The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1885-10-08

A word of Warning to the Labor.
inx Millions OF American People.
FRIEND HARRIS: would like to
have your valuable paper give the fol-
lowing facts gathered from the Penny
Press) to your intelligent readers.
The truth is that the federal debt has
not been decreased by the value of a
days labor since the war closed. It is
as great a burden now as it was 90
years ago. The whole debt represent.
ed l $50, ,OO0. 900 days. work at the wages
prevailing in 1865. 1t represents more
than that number of days work at the
wages paid now. 1t could all have
been paid with the proceeds of Is,
oOO, 900 bales of cotton in 1865. 1t
would take S5, ,OOO, 600 bales to pay it
now. It was equivalent to the price
of so, 00O, 900 tons of pig iron when the
war came to an end. 1t would take
the proceeds uf 20, 600, 900 tons of pig
iron to liquidate the debt today. For
the purpose of industrial calculation it
may safely be claimed that the debt is
larger now and more of burden than
it ever was before. In 20 years the
people have paid ST. .OOO. 900 600 of prin-
ciple aud another 81 900 ONO, 900 in in
terest, and still there is as much to pay
in labor and the proceeds of labor as
when the rsfunding and paying pro
cess first began. In one thing only is
the debt less than it was in 1855. 1t is
less in gold. The industrial aud COM
mercial interests of the country were
enslaved and crushed to satisfy the
rapscity Of the government creditors,
who have drawn two billion dollars in
gold out Of the pockets of the people
and claim 81, 500. .OOO. 600 more for an
Indebtedness that only represented to
them an original Investment of one
billion dollars in gold! That awful
financial policy that permitted this to
be done might be excused in part if it
was merely q blnnder: But it was not
a blunder, in the innocent sense of the
word. 1t was cold, calculating, com.
prehensive, far-reaching scheme to en-.
rich the creditor class. The men who
invented 1t knew exactly what the
end would be from the beginning, and
manipulated parties and cabinets to
carry 1t into effect. They knew that
all along the line of liquidation fol
forty years to come would be strewu
with wrecks OF industry and com
merce it would cause. They saw in
advance the panics and depressioni
that have bankrupted thousands o.
business men and robbed labor Of iti
opportunities for work and wages
They counted then the periods of hare
times between 1865 and 1885 as well a
we can count them now. It was tn,
greatest conspiracy against the right
Of man the world ever saw-equalini
in the enormity and exceeding in ex
tent the crime of human slavery, upoI
the wreck of which it was builded
And it was all done in the name O
piety and patriotism Is it any won
der that individuals opprees and ro
4 with an example of such magnitud
z before them? Mighty indeed must b
the nation, in productive power an
moral force, to survive such appallin
financial immortality! Almighty in
:. deed is the dollar it has createdT"
= With such vast amount of treasur
for the last twenty. four years gathere
. from the products of labor and toll an
r showered upon the rich and favored G
!. the royal administrations, is it an
n wonder that the milliOnaires have In
creased an hundred fold Is it an
q wonder that the purse of the Lahore
!. is empty? 1t needs no mathematics
. calculation to demonstrate that thes
= two billion dollars thrown to the fs
j, vored few is the earnings, the sui
y stance of the American laborer. Is
9 a wonder that the laborer is poor? ]
it wonder that business is depresse
y and that times are hard The Reput
r licsns say they will make times gooG
q They have had the Presidents, tn
!, Congress, all the federal offices an
o patronage, and their work has wrOugh
a this most unjust state of affairs. The
j, have robbed labor to fill the Golfers &
o the rich. Away with their falls
a clamor and pretensiOns. Away wit
the false assertions, that the laborih
!, millions must select for Office and pO
lsition only such as can roll out thei
;, barrels of Doodle. The idea Ia false.
ia an insult TO the American peopl
and to the intelligence Of the age i
(which we live. Select men for offic
for their mental and moral worth, an
), let results follow. Let us in no wa
. endorse the actions or doings of thOs
q who have wrought this financial ruiz
. Let US learn from, but not follow thei
. example. 8. D. N.
81 John SHERMAN,s bloody shirt ws