Year: 1876

Infamous among ali tne corrupt lesisi@Ni'
in the past history of the nation.


Sir, | tell the gentleman and those who
hold with him, that the sober second
thought, the calm and deliberate Judgment
Of the American people, will be that i was
the change effected by the Law Of 1873 and
not, as he says, by the proposition to re-
store the standard Of payment in existence
when the debt was contracted that "a
swindle on 90 grand scale As to make the
achievement illustrious was accomplished.


Sir. | deny that the amendment which
proposes to restore the standard OF pay
ment in existence when all of the national
debt and most of the private debts were
contracted is either a dishOnorable or DIS
honest act. On the contrary, insist that
il contemplates no cheating or twindllng
of sound morality and good conscience.
On the other hand ! charge that the meas
ure the gentleman and thoee who agree


with him advocate with 80 much ability
and seeming earnestness is b. characterize
il mildly. an act OF bad faith and OF doubt
ful morality. 1t is not an Act TO cheat
few millions Of men out N y thousand or
so millions of dollars, but IN act To "a
one fell stroke" deprive the Whole indus
trial and tax paying portion q the Amri-
can people Of their God-given rlhc to enjoy
the fruits of their labor and taAnts. to re-
duce them To stateof praetic4 serfdom,
for all time for the benefit of a few avari-
cious usurers at home and ab7ad.


This is the kind of legislatiIt that that
advocates of this aud other cunning fiscal
contrivances for the oppressionsnd degra-
dation Of the working classes clh honest.


They can see no injustice OF wrong III leg
islation that robs the industrial classes


II is only when an attempt IS made to
thWart some wicked scheme dictated by the


money knding class that their cessciences


are luidkened and their moral vision had


becomes0 darkened and their consciences


so sear6 as t. render them incapable of


distlsIuishing between right and wrong.
| Speaking in reference 70 the proposition


Il restore the silver dollar as the unit of


vlues, the gentleman from Ohio Mr.


GARFIELD said


Since have been in public hfe | have
never known any proposition that contain
ed p6 many Of the essential elements Of
vaSt rascality, of colossal swinaling, as this.


/ have the charity to believe that the
.entleman's memory was at fault when he
uttered this sentence. | cannot believe
that, with all his past experience in public
life before his mind, he would have had
the assurance to make statement so clear
ly unsupported by thefacts. The gentle
man must surely have forgotten that he
WAS in Congress when the salary grab and
Credit Mobiher acts were passed, and it is
difficult to believe that acts Of this charac-
ter couid have got through Congress with
out the knowledge Of a gentleman So sensi-
tive on the subject Of the public interest
and national honor. 1t must also have
escaped his memory that he was a member
of the House when the national banking
swindle to strengthen the public credit was
enacted. BY the former of these acts the
whole money power of the nation was sur
rendered to a system Of irresponsible cor
porations BY which the people have already
suffered direct loss by way OF interest on
the bonds of over $3.50, 000. 600. and an in
direct loss Of double that amount by way
of extorticnate rates Of interest. BY the
latter Of these acts over S400, ,0c0 900 were
added to the public debt by changing pay
ment from currency to com.


Not one of these acts can h. defended on
the principle of enlightened public policy
or SOUND morality, Nnlle tile uietsure THAT
the gentleman condemns so vehemently is
consistent with both, as well as with good
faith and national honor.


But if all the dishonCT and dishonesty
all the villainy and rsscality contained in
the above enumerated acts, were conferred
In one it world not contain half so many
of the essential elements of vast rascality,
of colossal swindling," as the one the gen
tleman advocates 50 earnestly.


Neither tiia nor any of the acts relating
TO the finances and currency, passed since
the close OF the war, can be Justified by
the principles Of sound morality, or upon
any other hypothesis than that the produc-
ing classes and taxpayers have no rights
that bankers and money-lenders are bound
to respect and, submit, is it not bare
faced impudence for the advocates an
supporters of these acts to claim to be the
special guardians of the public faith and
national honor, or even question the honor
and honesty of any one not notOriously
wanting in character for truth and integri-
ty