The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-09-03
The Opposition.

The action taken by the Opposition con-
vention at Springfield on Wednesday will
give profound satisfaction to all the friends
of sound currency, free commerce, and
national honesty. The platform adopted
is in many respects admirable, and pre-
sents most striking and grateful contrast
to the long winded, obscure, and ambigu-
Gus declarations of political dishonesty
usually put forth by party conventions. 1t
is all compressed into the space of eight
cen lines, and is plain, bold, unequiyocal
statement of the position of the Oppose
ton on the great living issues of the times.
Short as it is, it contains more than the
rambling half column pronunciamentos OF
the Republicans of Michigan and Kansas,
and the rock rooted saurians of Ohio. If
party espouses principles and cherishes
definite purposes, it finds no occasion tc
use up qulrcs of foolscap in expressing it.
self. 1t is only parties wishing to say moth
ing, seeming to say something, or to dis
gulse dishonest purposes, or to unite dOz
en- discordant elements of opposition" in
an organized contradiction, that it becomes
necessary to multiply words.
There is no attempt in the Springfield
platform to ride two horses. There is no
expression that admits of two construc-
TONS or is of doubtful meaning. Every
sentence is as clear as crystal aud not a
word is calculated to mislead or deceive.
With the exception Of the first resolution.
which was not at all improved by the
changes made after it came from the hands
OF the committee, it is all that could be de-
sired, 1t spurns Reputation in any form
or guise. 1t gives no countenance to a
currency based on faith or any other
sort of mo0nshne 1t declares Tor tree
commerce; no tariff for any purpose but
for revenue. 1t provides for individual
liberty, and opposition tosumptuary laws. I"
1t demands that government be restricted
to the legitimate domain of political DOW.
'er, and excluded from all intermeddfng
with the affairs of society, whereby mo
'nopolies are fostered, privileged classes
aggrandized, and individual freedom un
necessarily and oppressively restrained"
And, finally, it asserts the right and duty
'of the State to protect its citizens from ex-
'tortion and unjust discrimination by char
tered monopolies."
This covers all the ground that needs to
be covered by political platform at the |
present tune. The political "reminiscences |
VINO are IN the habit of constructing plat |
forms by the rule OF how not to saw It will |
OF course, be shocked by the plaipness. di, |
rectness, and boldness of the Springfield
platform, as well as by the conspicuous alb
sence OF the usual "arraignment" of the |
party In power, the usual maudlin lamen-
tauons over the desperate state of the
country, and the usual expressions of com
Tort ana.encouragement for the down.trod-
ueh HUMANS VINO seem to exist for no 9TH
er purpose than to damn and shoot the
Niger. These omissions, no less than the
Doid declarations OF principles, mark the
platform as something very different from
= democratic party platform, and present
the Springfield movement 20 the country
as a new political departure, destined. by
reason OF the essential soundness and rec
utuue OF the declared principles and Dur
poses 10 become national departure To-
WARD the only kind Of success worth
as already stated, the currency blank Of
the platform was not at all improved. but
rather weakened, by the changes made AT
Ter 10 came from the hands of the commit.
tee. This will be plainly evident unon
comparing the original with the modified
plank It came from the committee as
follows:
=, me restoration OF gold and silver as the basis
VI tne currency Of tie Country; the speedy r.,
SUMPTION Of specie payments, aud the pavmrn, of
by the civilized world. s''sii%'a
And 1t was modified by the convention
% as TO read:
=, ~, me restoration Of gold and silver as the bass
Of tne currency; the reeumBi on Of snacis y.av |
neps a. soon 81 possible vii huut oisalF,.r -
ontnes. interest," OF tie country by steadIy onnos
y InnAuon, ana oy the payment u the 1stfpnaI
noebiedhess In the money Of the civilized 80 :.
Speedy resumption" is better than 70.
umption as soon as possible, without dis.
aster TO the business interests of the coun.
try, because it is more definite. And
sumption by steadily opposing imitation.
md by the payment Of the national in I
iebtedness 10 the money of the civilized
Forid, may not mean RESUMPTION before
expiration of fifty years. The Times is 0