Year: 1875

cause that interest has been intirely ig-
nored.


What spectacle it would present if
the curtain should be lifted, and the re-
ality revealed to the eyes of the people
Why here are forty millions people more
than eight millions of them voters, en-
gagged in all the avocations of life, about
two-thirds of them Cultivators of the
soil. Now liftthe curtain, and let us see
who occupy the seats in Congress. That
tells the tale.


A majority of the whole number are
bankers, bondholders, stock jobbers, or
persons vitality interested in making law
for their own benefit so that the rich
may become richer, and the poor poorer.
Suppose that the farmers, the laboring
people, the manufacturers, the merchants
the shippers and all the great industrial
classes of the United States were repre-
sented in that Congress in proportion to
the interest they have, how many bank
ers would be thereP They would be
crowded out. They are not one per cent.
of the voters of this country, and yet in
point of representation in Congress, they
amount to about eighty per cent, and
the other twenty per cent of the people
amount to very little more than disfran-
Chised units, having one great and pre-
Cious privilege, that being the privilege Of
paying taxes. Now, the Democratic par
ty intend to right up this state of things
if possible. What have these Republi-
can leaders to offer to the people, what
do they propose to do?


Nothing but to get OH their knees and
ask pardon, and then turn around and
whisper, Cant we get up something
about Catholics. Can't we get the great
American family by the ears on some re-
ligious question? and whilst they are pull
ing and fighting each other about reli-
gion, slip in and get possession of the
government again2" 1--we can't do this
we ought to begin to pack [laughter], for
the warning given us last year, when the
people, without intrigue, silently--so 81
lently that on the election day there was
hardly man to be seen speakinga word
about the election-sadly moved up to
the ballot box, and by sending and i'm
mense majority to the lower House of
Congress and carrying about twenty-one
States in favor of the Democrats, just
signed a dismissal to the Republican law
makers, saying we have no further use
for you. Laughter and Applause. That
is what they did. Is there any denying
it2 What produced this tremendous
change, in the minds of the American
people? Perhaps full million of these
very men forminga part of the Republi-
can army, had confded for years in their
public men, but they have confded to
their sorrow. They saw the country
drifting to ruin as fast as the impetus of a
storm could carry it. They saw, and
they see now every day the losses by
whisky rings, Credit Mobilier rings, salary
grabbing rings, District of Columbia
rings, land grabbing rings, Pacific mail
rings, Custom House and Indian rings,
these latter brought about by the conni-
vance of Custom House officers and IN
dian agents. These immense larcenies
are committed upon the people, for every
dollar that they steal from the Public
Treasury has to be taken out of your
pockets by the tax gatherers. That is
the fact about it, The government can
get no money except from taxes and ev-
cry fellow that runs off with a dollar of
the taxes makes it necessary for that dol
lar to be put on you next year.


But these gentlemen who are making
such hue and cry about rag money
have no word of depreciation for the two
thousand National Banks to which we
pay twenty millions of dollars per year
for the blessed favor of furnishing us a
currency. And what kind of currency
do they furnish us? Is it not rag cur
rency? Is it not made out of the same
material out of which greenbacks are
constructed and is it not redeemable in
greenbacks? Then why is this species of
rag money better than the greenback,
and why should we paw this enormous
sum every year for the privilege of hav-
ing currency redeemable in greenbacks
when we can have the greenbacks them.
selves and save twenty millions ofdollars2
If we could hear the Clink of the coin
on the counter when we pass National
Bank bill to its maker for redemption,
there would be distinction with diff
erence between the two kinds of money.
But while the National Bank rag is only
redeemable with a greenback rag, and
the faith and prosperity of this great
government is pledged to redeem the
greenback, it seems to me that the green.
back is the preferable, as it certainly is
the cheapest currency. To call the green
back a worthless and an irredeemable
currency is to impugn the honor and
credit of the government, Upon the face
of each note is printed, "The United
States will pay to bearer-dollars." 1t
does not say when it will pay it, as it does
in its interest bearing bonds, but it new
ertheless solemnly promises to pay the
amount.


The matter of the payment of either of
the series of the interest bearing bonds
rests entirely upon the honor Of the gov
ernment. There is no power under heav-
en- to compel the payment of any of our
bonds if the government declines to do
so. Therefore, what right have the Re-
publicans to say that the government
will pay one class OF its honestly contract
ed Indebtedness and refuse to pay anoth-
err The obligations of this government
will all be paid. The people will not al
low repudiation in any shape. Their NOR
al sense revolts at the idea. But, say our
Republican friends, you Democrats have
a hard money record. How can you be
for hard money now? l can say to them
that circumstances change policies.
When we were hard money party, hard
money was possible, and it was for the
interest OF the masses. We have always
been an anti-National Bank party. In
Jackson's time we opposed single Ma
tional Bank because it was detrimental
to the interests of the American people.
Now that we have two thousand National
Banks. draining the life blood of the peo-
pie, why should we not raise our voices
against them? The old National Bank of
Biddle fsttened off of the peculiar privil-
eges granted to it by the government,
and our present National Banks are con.
trivances by which the government au-
thOriEes favored class to pluck the gov.
eminent goose, except the pin feathers,
which are left for the people. But who