The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1884-01-31
Faded Greenback Luminaries.

| Inc SreenDaCk party IN this State IS
dead and beyond resurrection. Living
it made quite a stir and did many strange
things which men who were members Of
it would not wish to have repeated. The
great body of the party were probably
honest in their sentiments, but many of
the leaders and prominent men were
mere soldiers of fortune, reckless, un-
principled adventures, who joined the
party solely in the hope of plunder.
There Was Thomas b. Swan of Minot,
what dashing figure he was in the leg
islature Of 1880. His greenback friends
who were present during that session
will never forget his eloquence in denun-
citation of "bloated bOndholders" and
"glded paupers," or the fervor and ap-
| parent honesty with which he declared
that an attempt had been made to bribe
| him to betray the greenback party. The
next year he was reelected to the legs-
lature, and supported by Gov. Plasteds
influence was the greenback candidate
for Speaker. In a short time after the
work of the session was fairly begun,
| Swan was one day missed from his seat
in the House, and never seen there again.
1t turned out that he had been engaged
IN sWlndllng farmers, factory girls and
poor people generally, with bogus corn
shelters, cheap jewelry and other villain
GUS devices, and was also a detaulter to
| the town OF Minot, of which he was treas
urer; and, having been detected in his
sWindling operations he'd skipped out of
the State in a hurry, closely pursued by
| officers of the law who were seeking to
| arrest him. This was the end of Mr..
Swan as far as the State of Maine is con-
cerned.
Another greenback adventurer was
MIR. Thompson H. Murch, member of
Congress from the Fourth district in this
State, great ''anti imonopolist," poor
mans friend, y "retormer' ETC., etc. The
most notable things which Mr.. Murch
did in Congress We're to get some of his
near relatives into soft positions at
Washington and make charges against
government officials which he failed to
sustain. When his term Of office in Con
gress closed, he started a eided rum
shop in Boston, in which he failed few
weeks ago, and is now hanging around
Washington importuning the democratic
members to give him some little place at
their disposal, messenger, clerk, chore-
boy, or almost anything to keep uim from
starvation.
The last one of these specimen bricks
OF greenback soldiers of fortune whom we
shall mention at this time is Mr. Herbert
j. Banton. He was formerly the busi-
ness manager of ''The F'reeholder" a
greenback paper published and edited at
Bangor by Governor Plaisted, until it
suspended business. In another column
of this paper will be found some account
of this friend of Gov. Plaisted and bust
ness manager Of his paper. 1t seems
that like Swan he turned his attention to
swindling gullible people, in which
course he continued until special agent
BigeloW Of the post office department
got upon his track, stopped bis depreda-
tons upon the public, and had him ar
rested. Banton now lies in jail in Port
land awaiting his trial at the February
term OF court Thus fades another luml-
nary Of the greenback party. 1t is no
wonder that the honest members of that
party, disgusted with the dishonesty of
many of their own leaders and the at
tempt of the democratic party to swallow
the whole concern, have abandoned the
organization to destruction and enrolled
themselves IN the republican party. Not
only former republicans but many demo
Gratis have Joined the republicans, and
the number that will do 50 this year will
be greater than ever kennebec Jour
nal.
How Protection Prevents MONOPOLY,
Protection through tariff secures to the
producer III the United States a margin
OF price Tor his product over the cost of
his land or materials sufficient to pay the
difference between American and foreign
rates OF wages and interest. Consequent
ly, it holds open to all American labor
and enterprise the entire field Of the de-
velopment of the resources of the whole
country. Every worker, under a really
protective system, is free to work at
whatever industry he NAV select, and.
having once selected that industry, he is
secured III it fair chance as against
competition of people unable to live up
to the standard of tree American civiliz-
ed life. But he is secured nothing as
against any other American, and every
one Of his fellow citizens is free to com
pete with him on equal terms. This
state of things among Americans means
equal rights and fair play and the uppo-
site Of monopoly Now, supposed pro
lection removed, and at once the pro-
ducts of the cheapest labor, wherever
situated, monopolize our markets since,
on the average, 10y far the larger portion
OF the cost OF the articles we use IS the
cost OF labor used IN making them. The
business OF American producers then
passes into foreigners hands. and there
is only one way out of the trouble if we
wish to hold the markets, and that is to
cut down the American rate of wages
and standard OF industrial life TO the lelel
of the lowest rate and standard of com
peting labor wherever it may be- From
these facts it is plain that, while Protec-
tlon prevents monopoly among Ameri-
cans, Free Trade would impose upon us
the most pernicous of all monopoies, a
monopoly OF foreign capital invested in
the cheapest and most degraded serf
labor. Disputes about rates Of wages
and terms OF employment in the indus
tries in the American productive field are
natural and perhaps inevitable since men
will differ about the value of services
they render or reward; but it is first of
all necessary to American monopoly hat
ing labor that there should continue to
be the industries and employment here,
and even that the industries and employ
ment should be increased. 1t will never
do while American producing capital and
American labor are disputing about the
division of the rewards Of industry, to al
low free foreign trade and foreign cheap
labor to carry off the whole prize and
leave US talking about the mere shadow
OF things that were instead Of enjoying in
common the blessings and bounties of
our great country. The first necessity
to American Anti-Monopoly is the con-
tinuance Of the American protective
system. American Protectionst.
Senator Frye on Congressional Grogshops.
| In the discussion i'll the Senate of the
| joint rules which We're adopted, Mr.. FRYE