The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-10-06
Interpretina E,Iatfpr1na.

81
was looked upon as manifestly; sus-
ceptible Of two constructions on the
subject of the payment Of the re-
tional debt. The Conyentioa DC;
clnred that repndiation (which no one
contemplated is national crime, ;"
but vaguely aud indefinitely added
that "the national honor requires
the payment of the public indebted
ness in the utmost good faith to all
creditors, at homo and abroad, not
only according to the letter, but the
spirit of the law under which it was
contracted" Certainly, whether this
means gold or greenbacks, is ques-
ton that seems to be purposely left
open to variant interpretations. The
Democratic platform, adopted by the
New York Convention, was somewhat
more outspoken, and while declaring
itself in favor of paying the public
debt as rapidly as practicable, accord
ing to law, and nominating o candi-
date for the Presidency who was a
welI.known and prominent opponent
of Reputation in every shape, was
yet frank and explicit in regard to
paying the bonds, and, by implica-
ton, paying the fve-twenties in
greenbacks, the words being "lawful
money where coin is not expressly
stipulated in the act. Since this de-
olaration in the Democratic platform,
the Republicans, especially in the
East, have been enabled to get at
what their own platform meant bv
the natural process of fpartizan repul-
sion, propelling them to the opposite
of what the Democracy are said to
have meant. AS the Democracy
meant greenbacks, the Republicans
meant gold. The New York Times
is quite certein, remarks the Balti-
more iSun, that "there can be no pre-
tense on either side that the resolves
on this subject are mere generalities,
which members of the party may in
terpret according to their individual
preferences. If the assertion of
principle and purpose among the
builders of the Chicago platform was
as specific and absolute as is now re-
presented, how was it that in the
committee which prepared the wordy,
ambiguous resolution about repudia-
tion, proposition to insist on the
duty of the general Government to
redeem the bonds, when paid, in
gold or its full equivalent, was voted
down? The truth is, the language
of the Chicago platform was as want
ing in defniteness and precision rs
the Times itself is, when, replying
to statement of the PHILADELPHIA
Age, that the friends Of Gen. Grant
in the West, always present him on
a greenback platform, it oracularly
proclaims:
"In Pennsylvania or in Indiana,
Gen. Grant is the same. He is the
representative of u party pledged to
uphold the national credit by adher-
ing to the spirit of contracts; and in
the West, as in the East, his cordial
approval of the policy Of national
honesty, is one of the grounds on
which his election is advocated.
The esprit of contracts" and "na-
tional honesty" may mean gold or
greenbacks, according to the prevail
ing ideas in different sections and
localities. The Times is prudent.
When it speaks for itself it adds to
"letter and spirit-goM." Those are
its precise words. When it speaks
of Gen. Grant, it leaves out that word
''gold," little word, but satisfacto-
ry. AS to reputation, no party
thinks of such thing. None of
their platform utterances mean any
thing of the kind. If the Democra-
tic Convention declared in favor of
taxing bonds, the Republican House