A llunilrcil Vote in One Township,
( I'liila. !el.htu Daily Item
"Mr. Frederick Moore, ot the Ken
sington Council No. .'!. Ameiicau Or
der of Steam Engineers, after warm
ly commending the Item's course on
the financial question, in a commii
UK ation asks:
"'Why did not tin government
make the greeuback or fiat money a
full tender without the clause ex
cepting the duties 011 imports and in
terest on the public debt ?"'
"A plain and true answer to that
question is:
"The RotlischUds 'r insr' interfered,
and caused the mentioned e'ausu to
ie inserted: ft 1 this 'ring" foresaw
that full legal tender greenback
would be AOAINST I'M'tiv" and against
the 'ring's' control of tins govern
ment's financial policy, when once a
clear experience was established
that oKKKXl'.ACKs couitl be main
tained AS hood as lionn, while the
country was in the throes of war.
"Another reason was that this
ring' saw immevss i-kokits ihat the
exception clause would afford them
by the opportunity to ColiNHR THK
lail.ii m At; K kt, and thus force our
merchants who were obliged to buy
gold to pay tl uties to buy of the
ring' and on the 'rings' ' OWN" tkkms
"The great premium on gold du
ties th war was not due to a dis
trust in the credit of the United
States, but was the premium asked
by the COKN'EKKIts of 00i.I1 C'olV.
"The exception clause was a 'skin
game,' and history shows how well
it operated for the enrichment of its
promoters.
"lu proof, note the fact that there
weiejin existence all through the war
.-fliO, 000 in full legal tender green
backs, which were issued btfore the
exception clause went into operation.
