The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1896-10-29
A RINGING APPEAL.
Comrade Joseph w. Hays Address to Hi
Comrades.

There is certainly no CONTINUE III pIiNdoo
life who has done more for the comrades
than Joseph w. Kay, of Brooklyn. He is
stanch, lifelong Democrat, ard an enthusi-
astic GAR. man. He is a big-brained,
strong, earnest man, and has given time,
labor, and money without stint to advance
the interests of the comrades. He was the
founder and moving spirit of the Union Vet
erans' Union, whose MISUNDERSTANDING
means something-has been adopted by true
comrades everywhere Up until tins cam
paign Comrade Kay has been power In the
Democracy, but he felt that this is a Crisis
above marty. In an address before great
veteran assemblage at Newark, n. j., he
said:
These DAYS remind us somewhat of those
which Immediately preceded and soon fol-
lowed the breaking out of the civil war
Then. as now, the people were aroused Our
country and lis flag were in peril. Groups
of men-and women and children as we'll
gathered at the corners of our streets, IN
tently discussing in fear and trembling and
with hated breath the war talk which was
prevalent. Excitement grew apace. And
soon some of the newspaper offices were sur
rounded. and the cry went up, Put out
your flag; put out your flag"
A little later came the attack on Fort
Sumter, when the flag was fired upon, and
then the great Lincoln, of sainted memory,
called the loyal of the Nation to arms.
Good men and true, breaking asunder the
ties of party and casting aside the pursuits
and pleasures of civil life, leaving their occu-
pations their homes their loved ones-and
their politics as well-behind them, answer.
hat ~ he fol
that the Union, one and indivisible, must
and should be preserved. Under the folds
OF that flag they made this Nation free.
After four years of cruel war, those who
survive it, many of them mangled in body
or broken in health, though loyal still, re-
turned to their homes with the conscious
ness that their work was well done, and that
no further attempt would be made to make
this great Nation of United States men,
Dry; or, by Transporting two letters OF the
word united so that it might spell united,
as some of our brothers in the South had in
tended, make confession that free Govern
ment was failure.
False teachings and false doctrines. grow
ing out of an effort to maintain and extend
human slavery in this Republic, caused that
war. so destructive of human life, so costly
in money, yet so prolific in grand results.
slavery cdiu6 10 US as du uSlIlOOm Iou ouI
forefathers. To them the fact that human
flesh and blood was bought and sold upon
the auction block the same as piece of real
estate or chattels seemed righteous in the
sight of God, until Wendell Phillips. Will
liam Lloyd Garrison, John Brown, Henry
Ward Beecher, and others dispelled this illu-
sion. Mr.. Seward very properly said, con-
corning the civil war, that it was an ire
pressibe conflict"
Certainly it was one where blood and
treasure were given in sacrifice, and through
it many beresies were stamped out to the
lasting benefit of all our people. When
human slavery with us became thing of
the past, for the first time in our history it
was true that under our Constitution all
men are born free and equal"
The Nation is again in peril. We see
around us everywhere evidence that the
people are aroused. Hang out your flag"
Turn which way you will in our cities there
is evidence of love and devotion to "Old
Glory as the emblem of liberty, equal
rights, and Nations integrity. 1t means
honest Government, an honest currency, and
honesty among men. For such cause the
hearts of the people are never appealed to in
vain. And they can always be trusted.
This political campaign threatens to pre-
upon the American people if the wishes of
some persons are to prevail. The battle
being waged is TO some extent based on
ideas of Government about which honest
men may honestly disagree, and yet the
issues are capable of solution by peaceful
means-not those of war-provided reason
and good Judgment are permitted to control.
In these days of peace the ballot is equally
as effective as the bullet was IN war times
In the settlement Of differences, and certainly
less harmful to the physical well-being OF
men.
The questions involved are many. That
of the free coinage of silver at the ratio OF
16 TO i is most plausibly presented and yet
most dangerous, because IL teaches dis
honesty.
No one who is old enough to remember
the days before the war can contemplate
with pleasure deprecated or fluctuatlng
Currency such as was represented by the
paper money or bills issued by State banking
institutions nowhere exchangeable except
at discount, unless it was at the counter
of the bank issuing the same. The result
was deprecated currency, low wages, and
high prices.
And then in the war days came the green
backs issued by the National Government
in the hour Of its distress, paid to the sol
diers and other creditors OF the Government
with the assurance that they were and
would he maintained equal to gold. False
promise; as soon became apparent by the
prices of every commodity going up until
the value of the greenback was worth in
purchasing power in the markets, at home
and abroad, about 80 cents on the dollar
And then the story was true about woman
going TO market with basket full of money
and returning home with a pocketbook full
Of the necessaries of life.
My own experience emphasizes this. Ever
TO this day, the greenback is nothing NOR.
or less than a demand note-a premise Il
pay. 1t has never been redeemed. Fo
more than 81 years these notes of the Gov
eminent, given for value received at thu
time of original issue, have been notes o
the Government renewed over and owe
again, without interest. Behind them j
nothing except the pledge of the Nationa
credit and the gold reserve. These max
and hold then at parity with gold.
The free coinage of silver at 16 to ] signi
fes TO some minds that 10 silver dollars ma,
he had for one of gold; to others, the coinag
al the mint of 10 silver dollars TO every on
of gold and, indeed, the changes are run
in thousand ways, all Of which are appeal
20 the worser passions of men. To th
manu- iacturer and the merchant and th
wage-earner the free coinage of silver at th
ratio Of 10 TO i means the scaling down {
values practically one-half. The manufac
furer and the merchant must foark fbai