The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1868-08-26
{ NUMBER 9.

i II Z
currencics Of unequal value. I concur
fully in all that Governor Seymour has
said npon this particular subject. and in
the purpose Of his recent speeches as un-
derstand them and that was to warm the
Democracy and the people Of the United
States not to swing wholly from their an
cient hard money moorings, and become
too deeply enansored Of the green goddess
ofpaper money; to dove wisely. and not
too we'll; not TO accept the extreme medi-
cine of the public debt and currency as
their daily bread I think the caution was
timely and well bestowed. / am in favor
Of one currency, If practicable, and as soon
as practicable. and that currency gold and
silver. This twenty dollar gold piece
which hold in my hand-General Schenck
intimated last Fall that stole it ; no mat
ter !; it was certainly not from him; and
moreover, let me tell him that it is net the
wages of political prostitution, nor yet of
that sin which is political death pardon
the digression-this gold piece is money;
not, indeed, ''lawfuf money" in the Ian
gunge of the legal tender net, but constitu-
tionai money, and the only money known
to that instrument. No act of Congress,
and no number of penal provisions, could
persuade me that this twenty dollar legal
tender is as good as this twenty dollar
gold. This (the gold) is not the reprcsen-
tative of or substitute for money it is
money. It does not say II promise to pay
twenty dollars" but II am twenty dollars"
NOW, gentlemen, I should Be very glad to
make this paper money as good as gold
/ il only knew how. Izremember IN an
cient mythology, one Midas, who besought
the gods for power to turn everything no
touched into gold but i recollect also that
in the sequel of the story Midas was writ
ten downnn ass Know, then, Of no way
of making your Government paper US good
as gold, except by either. immensely redu-
cling the volume-somewhere near to the
standard oftaxation-or requiringit to be
redeemed on demand in gold at the Treasu.
ry Of the United States. But neither of
these is now practicable. What then 2
Necessarily we are to have two currencies
for tho present--gold and greenbacks: a
dollar in coin equal to hundred cents,
and dollar in legal tender, representing
variously from fifty to seventy cents. And
now, hard money-man MS / am, odious rs o
deprecated irredeemable government paper
forced upon the people is to me, meet the
issue squarely. 1fyou have gold enough
for all, let US oil have gold. But if not,
and there must be paper for some, then pa
per for all and in the language Of the New
York Democratic Platform. zone currency
for the Government and the people, the
laborer and the Office holder. the pensioner
and the soldier, the producer and the bond
holder" and whosoever would have gold,
let him buy it in the market at it's value in
currency. And let us have no petty quib-
bling about the phrase .lawfal money"
In the platform it is the antithesis OF
"coin;" and in the entire legislation Of
Congress upon the subject for six years, it
means the legal tender '.greenbacks" cur
rency of the country. Redeem, them, in
this lawful money-lawful to the plox.
holder and lawful to the bondholder-
rapidly as practicable" all obligation of
the Government not expressly upon their
face or by Law, made payable ID COIN
Abolish forthwith your National Banking
System; take mp the bonds which they
hold, save twenty millions ofinterest to the
tax payers, and instead Of redeeming three
hundred millions Of national currency with
greenbacks, issue . like amount of green.
backs at once 70 supply their place. Here
is no imitation. nor is there any, the small
lest hazard of having ito much money"
even of "lawfal money" in. the county
With the disappearance, too, Of the present
National Banking monopoly, we shall Sc.
cure again oldlashiored specie paying
banks whose credit shall depend on their
solvency, and whose promise to pay is re.
deemable not in another promise to pay.
but In gold and silver, the constitutional
money ofthe land.
NO DANGER or CIVIL WAR.
/ have now, my Democratic friends, fin
ished what had to say upon the political
issues and situation of the day. One word
further upon another subject, and have
done. i',s
You hear from ever quarter through the
Republican press the alarm that it is the
purpose of the Democratic party to rein.
augurate revolution and civil war. Let no
man be in the least concerned. Upques-
tionably it is the fixed purpose of three
millions of Democratic voters, with all the
intensity which can fire the hearts of men
born freemen and scorning to die Slaves, if
we shall fairly constitutionally and legally
elect President, TO see that he is inaugu-
rated at every hazard. 1t is our right and
our duty too; as also it is the duty and
right Of the Republican party If they shall
legally, constitutionally and fairly elect