Speech of George Francis Train on Irish independence and English neutrality; delivered before the Fenian Congress and Fenian chiefs, at the Philadelphia Academy of Music, October 18, 1865 ...

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1865 Excerpt: ...yet three thousand millions of. currency. What does it mean? The negro suffrage party want to add seven hundred thousand votes to the suffrage. Will these new votes, added to the white Southern vote, willingly be thrown for taxation? (No.) Will they pay Northern debt taxation without a murmur when they have lost almost everything? Again, will the working men's'vote, say one million four hundred thousand, out of the one million eight hundred thousand, go for taxation when they do not hold any of the bonds? (No, unless they stop Southern niggers.) Are these questions by germinating in the public mind occasioning this strange apathy? Again, our bonds abroad are at 70. They may go higher. Already $400,000,000 are held in Europe--one-seventh the whole--interest payable in gold. Suppose they continue buying as evidently, if paid, it is the best investment in the world. Suppose they buy--$1,000,000,000,--six per cent, is $60,000,000 in,gold. Shall we dig out that much? Suppose free trade becomes popular, repudiation is certain. It may be this that causes the strange apathy. If we are solvent, England buys our bonds, and we import $150,000,000 more than we export. Gold will go to 200 before Congress adjourns. Would moneybe long with the banker if they were obliged to redeem anything? That is the question. This is my conviction which I will not repudiate. The loyal leaguers must still be blackguarding the South and talking negro suffrage, or three millions-of votes will be thrown in 1868 to wipe out the debt. (Loud applause.) Mind what I say--I believe in keeping sacred the national honor. But I think it is necessary to do something to frighten Europe from buying our bonds and the fanatiGs from debasing our franchise. I am willing that education should be the test. ...