, 1874-04-16
A STRONG APPEAL,
Lettor to Congressman Phelps, OF Nov
Jersey.

Dl&AA oIAs tnKo tic nDdfty OF ehy1uH to
rou. ln this opon letter, TINT, 30 far Us have
road the debates In tho House Of Representa-.
tivca, you hayo mado tho best speech Of tue ses.
sion on tho great question Of tho sesHon-tho
Currency question. Your distinction hetweou
money and currency is ono which everybody can
SEQ and understand and, though your exposl-
tion Of Low industry iB robbed Of tts legitimate
reward by tho grocnback fraud aud dolusion may
hayo been beyond the comprehension Of tho lg-
noraut and short~sfghtod politicians to whom It
waa Immediately Addressed, Ii wi1l bo apprcoat-
ed. soonor or lator, by tho people. Sooner or la
ter bitter experience will make tho poop1o know
that dishonored promises to pay tnonoy-prora-
1903 issued With deliberate intention to broak
thom-are not money, but lies. Simplotons In
congress na we'll as clHowh horo-or, IL not simplo-
tons, then knayes-aro giving out that grcon-
bacltB will circulate ~ rnoney 80 long as tho puo-
plo havo confidence in tho Government; but
have tho6o wlscRcres inquired how long tho noo-
plo can bo' expoctett to hive confidence In q Coy
ornmont which, Instead Of redeeming it's prom
iaos md dealing honestly with citzoua who lavo
pccuniary, claims against 1t, issues fraudulent
lies by tlo million, and ia always ready to
rcdcen one lio with another?
l do not write this bocauso you nood any en-
couragemont from mo, but for tho sake Of q
suggestion which l have thought Of making
privately to the Representative from my own
district, Atr. Kellogg, Or to ono of tho Senators
from Connecticut, but which may as vol bo
yp to FL 6a S a. Il cor
Congress-, or prehaps those representatives, who
bolieve that the Government Of tho United
StatoB ought to rodoom ts dishonored notes at
tho earllost possible day, DO invited to meet,
party. for consultation on this grayo question of
national honor aud national prosperity; and
that. by comparison of viewB and by such
mutual CONCESSIONS aa may DO honestly mado
In
on Home dotlntte measure aB tho tirHt stop toward
making evory Treasury-noto equal In vntue to
the face Of .it--a measure Which they will intro
: duce into Congress, aud will stand for and yotc
cd, as probably they will DO in this Congress,
they will appeal to tho people.
Everybody knows that this curronoy qucs-
tion is not at at! question botweon tho Repub.
are pledged, by their latest platforma, to the
eamo policy On This ubjeot,-the policy of hou-
ostly paying tho debt, represented by dishon-
ored Treasury-notes, while in Congross the NOM
those platforms just Us they regard the green
back promises iasuott in the name Of tho nation
promises tint may hc circulated among tho
| people, but need not bc redeemed. Neither
party dares to Ao!d CAUCUS for tho purpose OF
| deciding what shall be done on tho most momont-
| oua question that has arisen iii thia country
| since the abolition OF Slavery. 10 mo tho fact
is proof that both parties aro moriLund. Aa
|
hour In relation to that question, thoy nro Just
where the Whig party was in relation to slavery;
and us tho Whis party died because 1t dared not
and could not grappe with tho question which
parties may die when tho guoation which thoY
daro not moot shall grapplo them.
Your own fidelity, therefore, to tho Republican
party ia not compromised by the earnostness and
tho currency question, whilo go many of you,
associates in tile Same purity hayo spoken and
voted On the other side. They, iu connection
With certain Democrats, nro majority you,
and cortain other membors-Hotno Democrats
and somo Ropublicaua-aro d minority. Who
can deny to such minority tho right of meeting
and consulting in order to agroe on TINT course
which, III thoir united Judgment IL best for them
to that minority, Great nationnl interests
arc denpondent on your standing as q
compact aud firm minority against tho
policy to which Q majority in tho Senate
and in the House Of Representatives. arc SO rock
lesaly committing themselves and tie country;
and if You are uot moro partisans. to whom their
party ia more than their country,-if YOU are FREQ
and patriotic mon.-you will not bo afraid to do
go. come what may to either or both Of tho ex-
cannot think that there is any improprioty in
my addressing you thus publicly. You aru, in-
deed, ono of the Representatives. from Now
Jersey, chosen to that duty by tho electors Of a
certain district. But ono OF tho lessons which
you learned at {nlo College, undor tho toachng
ct my honorcd friend and classnate, President
Woosey, WAS that Representative in Congress
Is much more than mouthpfece or an Ut
tho dlatrict) which olected hlm,-more thnn tho
instrument OF any popular impulse OF caprice !;
ind that in the fear Of God, lie iB to consult not
only the interests Of his Immediate coustitu-
onts, much less the wishes morelY Of those who
voted for him.-but the large and lasting intor~
osts Of his wllolo country Therefore hm con-
tidcns that, whatever may be tho course or tho