Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-05-01
SAVE YOUR HEMP.
The Lsst DsslslsB oH the legal Tender
Csss-H5w Il Mas sscuFBd-A
PLATA Gaze.
Grsnt Packs ths SgpFsms C0HFt With
Ssroag and Bradley, aHa Thus Secures
e Reversal a the De0lsloa Of 1853.
The last Bsfags Of the PsspIs Ia tbs Hands
Of 6rsht aad the Radleala-
a. Stroag fer 1872

The last Rsfags Of the PsopIs Ia tbs Hands
Of Graht aud the RadIeals-
=. Stroag fer 1872
From the New York World.l
There is incOrrectness in many OF
the Washington statements as to the
votes Of Judges in 1863, and now on
the legal tender question. In the
case Of Hepburn vs. GrisWOld, which
decided In the December term Of 1853
that the law which makes greenbacks
a legal tender in payment ofaH debts,
public aud private, was unWaTranted
by the Constitution 80 far as il applies
to debts contracted before its pas
sage, the judges delivered opinions
as follows;
DENOUNCIEG THE LAW AS UNCON5TI-
TUTIONAL.
SALMON P. CHASE, Of Ohio.
SAMUEL NELSON, Of New York.
ROBERT C. GRJER, Of Pennsylvania.
NATHAN CLIFFORD, Of Maine,
STEPHEN L FIELD, Of California.
SUSTAINING THE LAW.
MILLER. SWAISE, and DAVIS.
Since then, Judge Grier dying,
Strong, OF Pennsylvania, has been ap-
pointed by Grant in his place, and an
addition has been made to the court
in the person Of Bradley, from New
Jersey.
On identicaIIy the same question Of
Isw the court voted, day or two ago,
thus:
DENOUECTNG THE LAW As UNCONsTI-
TUTIONAL.
CHASE. CLIFFORD,
NELSJN, FIELD.
SUSTAINING THE Law.
SwAFNE, STRONG,
MILLER, BRADLEY,
DAVIS,
The death of Judge Grier, and q
new law, enabled the Grant partisans
20 pack the court with Strong and
Bradley, and thus the result.
We trust that the Antf-IncOme Tax
Association and the anti-KU-KlUX
law patriots viii now see that Grant
rules the Supreme Court IS effectually
as he did Judge Woodruff, and the
only hope fOv the Constitution is an
appeal TO the people, who make and
unmake.
Anticipating this decision, the New
Orleans Commercial Bulletin thus
comments upon it in its "Talk on
7Change" on Friday:
We have no doubt the telegram
relative % the report at Washington,
as to what the decision Of the Supreme
Court viii be on the legal tender issue,
IOreshad0ws the truth. Not only
Democratic Journals, leading RepUb-
Iican papers at the North say the
Court has been packed in the appoint
ments Of Justice Strong, from Penn
svlvania, and Justice Bradley, from
New jersey, to procure q reversal OF
the decision that greenbacks were not
legal tender in payment Of debts
contracted before the passage Of
the act authorizing them to
be issued. The New York
Tribune does not hesitate to say open
ly that those two judges-and both
have been appointed by General
Grant-have been placed upon the
bench Of the highest judicial tribunal
ina the country because they could be
relied upon 10 give the legal tender
act a retroactive as well as q current
and future effect, as they have a large
personal interest in making the law
retroactive.
It would be childish to argue the |
question. The constitution has one
provision, that which says what legal |
tender Is, that Is violated every day
by the law, and another provision in /
regard 10 eT post fdctO law, which is /
violated by retrOactiOn. There can |
be no more dispute upon these points |
than there can be upon e proposition 1
that two and two are four. The an /
ticipaied decision Of the court Is the /
necessary complement of the none /
tary and financial systems, which are 1
accredited to the present Chief /
Justice Of the Supreme Court, and 4
which were inaUgurated when be was
Secretary Of the Treasury. he is said /
70 have been very angry when be dis
covered that the issue had been /
opened for reconsideration by the
court, but why the step should have
provoked his displeasure, common
people will not be able TO see readily.
The measure Of which he is the puta-
tive author would have signally failed, /
If the Constitution had been re-
speCted. Perhaps, however, he fore
sees that which Is hidden from Others, /
and breads the future.
And well he may. The logical re-
suit of a reversal Of the judgment Of i
the Court will be that the courts can
not recognize gold contracts as bind
ing; that II a man bOTrOWs gold, con-
tracing specifically even to pay in
kind, the debtor may cancel the Obli-
CATION with green backs. The cOnse-
quence will be that an addi-
tional force viii be given to the inhu-
ences which are already banishing the
precious metals from the country.
The motives for q decision such as is
predicted viii be rendered on Monday
next are so base, so reckless and so
damnably criminal that il Is almost
incrSdl0le they can be entertained in
the highest Judicial tribunal In the
land. such an atrOciOus conspiracy
for the plunder OF a whole people has
no precedent in history. When the
court usurps the function Of changing
the organic laW, which it does when
il declares the Legal Tender Act con
sfitufioual. the object Is to shield GER
tain classes from the consequences Of
financial and monetary iniquities that
have obtained during the last ten
years. and to enable those classes to |
ewindle the whole people.
The effect Of the decision IN regard
20 the relations between debtor and
creditor, viii be to leave the latter at
the mercy Of the former. The great
debtor classes Of the country are:
j. The railroad companies.
. The savings banks.
3. The national banks.
4. The life insurance cOmDanies.
The re-Opening of the LEGAL tender
question Is a sign that the conspira.
fors know 8 financial explosion Is not
fsr Of. They know the time must
come when all the currency In the
United States won't be worth 8 bar
ri Of wood ashes, unless payment OF
fnfarest On the national debt be sus-
nended. and the gold which goes that
,rav used for the redemption Of
nbseks snd bank a0les. Gold 6