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

speak night out. Ii man meant yes, they
wanted him to say yes. And now, if you
mean greenbacks, they want you to
say greenbacks; and if you mean gold to
say gold. They want plain talking.
At the last Republican convention what
did they do? They went to softening.
They are afraid, sir, of square stand up
fight.
The glorious opportunity is offered to
the Opposition to take strong. earnest, man
ly ground. The question is, are we equal
to the occasion? If we are, we are organ
izing party in Springfield to-day, that will
sweep this country in re like the prairies
on fire.. Applause.
Gentlemen of the convention, the peo-
pie of this state love principles more than
they do party. They are looking to you
everywhere. They know it will cost some
effort to return to specie payment, but
they know it is right They look to you
to organize the movement for good govern
ment and good principles.
If you do it, you do that of which you
will be proud, If we are not equal to the
occasion, Mr., President, the people will
find men that are.
REMARKS OF HON. w R. MORRISON.
As was one of the committee who APP
proved the majority report, crave the
Indulgence of the convention while | say
few words in favor of the report mad
by the majority of the committee. All /
understood myself as saying in the first
proposition Of that report, is simply this
While | recognize the fact, as my friends
around me do, that we cannot resume spe-
Gle payment to-day or next month, or
year, yet what we intended to say was
that specie basis is the proper money
basis for this country, and inasmuch as
that is true, and that it is the basis to
| which we must some time arrive, it was
our purpose to declare that we start now
| in that direction, ncrer to turn bocE, APP
plause.
Now the minority report declares that
they are for specie basis only when prac-
ticabe or when convenient, That has
| been the constant declaration Of the Re
publican party for many years, and which
the people believe they have no intention
of redeeming
| With respect to the time of resumption,
it is true we cannot resume at once. AS
| have said, it must necessarily take con-
siderable time to elapse, but that is no rea-
never turn back Applause.
There is an interim, Of course, before
the Indebtedness of the country is to be
paid And now in what must it be paid
Ny friend on the left Mr.. Crebs says if
we resume specie payment of course it will
, be paid in specie, and he understands, also.
that it cannot be done at once. But, gen
tlemen in the meantime, what is to be
= ,,I. il. Il =
t well known that we went to the country in
. 1868 declaring that the contract author.
lied payment in greenbacks-in the legal
tender currency of the country and, gen
= tlemen, believe day that declaration
: to have been true. l. believe that that
was its true meaning and Interpretation.
We accused the Republican party before
, the country with proposing to pay in gold,
: and the people of this country decided that
the Republican party were right And
e the first act the people did under the new
administration chosen was to ratity then
!. action, by law interpreting the contract
;, in controversy law made by the people
= of this country, through their chosen rep
resentatiyes in congress, Have they not,
a as party to the contract, a right to inter-
pref it ? But again. we accused our OPP
ponents Of having done wrong, and once
more we went to the country, and once
more we were defeated, and Gen. Grant
was reelected.
8 Now, therefore, | claim, that notwth
r standing the contract was different to be
= gin with-subject to different interprota
, ton, the people themselves have now
. given it an Interpretation, and have said tc
,, the worIdnot only to the citizens Of this,
but Of every country Such and such is
our Interpretation Of the contract Trade
, in our bonds; they are worth dollar for
dollar; dollar which means one hundred
!, IContinued on third page.l