The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1896-02-27

Longstreet and many another who's,
names have passed into history nov
and are
| written high
"On the dusty roll the ages keep"
They had first met the enemy anG
driven him back at the National Bridge
which we passed station or two back
and then at Cerro Gordo (angLiee
Ground hill'D the top conical noun.
tain which lifts its head out yonder.
Sharing the same fare, following the
same leaders, drinking from the same
canteen, they passed by the door ol
this hotel, up that street yonder,
through the pass that opens beyond,
up the mountain, on and on, ever on
and upwards till now they ave amid
the stars. And down this same street
rode since at the head of a retreatiny
army, with the tricoler floating over
him, and the imperial eagles of a Ma
poleon borne before him, Marshal of
France who left a reputation behind
him to find the infamy of an Arnold
on the green and golden slopes
of Lorraine-Bazaine-the only man
in all history who has surrendered
an army Of $4,000 fighting men.
And SO Jalapa with her bright sun
shine, and her narrow streets and her
pretty women and laughing children
and bubbling fountains has seen history
pass by her, and she remains unmoved
and unchanging as Orizaba which
stands out yonder the monarch of this
republican continent, with the slum-
bering fires beneath and his unmelt-
ing SHOWS above, the sentinel of the
ages, unchanged, while generations of
men and empires pass by and disappear
like fleecy clouds melting into the in
finite azure OF the past.
| have met and talked with all
classes of men from the President and
the Chief Justice of the republic to the
peon as he mends the roadway or
follows his plow, and l have seen, too,
countless numbers of our own country
men who are here in business, or as
tourists, and they are coming in stead
lily increasing numbers attracted by the
great and growing prosperity here, and
repelled by the distress in our country
poduced by the financial legislation of
government controlled by monopo-
listic influences. l have formed an
idea of the future of this country, and
l might give it utterance, but there is
good authority that prophet is "not
without honor, save in his own country,
and among his own people, 1t will
be safer to prophecy after the event,
should you and l live to see it. Be-
sides, if there could be found a proph-
ct, who would be needed and listened
to, ne would render more service to
utter warning to people and land
that is dearer to US than this, a land
alas!
"Where wealth accumulates and men de-
cay"
l will say, however, as to what is pres
ent and before US, that the financial
legislation in the United States which
has doubled the value of the dollar
while expressing US has for many
reasons given an impulse to this coun-
try, SO that in few years she has
made the progress OF decades. By
doubling the value OF the dollar, at
the dictation of Wall Street and Lon
don bankers, we have in effect doubled
our National, State and municipal
bonds (Which was the end in view
thereby in effect doubling also the rate
of interest on the same, and the quail
lity Of produce and the amount of
days, labor requte to pay the taxes to
meet them, and also of course doub-
ling the cost Of railroad freight and
passenger fares-all of which have to
he met with cotton at 7 cents pound,
and wheat at SO cents a bushel. In
Mexico where taxes and railroad
charges and debts remain the same,
the dollar also remains at the same
value it was 10 or IS years ago, con-
sequently her debts, taxes and rail-
road charges are paid with cotton at
IS cents per h., and wheat at 81 per
bushel. The uncoined silver dollar
has not deprecated either in the
United States or here. An ounce Of
silver is worth exactly the same in
wheat, cotton, corn, &c, it ever was,
in either country. The difference is
that here they have not demonetized
it, while with US legislation has been
procured by the bondholer and monop-
oily influences which has demonetized
silver and created mythical gold
dollar which the masses never see and
never handle, and by making that
mythical dollar the standard to meas
ure values they have shrewdly doubled
the value of all public and private
debts, of all taxes and the cost Of rail-
road transportation. Tne sum, by this
legislative leger demain, thus annually
transferred from the pockets of the
masses to that Of the monopolies, from
the wealth consumers, is far beyond
the millions LEVIED by Germany on
conquered France, or by any army
in all history on foreign people. This
was done without bugle blown, a
lance Set in rest, or cannon. A sui
ficient number of the representatives
of the people were captured, some af-
ter election and then as Sampson was