National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-11-27
rHE EINAA ~ pIEMCULTT.
WHAT THE COUNTRY DEMANDS FROM
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY-OPINISSN ans
OF COL JOHN W. FORNEY.

WHAT THE COUNTRY DEMANDS FROM
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY-OPINISSN ans
OF COL. JOHN W. FORNEY.
The following is an extract from .sgter by
Colonel John w. Forney to the Pi.Iladelphia
Press on the late reverses, the cp,lses which led
to them, and the remedy for the present DISTRESS
at the close Of the rebellion in 1866 nearly
half the entire Union was completely wlthout
money; the Confederate currency was extin-
euished, and into the vaCuHm IN that section i'm
mediately flowed very large proportion Of the
circulating medium which had been provided
only for what were called tho loyal States;' and
about the same time, or a little after, the great
continental RAILROAD was opened to the Pacific,
carrying with It q further considerable proper
tion Of the same currency. Mr.. McCuIloch, An
drew JOhnson's Secretary Of the Treasury, sub
sequently began hts policy Of contraction, which
has more or less continued down to the present
time, Notwithstanding the so-called relief Of the
ness interests, previously accustomed to the
money OF the country, under which they had
hourished 10 an uAexampled degree, soon began
to suffer, and in order TO supply the wants Of
Iency issued their commercial paper.
"a very large amount of our Government secu-
rites were sent to and sold in Europe, and many
individual and corporate American enterprises
were formed in the Old World, thus, as Il were,
substituting for debt which otherwise would
be owing among ourselves a vast amount Of
heavy Obligations in foreign nations, upon which
We have 20 pay the interest in gold. This state
struck us between wind and water, and, regret
to say, so far from having sensibly moderated, Is
still ielt IN all the States Of the Union. And not
outstanding the LOUD and earnest appeals Of the
great body Of the people, the last session of Con
gress adjourned without affOrdinS any means of
material relief. II was in the midst Of this pa
ralysis, unparalleled in the United States that
The late elections were held, with unparalleled
results.
TIE Republicans have been endorsed every
where, but noteworthy they have suffered most
in the great manufacturing and Industrial CEN
tres and in the far West and far South. The
country is drained Of it's specie to pay the heavy
amounts Of interest owing abroad. There is not
only not enough currency to supply the general
wants, but commercial paper is everywhere gone
10 protest, and notwithstanding our paper cur
rency is experimenting the gold standard, we
are nOtOTiUusly further from the resumption of
specie payments than we were one year ago.
While the wants Of the country have increased,
our great productive esta bliSbments have many
of them closed or arc working reduced forces.
The business Of our great railroads has largely
decreased, extensive enterprises of all kinds have
stopped midway, and heretofore fourishing cor
pOTatiOns have passed their dividends.
Thousands Of WOrEmen are out of employment,
the trade OF the great cities has never before been
SO Gull as at present, and the panic, now more
than fourteen months old, still hangs like heavy
pail upon tie entire country. Precisely what
had happened before has again taken place with
superadded emphasis; the party in power has
been held responsible for the general disaster,
and the people have voted in this resentful sense
without thinking whether the party in the ascend
ant to-day can Afford any means Of redemption
from its catalogue Of theories. Every Intelligent
observer must decide that no organization will
dare to attempt to cure the prevailing distress by
resort TO any Of the known ideas, such rs hard
money or specie payments
The one strong TACT bears equally upon every
mind that we have now very little more currency
for the whole Of the country than we had at the
close OF the war for little moro than half the
eCuntTT. WI a., then, is the duty Of the Republi-
can party in the present situation? l claim that
having created our financial system, having
Sought the war through with the present circu-
IatiDg medium, having protected industry and
contributed unspeakably 10 the prosperity of the
natiCn, II le the bCunden duty OF that party to
take care Of the Institution il established and TO
do this at the coming short session of Congress
The American people have declared that they
want the means by which TO live, and this can be
furnished by the simple process of stopping the
reduction Of The public debt, increasing the cir
culattng medium, and building our trans-conti-
mental railroads.
IL am writing not in the interests of apy party.
although ! believe these will be the means Of
putting the Republicans in fighting trim for 1876
What suggest cannot be safely opposed by any
po!lueai organization, and must at last be adopt
ed even by the Democrats with all their tendon
cies to free trade and hard money. Our country
has suffered sufficiently for what has been cOldly
grown richer I'm the course OF this fierce and
grinding process, and the poor poorer. 1t would
be startling exhibit IL we could lind and print
the proofs OF this assertion, showing how much
the wealthy have prOfted and how much the des-
titute have agonized since the collapse Of Sep
TENDER, 1878.
The Republicans arc in an overwhelming ma
lority In the two Houses Of Congress which meet
on the first Monday in December, 1874, and ad-
lourn on the 4th OF March, 1870. Let them move
TO the good work at once, and throw themselves
upon the country and they will be indicated at
the polls. Let them do this in defiance of pro-
tests from whatever quarter, and they will be re-
Warded not only by prosperity at home, but by
reylysl Of the confidence OF foreign nations, SO
rudely shocked by the results of that suicidal
contra ctton, fruitful alone in bankruptcies and
ue a'ca'lons, aud still crushing US to the earth