The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1892-04-30

power) never contracted to pay the ma
tional debt in gold. When the debt was
[created we had gold, silver and green
backs as money, all equal. But dis
honest congress altered the bond, demon
etized silver, funded the paper and made
the bonds payable in gold. Was this
honest? Our agents betrayed us and
their acts are not binding and should be
repudiated by the people, and will be.
Well, Shoddy, how do you like that talk?
We will eventually get honest men in
power and authority and we will pay
your debt in an honest way. We never
contracted to pay it in gold and never
will. We will simply hand you back the
greenbacks that you gave us for the
bonds. 1t is one sided game that two
cannot play at. You corrupted and pur-
chased our agent, but we repudiate his
acts. Yet we will be honest; we will re-
turn you all that we received, nothing
more. We hope soon to set enough
honest men in congress to protect us in
our homes and liberty. Yes, lremble in
your boots, you dirty rascals. ''It shall
be measured to you AGAIN" We will
treat you with all the respect we would
any other thief, But you object to being
called a thief and put in the plea of
honesty. Well, let us see how honest
you are.
| Suppose farmer owed a note which
could be paid and discharged by the de-
livery Of 1000 bushels of grain; nothing
said about what kind Of grain, as at the
date Of the note all grain was the same
price. But before the maturity Of the
note wheat is 81, oats 25 cents, corn %
cents, rye so cents, barley so cents. Well,
the holder of the note corrupts the
farmers agent and gets the note altered
to read 81, 600 bushels wheat instead
of Il, 900 bushels Of grain''-would this
be honest?
Demonetizing the paying qualities Of
the cats and rye, barley and corn. Well,
as this note and all other farmers notes
we're now payable in wheat instead of
grain, it at once created great demand
for wheat, in consequence of which
wheat advanced in price to 50 per bushel
and the farmer could not pay. He had
rye, oats and corn, but could not pay his
debt, for the holder of his note had made
a corner on wheat and ruined him.
Would you call this transaction honest
and would you regard the holder of the
note as anything but dishonest, in fact, a
thief?
Now, Mr.. Bondholder, you are exactly
that kind of thief, you have virtually
done that very thing.
When We contracted the national debt
it was payable in so many dollars and
we had gold, silver and greenback dol
lars, all equal as dollars, and we could
pay in either. But you went to our
agent, bribed and corrupted him and got
our bonds altered and made payable in
t gold (wheat). You then made corner
on the gold by demonetizing silver and
funding the greenbacks and destroyed
our ability to pay, further increasing the
demand for your gold by making all pub.
| lie dues payable in that coin, thus in
creasing it's value fully 100 per cent.
Now, instead of calling you honest,
call you dirty thief, and l don't think
make any miscalls. If you want your
} bonds paid restore our paying capacity
and ability; restore our silver and green.
backs and we will pay you every cent and
s be thankful that your thieving hands are
out of our pockets. But no, you dirty
l rascals, you don't want the bonds paid
s YOU hope to retain them as perpetual
leeches, sucking the life blood of the
people, until poverty shall destroy oul
7 ability to pay, and then, with the aid o.
an ignorant and poverty stricken people
t YOU hope to subvert the government anC
: destroy the liberties of once free an(
Y happy people. But permit me to Civ
D you warning, "the writing is on tn
, WALL" eve, the people," will have jus
g tice or repudiate the whole thing. Ant
t do not tell US that thereby we shoult
destroy the credit of our government,
for we propose to make our government
n loaner of money and not borrower
Should 1 read some more silly speeche
made in congress by the hired agents o
Wall street, or hypocritical solemn warn
ings from aspiring statesmen, I may hav
some more thoughts.
w. B. RADFoRD.
Lecassia, Leon CO., Fla, April %.
SUPREME COURT OF FLORIDA