The Cadiz sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1864-1911, 1868-06-10
Financial Plank in the Chicago
Platform.

The resolution in the Chicago platform
on the subject OF paying the Government
bonds. is eGnisocal and evidently intended
| to bear dnnhie construction. The Radi-
| Gals are afraid to meet the greenhack ques-
| ton with caHdnr-thry fear the hondhold-
ers and they fear the tax payers--and 50
| they come before both, offering plausibIa
phrases, which can be interpreted according
| 10 the particular interest Of each. This il
adrnitly done in the third resolution of the
platform, copied below, with the plaudits
intended to give it peculiar significance:
Third. We denounce all forms Of re-
pndiation as National crime, Iproloneed
cheers, and National honor requires the
payment Of the public indebtedness in tho
utmost good faith to all creditors at homo
and abroad, not only according to the letter
but the spirit Of the laws under which il
was contracted. Applause. ~
The dislngenuousueSS here manifest Is IN
not setting forth distinctly 'the letter and
the spirit of the laws" under which the
public debt was contracted. All the differ
ences of opinion on the subject OF payment
whether it shall be made in gold or green
backs, rest upon different views of the
letter and spirit Of the laws authorizing the.
loans. This is, therefore, a non-committal
resolution, and shows that the Radicals
lodged this most important OF all the iS>
sues of the campaign. 1t was predicte'l
that such would be their conrse; that il
would be marked BY .cowardice and du,
plicity; that on the subject Of the national
debt an equivocal plank would be inserted
on which the advocates Of both kinds of
payment could stand and cheat tho voters
with false promises. This has been most
signally fulfilled. The members ef the
Convention were afraid to face the music on
the financial question, and the 'cheers and
applause" " published with their resolution,
are evidently expressions of joy at the
adroitness OF their presumed escape from
an ugly responsibility.
This "ettcr and spirit may be a very
artful dodge. It has been called q leauti.
full sec-saw. Mr.. Stevens, the Radical
leader in Congress, member of the Finance
Committee, who framed the laws under
which the public debt was contracted, says
to the bond-holders, Your contract meHus
greenbacks s" Butler, who has become the
very personifcatlon # Radicaisnl, says 10
the bondholdcrs, Your contract means
greenbacks. 1t is thus apparent that the
Convention at Chicago has, by its applaud>
ed resolution, committed the Radical party
to nothing at all, on this mighty question
in which everybody is interested.
The national debt may be thus classified
in general terms-two hundred and fifty
millions in bonds, principle and interest
payable in gold by the ex press terms of the
contract fourteen hundred and forty mil
lions in fivc-twenty bond concerning WHICH
nothing is said IN the contract about re-
demption in gold, though. the interest is
paid in coin; f ur hundred millions in green
backs and fractional currency. and. three
hundred millienS in tho notes nf the nafinp-
al banks, the whole debt in round mum bers
icing some twenty five hundred millions OF
dollars. About two thousand millions, or
the g,eat bulk of this debt, is what IL
claimed to he payable in greenbacEs by
fair interpretation of the laws and on the
requirements of the NATIONAL honor. -
Mr.. Stevens has taken this ground. and he
is prime authority among Radicals. II the
Chicago Conven ion meant this by their
resolution, why didn't they say SO? Ii they
meant that all should be paid in gold, why
did they not say that? The concl sion is
meant to be all things to
all mento have a fair face Tor every point
of the compass, and to cheat and delude
the people with false pretenses.