undone,
And Note Where General Butler, the
arandest Man Of Our Times,
Has Stood.

:
In order to pal' the soldiers who
served in the war Oh the rebellion, the
government issued The greenbacks, but
to show their contempt of the peoples
money and their snbseryiency to the
rich, the very act which created the
greenbaeks crippled, slandered and dis
honored them by not making them full
legal tenders; they were not to be re-
ceiyed in the custom house, they would
not do to pay the interest on the public
debt. OF course they fell in value, until
: they were not worth more than SO cents
on the dollar. This refers to the first is
sue of greenbacks. Gold rose to- an enor-
nous price. which enabled spectators to
make vast fortunes at the expense of the
people. General Weaver introduced a
bill in congress to issue $500,000,000 to
make up the loss to the soldiers by their
having been paid in deprecated green
backs. Thatsbll was not passed. But a
republican congress passed an &C, chang
ing the payment of the bonds from
greenbacks to gold The Hon. Mr..
Ewing, of Ohio, calculated that the peo-
pie lost 100000, 900 by that act. The
public debt was increased that much.
To please the rich and to help them
fill their Golfers by getting the green
backs out of the way and compelling the
people to hire hard money from the rich
at high rate of interest, S2,0O0,000,0OO
of greenbacks were burnedup.
Money is the instrument of trade. To
have burned machinery and tools or any
other property to that amount would.not
> have been nearly SO great public disas-
ter as to destroy the life-blood of com
merce. But the burning of this amount
of money is only fone-half of the same
story. To supplement this wise act of
craftsmanship, they created a debt, of
nearly $1,000, 100000 in the shape -of
bonds. That is, they first deprived the
.#H
people of their money wherewith to pay
debts, then they fastened on the people
this cruel and enormous debt. Proof
conclusive that they did not want the
debt paid. They believed with Wander
bilt that public debt is public bless
ing. So it is for the rich who hold the
bonds. One-half of these bonds was
sold to the Eloneyimen of Europe for 80
cents on the dollar. We have to put 81
in their pockets forevery 81 received. be-
sides the annual interest of millions of
dollars on these bonds. They could not
make us slaves fast enough to our own
hard money men, but we must also be
robbed of immense sums to build up
colossal fortunes for Europe's aristocrats
and plutocrats.
Why were not bonds issued in such a
way as General Butler advocated in con-
gfess, so that poor man could have in
vested his earnings in them, instead of
placing bis money in savings banks, trust
companies and other concerns to be
loaned out and speculated with, and f.
nally lost WHEN be called for it? Because
that would have been measure for the
benefit of the people, and as we all
know, this government has not been run
in, that way
But the bond story is not ended. After
unnecessarily creating the bonds, selling
them for from soto 60 cents on the dol
lar, one-half of them in Europe; after
passing law that the bonds should be
paid in gold, principal and interest, they
went so far, to their eternal shame, as to
exempt the bonds from taxation. Com
ment is not needed. This act is in har-
mony with the rest, One class of people
own the property, another class pays the
taxes on it. The class of people who
7S 1hed to The defense of the govern
,oys,st and saved the country have also to
,phey the expenses of the war afterwards.
r, Some of the worst tyrants we read OF
in history nave done better than that
While the common people have fought
their battles, the rich have had to fpav
the cost.
Now, to further carry on the nefarlous
scheme of .obblng the people, they ere
sted the national banking system. The
republican MANAGERS claim it to be the
best financial system ever devised. So
it is to rob,the. people. By the enact
ment of the famous banking law, the
banks first received ssoO,OOO,OO0 of the
. Pies money then lent this yer,
Money to- The people and charged them
high interest for it. To help the poor
bankers, the government, of course, pays
interest on the bonds deposited by them
and allows them also to draw interest on
Their bank notes, that is, gives them
double interest. Now a double interest
should satisfy almost anybody, one would
tnink, but the bible says that the love of
money is Che root of all evil, and so
tnese privileges were not enough, but an
other one must be granted. viz: to draw
interest OIL the deposits of the people.
To recapitulate, they draw interest, first,
on the bends second. on their bank
lotes, thai only cost them 10 cents on
ae dollar third on the deposits Of the
!.