The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-07-07
PRESIDENTIAL PROPHECIES
POLITICAL oRACLEs.


POLITICAL ORACLES.
THE THIRD TERM-GRANT's PROSPECTS AS A
CANDIDATE-THE CURRENCY MBRoGLIo
AND ITS sIGNIFICANCE-THE CHANCES OF
SENATOR THURMAN, HENDRICKS, BLAINE,
EFT AL.
"Gathn writes as follows on the political
prospects to the Chicago Tribune:
The avowed purpose of Mr.. Dawes, to re-
tire at the close of the present Congress, may
appear 10 be an anticipation on his behalf of
an opposition Congress in 1875. He IS not
alonefn this belief; but his determination
ton ofthe absolute revolution an opposition
Congress will. make. All the COM
mittees changed in composition, and their
general regimen of legislation adopted by
the party in Congress, will not fail to give
this country the mold of a few positive men
who are now ready to come forward from
the minority and take charge of affairs. The
president will probably escape the opposi-
ton of such a congress by declining
to antagonize it.; for he seems to
have no affection, traditional or I'M
pulsive, for the republican party, ex-
cept as it needs himself and
comes to his support We shall see, if the
what ratio ofinfuence executive patronage
has to government. For the president has
managed to get very nearly in the exact po-
sltion be occupied in 1866. He seems to be
lightly affiliated with the republican party,
tSs 6Gs osSgr eSSnvegng if bE not o0g1ettps
will probably choose to occupy him
self seriously with the custom whether he
will run again. On that decision hangs a
good deal of the peace and good feel
ing of the next two years. If the maggot
of Third Term has securely deposited its
NI-N e1-r kali -.
potential use of the patronage, such as
Buchanan welded against Douglas, and
worse than Jouson exercised in aid ofhimself
THE CURRENCY-PANIc.
Civilians, generally, are Indifferent about
the political state of the country. The lobby,
which is an active element in the election
of presidents, is not,satisfied whether it can
do better with a change of personnel or
without it. The democratic rank and file is
concerned, above all the rest, to know
Grants intentions, in order 70 be ready to
solicit the remainder of the crumbs of this
to the rest. The rich mans ele-
ment, which supported Grant almost
solidly in 1872, is by ne means de-
cided to support the pretensions of his
friends for an indefinite lease of power. You
is a conservative creature. Wall street, in
its deep channel and strong undercurrent,
has always been Democratic. and is so at
this day. To the science of banking, in its
breadth and international understanding,
the Republican party's conceptions of
finance have always borne a volatile rela-
ton; and the bankers who set example to
their cslling-men like Brown Brothers,
Barring Brothers, Drexel Brothers, etc.-have
held that the treasury was at its best in the
day of Robert ]. Walker, and has since been
political appendage; and, if these men have
supported at tinaes thu republican candi-
dates. j; was because the attitude of the op-
position was uncertain on the vital question
of respecting the bonds and the bonded in
teres of the war securities. The currency
bills discussed during the present session
have settled the question of financial resp pom
sibility in politics, as far as hundreds
of such conservative bankers are concerned.
They have seen all the Northern democrats
in the Senate voting for sound and stable
currency, while MANY of the Northern re-
publicans = the majority, indeed = have
united with the late rebel senators in an
effort to melt our bonds down to shinplas-
ters, and give volume to paper as means OF
cheapening it indeed.
THE BANKERS OFF.
There were Morton and Logan, Ferry and
Cameron, Sprague and Pratt, Wright and
Ramsey, Howe and Harvey, Carpenter and
Ingalls,, voting with Gordon, Merrimon,
Goldthwaite, and Johnston, for sliding
scale of currency, sliding toward perdition
There was Thurman. resisting all efforts to
drive him off into the bush of irredeemable
paper. voting to make the cur
rency definite, real, and rea-
sonable thing, and supported by
northern democrats like Hagar and Kelly,
Hamilton and Bayard, Stevenson andSauls-
bury and McCreery. The mistake Of Con-
gress on the currency has destroyed the last
scruple ofmany banker and commercial
man, who still kept parallel with the repub-
licanpartyon the ground fassociation inwar.
Nor is it reasonable that, when men leave a
party, they go to some cne man on it and wait
to see what resolution he may come TO as to
being their candidate. The logical goal ofsuch
deserters is the opposite political camp.
There the old principles of the men of Ben
ton, Walker. Johnathan Cilley and Silas
Wright seem to have been received; and
within this fortnight we have seen the
marine democracy declare for free trade and
real money. The attitude of Allen Thur
man on this subject, in the face of a clamor-
edly put him ahead of Mr. Hend
ricks in national consideration. While Mr..
Sherman crawfished and grew uneasy, Thur
man spoke without evasion, as an old party
man, faithful to those distinctive tenets the
democracy held. irrespective of slavery-oi
| limited federal authority, except in constltu-
tional prerogatives, such as coinage and the
| issue of money. Amongst these tenets was
sound money-so sound that it required nc
| legislation or party platform to give it au
thenticity. Without debating the particular
bill in hand, he held that his political tradi
lions were opposed to greenback expansion
and loose issues of irredeemable paper. Mr.
Hendricks held
| A MAGISTERIAL POSITION
at the moment, aloof from the nationa
counsels; but he had the same incentive tC
speak out that Governor Dix had, who gave
the Presidents veto the solemn congratula
ton of the Local Government of 10000 o
people. Tempted out by Morton's friends
commanded to speak for ''chean money" by
] illiterate clamOrers of his own party