The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-01-22
PAPER MONEY.
ITS PAST HISTORY.
Chauncey Depew A Greenbacker.
(FrOm the Denver Road ponulist


Hello! What is this? Has Chaun-
cey M. Depew gone crazy and into the
ranks Of the greenback men. On the
night of November s, 1895, in the city
OF Buffalo, N. Y, he was given ban
quet by the Buffalo club, and bright
was the speech he made after the din.
ner, when a man if he has anything
in him to say can say it to good ad
vantage if he knows how as we'll as
does the only Depew.
Speaking of the past of this country
and the part some of the wise men of
Buffalo took in the past he said:
"Ihere is something dramatic and
interesting in the relations of two of
these men to the history Of our coun-
try-a drama with moral and les
sOn-One OF them conspicuous as Re-
publican. the other conspicuous as a
Democrat, In the darkest hour of the
civil war, when our resources were all
out exhausted and our credit strained
TO the utmost, the question which
agltated the statesmen of that period
was: BY what process can we acquire
the means to pay for military sup
plies, to feed the soldiers, to sustain
the army and navy and carry on the
war to the successful maintenance of
the Republic?' 1t was then that the
blinking brain of Eibridge G.. Spalding
advised the greenback-the green
oack, the savior of the nation"
The greenbackS the savior of the
nation That is what Peter Cooper,
Mark M. Pomeroy. and others VINO
have so long been workers for what
are known as correct financial prin-
clples, have been saying day and night.
as they have been denounced. THE
savior of the nation" Look at the
way the savior of the nation was
treated. Consumed by fire. Taken
from the great field of usefulness.
Burned, and for every dollar Of green.
back money thus consumed, United
States bonds were issued to those who
had money to burn, as any man or
government should be burned that
thus burns money and legislates peo-
pie into bondage to pay interest on
what is taken from them and de-
stroyed!
This greenback money purchased
military supplies and paid for the
same. 1t paid the soldiers and the
party in power issuing it said that any
person who was not willing to accept.
from any debtor, anything issued as
legal tender for debt, was a traitor at
heart and an enemy to the country
and its future.
Please do not forget what the Re.
publicans then said, and do not forget
the fact that Democrats have from
time to time immemOrial been the op-
ponents Of paper money but always in
favor of giving privileges to favorites,
who. under such legislated privileges,
issue notes and by selling the use of
them, sell their credit.
Mr.. Depew is in error in one thing,
however. The greenback idea did not
originate in the thanking" brain of
p. G. Spalding. 1t was living factor
BET fore Sir Blackston wrote the
standard book on law which is so we'll
known.
1t was living idea in the Venetian
r public for hundreds of years.
1t was living idea opposed by
King George ILL.,. who said the Ameri-
can colonies should not have the right
to issue paper legal tender or paper
money as that was a right inherent
only in kings.
Thaddeus Stevens advocated the
resurrection Of governmental power
during the war, as a legitimate con-
stitutiOnal measure. A man named
Taylor from Wenona, Illinois. jour
neyed to Washington to urge Presi-
dent Lincoln to avail himself or the
or the government Of it's constitu-
tiOnal right to create savior of the
nation, and then for the first time in
his life, Lincoln examined the ques-
tion in all its bearings and after con-
sultation with Thad Stevens, agreed
that the creation Of money was as
much the right Of government as
was the creation of an army.