The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1874-08-22

The politicians are at their old tricks.
| When Il new issue comes before the
| people Ii Is Il matter of certainty that
one of two distinct courses will be pur-
sued, and it can be foret0ld uneni ingly
which course it will be. Last year the
question of cheap transportation came
! up. The auti-rairOad movement was
at once enormously popular. y new
party rose almost rs by magic and
promised TO sweep everything before
it. The politicians on both sides
thought they saw an opportunity TO
make capital, and they fastened to in
corporate in their platforms the most
extreme granger principles. In Iowa
the happy spectacle was exhibited
contending for the mastery on the
transportation question, and each
claiming to be more radical on that is
sue than either of the others. 1t was
a beautiful example of noble emula-
ton, but rs nobody believed in the sim
cerity of anybody else, and as every
one was eXulting over the skill with
which the rest of the world was de-
ceived by his own party, the net gain
to any party was hardly worth the sac
rlllce OF prlnclple lnVOlNeu.
This year we see the other course
followed. A direct issue is made be-
tween two opposite currency theories.
On the one side are the experience of
the world for hundreds ofyears, ever
since paper money was invented;
system of economical science that de-
iies the most careful examination u
body of theory which has been abund-
antly proved in practice. On the other
side is a wild and insane doctrine, dis
proved by all experience, born in eX-
element and nursed by party of
demagogues. The politicians are placed
in this dilemma: They know that ex-
perience has told the truth, but they
dare not tell the demagogues they are
knaves, and their followers that they
are idiots. Consequently they try to
adopt course that will satisfy both
parties, and as usual they satisfy
neither. In carefully worded resolu-
tions they pronounce for specie pay.
ments and for policy that if continued
would postpone specie payments for
ever They want hard mOney-when 1t
is possible. Meantime they want more
paper money. Here again all parties
are in apparent agreement excepting
only the roaring hOOsiers, who never
want To see gold piece bearing the
American figure of liberty again. The
resolutions are substantially alike. The
Indiana republican and the Indiana
democrat stand OH the same platform,
facing each other, with feet very wide
apart, one resting on the specie basis
plank. the other on the initiation plank.
Neither make very good fight in such
n position, but there they stand, spec
tacle fer gods and men.
Surely this condition of affairs can
not last. On every new issue the party
leaders forget that the people are not
MI ignorant fools. The party that wins
is that which takes the earliest and
strongest ground on the side of COM
mon sense and justice. 1t was so in
the slavery contest, and it will be so
again in this question of the currency.
1t is notorious that nearly all the lead
ers of the intlatiOnist party, and par
ticnlarly the Hon. o. p. Morton, held
up to within eight months views dia-
metrically opposite from those they
now profess. They knew they were
right then, they know they are wrong
now. The prospect of temporary gain
has done all the mischief with them.
But the fate of men who rush to the
head of n party wandering in the
wrong direction is instructive, and that
fate will be theirs.-[Financia Record.