The Horry herald. (Conway, S.C.) 1886-1923, November 30, 1893, Image 1
?
V .
l.'j*T '
VOL. VIII.
MCLAURIN AND BOWDENTCI
10 IM{(M'i;iv!>IN(iS OF Till
\ LLI ANOi: ItALLY IN
( ON NV A V.
K
The I Vojtleare Suffering 1 ?1 > ?
of a Orcnt ('on>|>irat'j unions
the t'n pital Ltn Somel h ing
of Wit;i( Mi\ ltowdon
Said.
The 24th is passing; tln? Allianct
lias rallied; some few of its suppor
4.,..,., i ?t? > - > 1
i,?-io uiix*.- j^iitnrrtMi togemor, listened
appeared to Iteur, and silently (Us
persed. About lire hundred peoph
? many ntoro than 1 oca I prophets
expected?assemble! at the cottrl
house to gather 'he* political am
economic information lot fall I?v tin
Congressman and Kditor. An Horn
audience is notably silent and alien
tive. The one to-day was mor?
silent probably and less attentive
than the usual one. On the Cuurl
room full of faces that, were hefort
the speaker, one could easily see tin
marks the hard year has left. Lines
of anxiety, of trouble, here and then
even of desperation, might he seen
I low evory man among them; how
every neighbor of theirs, has sulYeret
during the stringent times yet 11 pot
us, no one save themselves can tell
Yet there was no spirit of despite
ation shown; no wild anarchic, glutei
in the eye. As plain as could la
written upon human eonntenanct
Could bo seen that the time for earnest
action, of determined thought
was come; that while our peoph
lll!iv ho alinum I U-?- ...111 ...
J %*m v UMX/II") MVU^III, IIICV \> I i I III
longer lie led. The rending of to-daj
may be erased tomorrow; but tin
reading of to day is, to-day, plain.
The Speakers were Congrossmai
MoLnnrin and Kditor Bowdon; Dr
Stokes did not put in appearance
Mr. I). (J. lioper was present bu
took no apparent part in the rally
The speeches were delivered in tin
Court room, which could not hold tin
whole crowd. Only about four hun
drod people heard the speakers.
Congressman McLAurin was lirs
introduced He told the p ople ii
Huhstance: A grave crisis I as jus
been pissed through, hut you ban
just begin. to pass through a gravel
yet. It is a hopeful sign to see si
many people out to day. The conn
try depends upon the people, am
the hard times force them to take at
interest in their political welfare
lie had come to throw light upoi
the hig questions that had been am
would he discussed in Congress- lit
would not attempt to discuss tin
silver question in all its intricasies
A lively interest had been shown In
the people in South Carolina in thit
and other questions.
The discussions in South Carolim
had been more hitter tlnm tiny othei
State in the Union; hut we had now
aceomplshcd all we can expect
The Stale can do nothing to bench
us hi u nnuociui way. That inns
(ioinc from national legislation.
A few years ago the masses of tin
people seldom knew who representee
tiiein; they were not informed 01
the questions of the day. Because
of reasonable prosperity they felt so
cure. Hard times has its compcnsa
tions. It onuses the people to seel
means of relief. They have the bal
lot box, and to that they turn to holj
themselves; if they do not, they havi
none hut themselves to blame. Tlie^
must now use that moans?they art
being fleeced by the money power
and will ho till they break the holt
upon them.
A crisis was upon us; the Presi
dent called an extra session of (Jon
gress to consider the situation ant
relieve the people, lie pointed on!
tho way: the purchasing clause oi
tho Sherman act must he repealed
Iu all the arguments of tho goh
using people, we were told that at
soon as the purchasing clause of the
Sherman act was repealed an era oj
prosperity would begin. It was ro
pealed, ai.d immediately just tlx
opposite thin# occurred. There wai
an immediate decline in the price o
cotton, of wheat, of corn, of every
thing, and the derpeciatioi
has not stopped yet. It was like hi:
mule's colic; the horse doctor's modi
cino cured the colic, but killed tlx
mule, Repeal has cured the diseas<
it aimed at, hut is neat killing tlx
patient.
Just after the war was a time o:
great prosperity. More money wai
made between '08 and 78 than dur
ing the whole time since?then wai
when the fortunes of the South of to
day were made. The reason for thii
is that the United States during tlx
war was compelled to expand tlx
currency. There was plenty o
money with which to carry on husi
ness of all kinds. In spite ot tlx
devastation of the war, times wen
.,/va.I. u; ... - 1-:
ftyjyiyi , n?cijrilil'lj/ WMH lllgl).
Tho principle in political econonr
that supply and demand regulate
price must bo looked at on bod
sides. It is not alone the supply
and demand of cotton that gives it;
price; the supply and donand o
money has as much to do with it.
There are two kinds of monoy
gold and silver?paper money baso<
on gold, and paper money based 01
silver. In order to make woaltl
greater, you have just to depreciati
c
the currency. Out of money one.
half ami money wealth i* doubled.
, i (loltl anil silver together coulil not
bn cornered; gold ul<>no, or silv-er
| alone, could be. Iti that is the
(secret of the whole matter. The
i great capitalists of New York,
51 Kngland and elsewh- re combined to
corner the currency. This could
only be done by making one metal
the money of ultimate redemption.
In no country on the face of the
. earth could such a tiling hoconsuma
. J ted suddenly with' ut the bloodiest
. of revol 111imiH us th.? v.?cn1? t?
... VIV t VUK i <t 1% mm
to be done by degrees. Those great
, capitalists got hold of Lamest ?Saye,
* a shrewd and able man, who began
I to lignro in the lobhys. An ambi
| guity in vi certain act was discovered
. ana a ^clause inserted making silver
. certificates payable in gold. Only one
. man has ever attempted to justify
. this act. The panio oF '7d was caused
. by this depreciation by half of the
I currency.
In 1878 they let lip a little on
. silver. The Lower House began to
3 stir in the matter; the Bland Allison
, act was passed. Darin# all this time
the Republicans wt rc in power.
In the meantime every Democratic
1 platform had repudiated the Repub,
bean action and denounced the fraud
. of '73. The people recognized the
! Democratic party as the party of
r sound money.
>i In iSBt a Democratic President
3 was elected; but the Senate was still
. Republican. The Democrats, there
fore, could not be held responsible
. j for not righting the financial wrong
3 its platforms had so often pledged it
>, to do. The President was sound on
. the tariff, ami on white supremacy in
i- " .-MMiui. 11is great tft?111* message
, male the issues of '88 on which ho
was defeated.
_ I Through tho Alliance the i>oo|>le
t , have been educated to know that the
tariff is not the main issue. It is
> most certainly wrong?sucking the
3 wealth of one sectiau, into another .
but it is not the main issue. Tho
money question is the one that
t stands out above all othets?tho
, groat issue. The men who hold the
I gold hold us by the throat and wring
3 their entire wealth from us.
[' I Certain newspapers iind people in
) this State docry and iibu.se those who
take this position. I to did not prc\
i tend to say that his faction was al
, ways right; buUin this it is right; its
leaders understood the question,
i | At Chicago tho tariff was the
1 main issue. The people demanded
^ that the party of John Sherman and
3 contracted currency ho laid aside. A
perfect tidal wave* overwhelmed
them
5 When ho was running for his pres
| v ii l, iiuaiuuil) lit" Ulinosi l't*I llSlill to
t discuss the tariff. We could do
r i nothing with it. Tho miners of
j Birmingham niul others are now
begging for more tariff. Tho presj
cut Administration is spending more
l 1 money than the one before it. Three
hundred millions more are being
3 spent than collected. The income
I tax can't help us. \\ hilo it is the
, only fair and just tax, ttie big money
} holders are not going to give in for
ns to raise revenue that way.
Last March an attempt was made
i | to repeal the purchasing clause of
tho Sherman act. The Sherman act
)! is something like the island Allison
) act?a makeshift. It recognizes siIf
ver only in part. It calls for rei
demption in c<?iu. Common sense
, would say that silver should bo paid
1 for silver and gold for gold. Both
the last Administrations have re
deemed in gold alone. The reserve
| fund wusencroached up nand thisinI
jttreel the stability of the government,
t The misconstruction of the Sherman
F act hurt the government, and pro
. dnced i he panic that was threatened
1 j in March if the purchasing clause of
j j t he Sherman act was not repealed.
5 I The panic came on account of t.h?
F contraction of the currency.
The extra session or Congress
3 was called. Cleveland took the po3
sition that South Carolina h: <1 b>ng
f ago held, that the money qestion
was the paramount issue,
i A few years ago, when things were
t prosperous, when the Alliance start
cd, lots of big feeling fellows talked
3 about the Alliance?it would cause
) hard times. So many people have
worked for thoinselvos instead of the
community is the reascn for the
f times. They should have instead
s been leading the people in the right
- direction. It is a mere matter of
s time under the present financial pol
icy when there will be no capitalists,
s The downfall of the producers will
3 bring capital with it. Wealth will
3 bo in the hands of a few and capital
f for productive labor will not exist.
The great trouble with our people
3 iti this country is, they have put par
u i vy iiuovu everymmg else, have lis*
I tened to persons and newspapers who
y have built up that, party spirit. To
s think for ourselves, act independent
i ly, was almost political suicide. The
y drawing of tho color line, tho shak3
iug of the bloody shirt, the party
f caucuses have been the means of
holding the people to putty. The
, discussion of the Election laws in the
1 extra session wits meant only todisi
tract the people and inIIHence the
i elections in Virginia,
a A few level headed rih! patriotic
rr^|
4 Be True to
ON WAY. S. { ..
men -aw tome time ago where the
J country was ('rifting m d organized
the Alliance. A pin:font giving
measures of relief wtis adopted ami
it was tho idea to ftvo our party
from caucuses and such. I'nless we
can succeed an that line there is no
| hope for the country.
At tho beginning of the extra
; session of Congress, ho wa> astound
ed at the condition of n'uuirs. He;
tween March and Angus1, an overwhelming
majority in favor of silver
was changed into a small niinoti'y.
Ho couldn't understand how >o many
men in so short a time enuld eli;iinr.?
- - - - v
so completely.
The Speaker of the House is more
I powerful t lmo any man in it. He
I frames th? committees, puts men iii
sympathy with his views upon them.
W hen the caucus to nominate the
Democratic Speaker was called, he
refused to attend. In voting for that
ollicer, he would be voting for or
against silver and he couldn't vote
for any man ?o have so much power.
The Speaker was a silver man, electled
against gold men by silver men.
lie went to Now York and was most
' out ragonsly snubbed by the Tariff
Keform Club; but on returning to
Congress be was given a most il it
i tering reception. Suddenly talk
I died out; the committees were formed
in opposition to stiver, and men
who were open advocates of silver
entirely overlooked.
When the vote showed that the
I silver men were defeated by a majority
of ISJO, ho was astounded. In
the Senate the same tactics as in the
House were used. there was a long
j hard, bitter struggle and on tho side
of the repeal men, there were threats
of personal violence ami brutal ac
11 ion in trying to starve them, against1
j the silver men. 1 Cl
At Chicago t lie Sherman act v 'l(
'condemned, lie was opposed to It P1
act but couldn't vote to repeal01'
without it substitute. I to was !0,1
of the silver men who couldn't t ;l '
j the gold men. A*.compromise ' l);i
agreed upon; it was said 111; 11 i?' ""
drawn up and signed; but tho' ,ai
York 1 \'nrft/ and other big da. '
1 opposed it and it \vj s killed.
A discrimination must bo if
between such silver men as St??J
and sue!) as Allen and llland. St
1 art was lighting for self; Allen ?
Bland for the country. We w'.'lie
1 using such men as Stewart only*.?t,
! tools and will continuo to do so as
long as it is to our interest.
There is another side to this conspiracy
.
The bonded indebtedness of this
Country is live hundred ami liftv mil.
I 4 %f J
lion dollars. The bonds are nowworth
from $1.lo to $1.20 ami our
I cotton, our com, our wheat -the
products of our larms and mines are
pledged to pay this indebtedness.
The interest on these bonds is p .v;
ablo in coin, in gold or silver. As
soon as it became payable only in
gold their value was increased by one
half. These bonds are held by the
National Hanks and as permanent
; investments by wealthy persons.
An issue of 100 million dolhus in
bonds payable in 50 years, worth 100
cents on the dollar, would sell for
$1.50 and pledged for their payment
I are our, cotton, corn, wheat and
| other products. These bonds arc
offered to the favored few on the da\
of issue. Many millions of our
I bonds are in Kngland; lots of great
people draw their wealth from our
country. The lirring Bros., and the
Rothchilds, draw their tribute from
lis. They recognize no country, no
race, no God, nothing sate self interjest.
They have agents everywhere.
They had thorn in the North before
the war preaching Abolition, and in
the South preaching Slavery, and all
the time gathering up bonds to pile
in the vants of their employer.-.
llero the speaker graphically told
the tale of the issue of the Egyptian
bonds, giving it as part of thy great
conspiracy on foot to milk this conntry
as it has milked Egjpt. It
is only of late that Egyptian cotton
has come in competition with American.
This is one of the outcomes
of the Egyptian conspiracy. We
are to be ground down by the b ml
i holders us Egypt 1ms been.
The whole effort of the great capitalists
is to force an issue of th<o
bonds. We have the ballot box; we
must use it to save ourselves. The
President has the good of the people
at heart, but be has been deceived by
designing men. They have made him
promises that they cannot and v\ill
not keep. They promised that they
would loose gold if the Sherman act
was repealed.
The railroad interests in tl i s r*mi>..
try are inflated. It costs 4)18,000
per mile to build them and they are
j put down at $70,000. The divi
donds these roads pay are taken from I
freight and passenger receipts is a
drain upon people. In order to ke; p
these stocks, they hypothecate them,
start other investments, inflate bonds'
of these, hypothecate them and start
others. No financial system, much
less ours, can stand such a drain
upon its productive capacity. This
depression is going to burst up the
watered stocks and bonds in these
United States.
Many other things did Mr. McUatirin
say during his speech. He
Votir Word, Your Work, and ^
THURSDAY >
oft? m broke in upon his argument j
with uu anacdoto or local and jut
filial touches "to w hoop up t he lioys."
Me paid his disrespects to the A7irs
ami Court, / , 7'//< /State, etc.. hut
hi lowed that ho tOO would Audit f. .? !
' FS '''
his pocket book, 118 11 u*v aro doing, if
he were in their place. 11? advised
Irs people to light for theirs and light
hard, lie praised the Ovtton Plnu(
quite rapturously and advised I.i^
people to pruv with thosu who read
onl\ iho Xnc/tomf ('nuriir.
Din ing l:is closing ad vi si lory rem irks
ho to'd farmers not to bo led astray
by designing persons. Many of the
men who oppose the Alliance are '
honest) but not as intelligent us the n
lb farmers, his people, were. h
The Alliance may be weak in 11
numbers, advocate bad measures, but i
its under A ing principles would live
on, for tb y wore right and Into. i
KlJtTOn now dux j
was introduce !, before the silence !
amid which Mr, Mc Latum took his
seat, had grown too painful. The I
Kditor t ilked o i co operation mostly;
i hut things in general were often dis
' cussed. Concerning the faultfinders
plea that the Alliance had gone into
polities he. would say that this was :
one of the two sides to the Alliance.
i The ot Iter was co-operation in work j1
and education of each other in the
principles of politic'1 and domestic ;
' economy.
Talking about cooperation he]
j i aid that the Alliance ought n> in--j
lluenco legislation as the old (Irange]
tiied to?liiro commiitccss to work
i the lohbys in Congress and the State ;
iA>fgv.Vk% \
'co , " '
v o yt l II VM vlepoild <)0
tcie isni(Ms set (.low ii ii
. . , lu V 'VOUli never get
"MO tli.'ly ? -, |||(>/
,/ t. 1,1 /il organization WO
th tliorougll,,jV(1,b
obalilv itccl oursfi i- ii
i>, , 1 \ itivi s arc not, to,
A
f i , , ,IIKl(',s *?i \ heir ow n
I l>V iho.S" diet* /Till,. citv of!'
r?" will of tlio
sres, oraminod fifTt ,,A m
'" views,, nfli.lavit.s ,V,| ]?. |Kltj |.card !
I'MportaF demagogue, Mo- '
" " ( 111 I '''o/ demagogue; but it i
"mis on tin. siilfay represent tho poo- j
? 1 dictate tot ho people
Mir, Ni;\VTv ('? thnir will. No
it _ |l try to domiimto the
a "i.\ofox, ff tries to, bo is a demanow
I)enii)ciy
" t<> tlie finbJ'Mution of Alliancemon
'tis fnIti11 e'MMK upon them as their
iihjs r " ii'-al duties. 'I'lio All inn 06
tS'i ull-grown and polities is a part
of its business. It. recognizes no
party, is not interested in the suecoss
of any party. It uses parties merely
us tools. Tlio oapilulkit do tho
same way.
Mr. Howdeu never iinisbed bis
speech. The audience saw a man get
a < 'of/on J'/nnf and another reach for
n cop/of McL'turin's silver speech,
and crowded around tho sr?i?:ilfi?i>
- "1~
| making no attempt to trend easy ami
thinking little of the impoliteness it)
' extinguishing the distinguished gen :
tlemen.
At uhoilt t.v\'<? o'clock, tho courtr<
om was d< scrtcd and in a few hours
the town was < ntptv of visitors.
,1. O. N. |
O <&?- -4^
Punishing tlx* Grand?! nr \.
< Jeorgetown Times.
On hearing ttie rejiort that Dispenser
Gilbut t Johnson had "black listed"'
several niemhers of the Grand Jury
because of tho recent preset) tnient, l
we wrote? him a very polite note on j
Thursday, asking if such was the
case, which he declined to answer,}
j tho only thing vouchsafed to us bo|
ing that it was a matter for himself
I alone, and that it was none of our j
business.
Wo then applieu to Dr. M. S. Ise j
man, one of the members of the
Board of Control for this county, and
the l)i purser's superior officer, for
information on the subject. The
Dr. Said that, if any person, through
prejudice,'reported the Dispensary;
;is a nuisance, that he would not le' |
him have any more liquor, and had
[so stated to Air. Johnson, although
i not in the nature of an order to that
gthibieuiuD.
We interviewed Mr. T. M. Merri- |
iii.ti , who is the chairman, yesterday, |
jand he emphatically said lie luid gtv |
en no such order." to the dispenser;)
that it was not the proper way to con |
due! the dispensary, and that if Mr.
.Johnson had been in the habit of J
. celling whiskey to these gentlemen I
; heretofore, that he ought to continue
j selling it to them, and not stop it at
i this date, since, even if lie was not
vexed at the presentment of the
I (1 rand -Jury, it would certainly have
that appearance now.
The very members of the Grand
Jury whom report says is blacklisted
have been in the habit of purchasing
I <pior from the dispensary Jieretofore,
and had mirnhsiHed il <m ?t</?
i r ' J
j day iho presentment whs in title public,
an 1 the public will now agree with ;
I its that it looks like no attempt to
punish cert tin members of the Grand
I .Jury for exercising their rights as
I sworn ollioers of the law.
Word o mos from all quarters thai
the neatest and nmst Mitisfaotory j
dyo for coloring the beard a brown
or black is Buckingham J >ye for
! thrt Whiskers.
B/>Ai'"Uihural implements
J/ ' ^SQf ? list. in 0
1'our ('ouiitry."
NOVEMBER, M
CARLISLE ON THE CURRENCY
t nmiuctin it t ai.k ijv 111 i:
sinin-yr vu v or tiii:
tkio asl'ry.
low i .Sound and Stable ( nrrcii
C';. < lit be ITwt :i bli.. Ill <1 null
I'pesorvi'd Some Popular
rillllll'ios ( 'once ru i tig
Itiniclulisin t'\plo<
I Ctl
Mr. President and (lentlcmen:
The subject presented by the ?onti ? |
inent just n ml is so large and insolves
-<> many considerations, not
>nly of public policy, l?ut of public
mil prisato honor and good faith,1
that I scarcely know how to respond
lo it on such an occasion as this, j
svhoro brevity of statement will be
more appropriate than elaborate argument.
I am somewhat einbtirrasped,
also, by 111" fact that I am to
talk to an assemblage of gentlemen I
who, by reason of their personal ex - J
perienco in commercial and financial
affairs, are at least in as good a position
as ! am t<> understand and ap- j
proeiato the value of a sound and
stable corrency and to foresee the injurious
effects of a departure from
Borrt'Cl (inancial methods.
Money ard it - representatives con- ;
3iUute the too's with whii,lithe titer- j
html an > the hanker porfonn their |
pot in n imerous and complicated 1
mm!) . '':<)! s necessarily occering in
I he jr? ??w| li and development of our
irmie <it home and abroad. It is not
poss'i ic to do perfect work with iui
p?rf<n instrtimenls, ami if it is attempted
tin* consequences will not
fall iii on ytill alone, but must bo felt
sooimr or later in every part of the I
land ('onlid<*uce won Id bo destroyed,
trade would be interrupted, the obligations
of run tracts would bo viola
ted, and all the evils which have invariably
.attended the use of a bus?
>r llucl unt ing currency would alllict,
not tie eominercial aid financial
class"'.-: only, but the country at large,
lint our eominercial interests are not
conliu d to our own country, they extend
to every quarter of the globe,
and our people buy and soil in nearly
[ very market of the civilized world.
A very large part of our farmers,
medial ics and other laboring people
fiml constant and profitable employment
in the production and transportation
of commodities for sale ami
cunsump!ion in other countries, and
the prices of many of our most iinportaut
products are fixed in foreign
mar!:. t8. Without exception these
prices are lived in the markets of
countries having a gold standard or
measure of value < ither by express
provision of law or l>y a public, policy
which keeps their silver coins equal in
exchangeable value tp the gold coins
at the legally established ratio. The
value of our trade with the people of
other countries during the last fiscal
veae was ifioro than ?1,700,000,000
and mure than ?1,100,000,01)0 of this
was with the people of Kuropc, while
with the whole of Asia it amounted
to a little over $100,000,000, and
with a 11 the countries of South
\metica, excluding Brazil, which
has a single gold standard, it was onI,
s 10,000,000. While it, would bo
unfair to .attribute this unequal distribution
of our trade with the out
sido world to the character of fiscal
legislation, I thinK it may ho safely
asserted that this country could not
long maintain its present position as
one of the most conspicuous and ini
portant members of the great community
of commercial nations which
now controls the trade of the world,
unless we preserve a monetary system
substantially at least in accord with
the monetary syntonic of the other
principal nations.
I'h-re c.i 11 l?e no international le
<^al tender without an international
agreement, but there must, from the
v?Ty necessity of the case, always bo
:i c >nnnon basis upon which bargains
are made and a common currency in
which balances are settled. No ono
na ion can dotermino for the others
what that basis shall be or what that
currency shall bo. It may establish
a currency for itself and for tho use
of its own peopl ' in their domestic
trade, but the value of that currency
will h - ultimately measured and conclusively
fixed by the international
standard, whatever that may he. The
stamp on its coins attests their weight
and fineness, but. it adds nothing
i
whatever to their intrinsic value and
nothing whatever to their exchangeable
value in the mnrkots of the i
world; so that a nation's stock of international
money always consists of
its uncoined bullion and the bullion
value of its coins. It Cannot, mar i
"-'ft- j
ment its stock of such money to nny
extent by overvaluing either gold or1
silver in its coinage laws, nor can it
diminish its Stock to any extent what j
ever by undervaluing either metal.
Whilo the number of its nominal dollars,
or shillings, or francs, may be
increased or diminished, as the case
may be, tho actual value of the bullion
6r coins will not be changed in
the Last, for no Act of Congress, or
other legislative body, can repeal or
titer the laws of trade or the laws
of finance, and every attempt to do
> mu.-.t result iu disaster sooner or
later.
The people should have the best
have'
irc'tr
i ii j: o! r> i^j.
[)
money. No matter, th ivforo whatour
monetary system may bo hero at
lidiiio IIu ..at ..lit;, i..1.1 i
..v? ?i^ loitiuinniMi i>\ Iiur UWll
laws, we imt I cither teliilquish a
large part of oursharo in tin* con 1 merceof
the world <?r conduct our
international trade upon rucH basis
as the general judemeu I of o<?nnnercial
nations may establish. Wo can
not possibly change this situation. I
ami, consequently, tho only praotioal
question is, whother it is better to
establish by law an inferior kind of
money for Use at homo exclusively
and another kind for use abroad, or
to have all or money good enough
for use in every market where our
people trade. I believe tho people
of the 1'nited State.- are entitled to
have for u>e in their domestic trade
just as good money as any other people
in the world have, and that they
are entitled to have just as much of
it as may be tiecessrrv to carry on
their business regularly and prolita- 1
bly. Whether it be gold or silver, I
or both, or paper based upon the
coins of the two metals, the poople
have a right to demand that it shall
be in fnot what it purports to bo -a
just and true measure of value, or the
representative of a just and true
measure of value.
( old i^ the only international
money, and all trade balances arc settied
in gold, or, which is tho same
thing, o.i a gold hasis, all other forms
of currency h"ing adjusted lo tluit
standard. 11 is useless for the advocates
of a different system to insist
that this ought not t<> ho so; it is so,
and wo cannot change the fact. But
tho gold eagle and doiihlo oaglo are
not accejited at a particular valuation
in those settlements simply because
tho Hnihd States of Ainorica have
declared hy law that they shall bo le
gal tender at their nominal value,
but solely because tho bullion con
tained in tlmni, if uncoined, would
he wort h everywhere t he - nine amount
This is a great and powerful (!o\eminent,
hut there is one thing it can
not do it cannot eractu money.
There are sonic things, however,
which the (lovernineut can do for
the establishment and prcsrvation
of a sound and stable currenscy. In
the exercise of its constitutional
authority to ''coin nionev and icgii
late the value thereof/'it can suspend
or limit the coinage of cither
metal whenever it is ascertained that
the coins of the two metals, of the
same denomination, are of unequal
value; or if can change their legal
ratio so as to ma ho them ns nearly
equal in value as possible, or it can
maintain the parity of its coins hy
receiving them and their paper reproonnt.ii
S.*.wi i. ... * f -II ?
nioviiuimrn in (my lilt' 111> OI <HI pll'>- I
lie dues amI discharge all its own ??b- ;
ligations in whatever kind of money
its creditors may demand
The principle or rule of law that
the Option as to the kind of legal
tender with wh oh an obligation
shall bo discharged belongs to the
dob tut, and not to the creditor, tuts
no just application in a case where
the (lovcrnmoi.t issues its notes to
circulate its a currency among the
people and, by making them legal
tender, compels the people to receive
them. The private citizens may
very properly avail himself of the
lawful right to discharge his private
obligations, held hy voluntary creditors,
in Hfcny kind of legal tender
money, because he has only his own
personal interest to protect and owes
no public duty in the premises. But
when tho Government of ttie I 'nited
States has undertaken to supply the
country with a currency, and has issued
its obligations in the form of
notes to circulate among tho people
in the transaction of their private
business, and has received for every
dollar renr-sented bv such notes a
dollar's worth of the people's services
or a dollar's worth of the people's
property, its honor, as well as sound
public policy, demands that thoy
shall be redeemed upon presentation
i:? money current in till the markets
of the world. No Government can
honorably disparage or depreeiacu its
own obligations, and especially obligations
which it has forced its people
to accept; nor can any Government
honorably discriminate between
the different kinds of money or currency
which it puts in circulation.
Whatever inyy be toe differences in
the forms and qualities of the currency
while it remains in circulation
when the time for ultimate redemption
comes all must. bo treated alike.
The country has recently heard a
great deal about hiinatalism and a
double standard, etui it is possible
that these subjects will continue to
be discussed t<> some extent in the
future, h'or iny part, I have never
been able to understand what is
meant by a double standard, or double
measure of value, and I have
never found anyone who could t II
me. To my mind it seems ns absurd
to contend that there should be t\yp
different -andardsor measure of v.V.,
........... ..lit i ' * * ' V
in <13 11 nmiiu i-f l ? 1U818I UOOI) 11 l*-*
ing t?vf? )an! stieks (?f different
lengths o; (wo gallons of different
dimensions. ll there were two
standards, or measures, n??t equal in
value it is evident that one of them
must ho f o measure; and if they
were of equal va ie it is evident that
no mutter wi.uttho law mightdoolure
I [rOXTINI 1:1 > ON SFCONO l'AUH.j
ILIA HLL FIIt.M OF
""* 1 IMC
NO. 2<T
^UHSTIONS I'OU IIAMI'TON
To Hon. Wade Hampton:
In a recent communication to tho
State, you any among other surprising
things:
"Tho time h?s come when tho
lino showUl bo drawn between those
who stand upon tho Ocala platform
and those who stand upon that of tho
National Democracy. No man who
upholds tho former cm properly
i.a .. i? * '
V/IOIIII tu 'JVJ i? I MMIIUCl'-ll.
A little further on, you refer to
t ho "fallacies of tho Ocala ad her,
ents."
As the platform refered to by
you is the platform of the Farmers'
Alliance in this State, wo, as representatives
of that largo body of sturdy
citizens, who have never voted
any but tho regular Democratic
ticket State and National, respectfully
a^k that you point out the fallacies
in that platform, and show wherein
and plank of that platform is incon sistent
with tho principles of broad
Democracy annunciated by Joffer8on
and perserved unimpaired
through a century of struggle in
the platforms of tho Democratic
party. If wo are wrong, as individuals
or as au Alliance, wo desire to
be set right. Truth, right, and justice
to all are our objective points,
and light leading in thoso directions
is gladly received.
Whatever tho source, whether
highest or lowest, whether from a
friendly or un unfriendly quarter,
light and logic will always be accorded
a rational analysis at least. This
is tho teaching of our order, and in
this spirit we address you, sincerely
desiring and expecting an answer.
And we may add that the great or
^iiiiii.uuiu'i ? i n j'l uumprisi tig
not only tho backbone of tho State''s
industrial progress, but tho groat
majority of tho people?comprising
the great majority of those who bared
their breasts to the bullets of South
Carolina's foes, and who have fur nished
the groat majority of tho
voters by which Democracy won the
light that placed yourself in tlie
Coventor's chair, and subsequently
in the United States Sonato?that
groat organization will expect ail answer
befitting the memories of the
past, as well as the exigencies of the
present.
Dor your convenience in answering,
we will summarize tho several
planks in tho Ocala platform which
you have denounced as undemocratic
and fallacious, and will indicate the
questions we wish answered.
I. The first ()uala demand is for
tho abolition of national banks and
the issue of the people's credit direct
to the people, upon such security as
the people can give and at such rate
of interest as the national bankers
have enjoyed for near thirty yours
past. Whoro is tho fallacy in this?
Is this undemocratic? What is fallacious
or undemocratic in the demand
for an increase of tho circulating
medium to the same per capita ratio
that existed wli?n the public debt
was made?
2. Wo domand that legislation ho
enacted that will prevent a relative
few from gambling in tho people's
bread and meat and clothing,
whereby millions of dollars are forcibly
wrested from the necessities
of the people. Is there anything
undemocratic in that? Where is the
fallacy?
Wo demand the free and unlimited
coinage of silver, at the ratio
of 10 to 1, in order that our debts
may be payable in the same sort of 4
dollars that were current when the
debts were made. Wo maintain
that it is infamous to require us by
legislation to pay the mortgagee on
our farms in dollars that cost double
| as much of out labor to get. Is .
this undemocratic? Whoro is the y
fallacy? |nfl
4. We demand that the public
lands shall be held for actual settiers,
and that holdings by alio.is or ?
syndicates for speculative purposes ^
.shall be pro tubed. Is 111 i e> undemocnuie?
Is this fallacious?
5. We demand a tariff for revenue
only, and that the government be
economically and honestly administered;
that the tariff bo taken off tho
necessaries of life and levied upon
the iuxuiies; that the bulk of tho
taxes be raised upon the incomes of
the people rather than Uj on their nc- c
jcessities. Is this the plank you had
in mind when you said. "No man -1
who upholds (it) can claim to ho a r
Democratic?" Is this "fallacy?" ' j|!
0. We demand "the most rigid,
h nest and just State and national
governmental conirol of the means of I
public communication and transpor- ;
tation," and if the people's suffrage :
bo abused, then that the people con- , (
struct and operate their own rail
roaus ami nnegrapn linos. is til is
undemocratic? I' it fallacious? .<
We demand tho election of
11 "nited States Senator by direct vote
f the people of each State. la this ^
iiridemocratic? Is it fallacious? **!
Your early attention will greatly
oblige tho organization we roprosenty&W.^
and a tlio same time the great ma' '
jorii ?>f those who voted for Mr. Jflfrw
i \"\.dand la-t \? o a me ,/
i principle tb. m j'
! s'.a'). Very respect fully yours, l
I W. I) KVANS, Ties. i\ S. A i
1 J. Will. STt)Ki:s. !.co- 1\ S. ivm i