Vermont daily transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1868-1870, 1868-07-22
Vermont Daily Transcript
ST. ALBANS, VI:
WEDNESDAY, July %, 1868.
TNad. Sferens ond GrcenbocLs.

7WUd. Sferens ana GreeHbHrhS.
The Honorable Thaddeus stevens has
refreshing habit of talking out loud
the things which come into his mind,
even though his sayings are unpalata-
BILE. There is therefore no long uncer-
tainty as to chow he stands" on most
questions of importance. If he thinks
as much of the legal rights of negroesa'
he does of the legal rights of white men,
he lets it be known; and so of their
political rights and privileges. If he be-
lieves that women should vote, or that
the property of our late armed enemies
should be confiscated, no gentlemen
from Pennsylvania need trouble him.
self to "sound" the old "commoner" in
q cautious manner to get at his opinion;
for ten to one the opinion is hurled at
the would-be enquirer before he gets
within confidential distance. On the
greenback question, too, Thad has a
notion, and on Friday last he let it drop
i'm the House in a manner which imme-
diately set all at odds and ends and
causes the Tribune to dig for his record.
In the course Of debate on the funding
bill, on Friday, in the House, language
was used which figures as follows in the
regular Congressional reports:
M. Stevens of Pal understood the
gentleman from Illinois Mr.. Ross who
first spoke upon this subject, to say that
he understood that our outstanding
bonds should be paid according to the
nf rIy Inff
What is that platform?
Mr.. Ross of Ill-To pay the five-twen-
ties in lawful money.
Mr., Steveps-YOu mean by lawful
money"
Mr.. Observation-Disclosures that is your
doctrine and mine.
Mr.. Stevens-I hold to the Chicago
platform, and, as l understand it, to the
New York platform upon these bonds,
that these bonds shall be paid just accor-
ding to the original contract.
Mr.. Pike of Me.-According to the
spirit and letter of the contract
Mr.. Farnsworth of Ill.-According to
the law.
Mr.. Stevens-What was that law ?
That bonds of a certain amount should
bear five per cent. interest in gold. Now,
up to the time that they fall due, we
must pay them faithfully. After they
fall due, they are payable in money, just
as the gentleman understands money"
just as l understand it, just as we all
understood it when we passed the law
authorizing that loan; just as it was a
dozen times explained upon the floor by
the Chairman of the COMMITTEE of WAYS
and Means when called upon by gentle
men to explain what it meant, and just
as the whole House agreed that it
meant.
want to add that if this loan
was to be paid according to the Int, intima q,
this country would 90 for na vino in II,
coin that which is payable in money,
thus enhancing it One-half; if / knew
there was such platform and such a
determination this day on the part of
any party, l aUOuld vote for the other
side, Frank Blair and all. / would vote
for no such swindle upon the tax payers
OF the country l would vote for no
such speculation in favor of the large
bondholders, the millionaires who took
advantage of our folly in granting them
coin payment of interest. And l de-
clare-well, it is hard to say it-but if
even Faank Blair, stood upon the plat
form paying the bonds according to the
contract, and the Republican candidates
stood upon the platform ofpaying bloat-
ed spectators twice the amount which
we agreed to pay them, then | would
vote for Frank Blair even if worse man
than Seymour headed the ticket. That
is all want to say.
Mr.. ROss-The Democratic doors are
still open, and we will take the gentle
man in.
The Tribune undertakes to show that
this last move of Mr.. Stevens is in con-
tradictiOn of his course on the legal fem
der, when he said:
% A dollar in a miser's safe. unpro-
ductive, is sore disturbance. Where
could they invest it? In United States
loans at sic per cent.-redeemable IN
GOLD III 20 years-the best and most
valuable permanent investment that
could be desired"
Whatever Mr.. Stevens may have said
or thought then, there can be no doubt
as to what his opinion is nor, 1t is also
fully evident that he does not, on ac-
count of his opinions concerning green
backs, think himselfa repudiator, as the
Tribune mildly puts it, Opinions will
differ, no doubt, between those who do
and those who do not hold bonds.
b1s A lady writes to the Court Jour-
nal, denying the report that the second
Sir Walter Scott never read his fathers
novels. She says: "Just before Sir Wal !
ter went to India with his regiment, !
the fifteenth Hussars, twenty-six years
at least ago, and my husband were
living at AbbotsfOrd, and in the library
one day he took down volume OIL
Wordsworth's poems, and said to me,
he was the poet, he thought, his father
(Sir Walter Scott liked above all 9TH
ers.' And then he said, How wish | |