Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1891-08-19
Il BIT OFU. S. HISTORY.


cipation Of three million slaves in the south
and the establishment of the supremacy of tn
, general government, was the greatest goo
achieved by our late civil war.
Now we are beginning to see that Providlenc
had lesson for US, in that sore trial more fan
reaching than anything we had yet thought OF
We, in the north, had previously learne
| that slavery was wrong; that it was unprofita
| BILE; that it was not In harmony with the bibI
and the declaration of independence, an,
hence must, sooner or later, prove to be sur
versive of the principles of our government
But in the south they Still imagine there wa
profit and value in bondage; and not until tn
shedding OF much blood, would the south ceas
singing and extolling
1.-The land of the free,
And the home of the slave"
But the precious blood was shed-they wer
driven at least to give slavery up-and nov
| after thorough trial
"Of the land of the free,
And the home of the brave
they say, 1--WE see slavery was a curse to us
and have no desire to return to it any more"
But what greater lesson have we learned b.
the sad experience of those days? We hav,
traced slavery to its tap-root, and we are rap
idly getting into position to Lay the ak at tn,
1
hverance to one class of peopIe-to one section
of country but deliverance to nations.
'Explain?"
| Well, when the southern states seeded
James Buchanan said, II have no arms: hsv,
no ships; have no money; have no mean
to coerce the rebellious states"
And he didn't. But Lincoln did. Lfncolr
looked around for arms, but found none
"Well" said no, I'VE must buy them" Ht
looked around fer money to buy with, and
found none. He said to his cabinet .Where
Is all the mOueyY' They answered.: 1.-THE
banks are all busted" where Is the gold and
s1lverT' "All disappeared, all gone; not a BIZ
of specie to be seen anywhere" Then he
went to the banks and said, "Where Is all the
money! 1--WE are busted, SIR where is
the gold and silverT' safely housed in our
vaults, sir. How did you Obtain the gold
and silver of the country?' Took it in for
sh1nplasters and wild cat bank bills, and then
| suspended specie payment, sir" And "Hon-
| est old Abe" was noticed to have an extra
wrinkle in his brow. twill you not loan the
government money! Eyes, SIR at "a to 80
Der cent. interest, secured by government
bonds, and interest payable in gold" "Pret-
| ty stiff, gentlemen, good day."
| Lincoln tried to borrow money in England
but John Bull had other important business
| just then. 1t was at this time. and during this
| sore trial that the character and ability of
Abraham Lincoln and his cabinet, as stat es
men, shone pre-eminently bright. Here they
obtained the first and grandest victory of the
| rebellion. I'VE can't get possession of our
own money" said Lincoln, 1--WE can't borrow
| money; we will make it."
And the government greenback appeared, to
| the condemnation and of
Wall street g
Ii you have any knowledge of the effect OF
running fish pole through a hornets nest as
| big as swtll tub, you can imagine the money
changers p1ling over each other, like a nest of
| plsmires after sulky pillow has gone through
them. They rnn their heads together bump
ed one another. thumped and paved, and
shrleked, Flat money, Rag baby, Rag money
government rags; unconstitutional But
| the war went on successfully, with the rebels
IN the south; with the Spectators in the north
|. Ihey had cornered the money; Lincoln Lad
cornered them. Would to God they mad been
kept In that corner. SpGh a buzz had never
been heard since the Saviour had driv en- them
out OF the temple. How to get out of that cor.
ner was the question. 1t was uncomfortable
hot In there. Meanwhile the greeuback prov
ed to be excellent money. When thew finally
got Gained down, they sat over their piles of
gold and silver. while the government green.
back was fighting the battles and doing all the
business of the country. Those whose mamo-
ries go back TO that period will remember that
not gold or silver dollar was to be seen any,
where. Shylock had it nestled, and was brood
ing over 1t, and trying to hatch out something.
Lincoln aud his cabinet were unapproachable.
Shylock was moody and sullen Lincoln was
thoroughly Disguised with him.
All saw tnat the government could be run
without goio and silver. How exasperatinR,
onylock orooded and scratched his mead. and
at last ne Hatched out something. Said he
Old Abe and Seward may go to - but I'll
touch the pocket nerve of Congress" So he
filed up his pockets and went down to Con-
gress' ana putting on sanctimonious air, he
said
How much owest thou unto my lord?"
"Who is thy lordg"
John Bull, across the water"
I'VE owe him hundred measures of wheat"
And he said, Take thy bill and write down
an Exception Clause" and he paid him well
for writing it down.
And TO another he said take thy bill and
write down a National Bank Act and he
paid him for writing that down also. And Il
another he said, take thy biz a4a write for
contraction OF thg Carrency,'' and he paid
him we'll Sur thar And 10 another he said,
take thy bill and write down Credit strength
ening act. And to another take thy bill
and write 'Refunding act" And to another
take thy bill and write The decentralization
of silver" and lastly he said, take thy bill and
write the Resumption act" and for all these
acts ne paid the h0Rorabie gentlemen well.
and then he got him up and did go and tell his
lord across the water, whose name il John
Bull, all these things which he did, And John
Bull said. sit is well done, and you can now
gather in the greenbacks which Abraham hath
made"
And the unjust steward was commended
very highly by all the other unjust stewards
of i'll gotten AMI unjust gain.
The exception clause created a great mar.
ket for gold and silver, and Shylock nut ~.
premium very high, and he2sn once lore 70
DE high liver. Il ss.1i i.ea,ty 81 ia greenbacks
Tor one d9isar Qf his gold. Then he took his
greenbacks and bought government bonds.
dollar for dollar Then with the government
bonds he started into banking and issued his |
own paper Tor money. instead of the green
backs, and thus was back again at the same |
old business he was at before the war, with his |
capital greatly enhanced. aud his money en- |
dorsed by the government to be on par with /
gold. He was now drawing interest from the
government treasury and from the people IN |
two different directions on ths aaHse capital. |
and furnishing the people a. Of old bis own
private money to transact all their business
The doubling process now begins to go rapid
~ forward, and millIonaires are springing into
existence
Contraction allowed him 70 burn up the
sfeenbacks 80 that his rag baby should have
no rival. The Credit Strengthening act fur
Their strengthened his credit 10 the extentthst
ne demanded gold for lis gagafntapt.t Bonds
which he had purchased win greenbapks The
Refundlng act spun out the bonds 81 years
lorger as basis fer q long run on tho double