The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1874-08-06
voorhee. ON the Money Qus-tion

Hon. Dan. Voorhees,, (who, by the way,
would not be bad candidate for the Pres
idency if the election turned on the curren-
CIV. , the author of the Indiana Democratic
platform. on which we have heretofore
commented, is further reported on the
currency question by an interviewer.
His views will shock the bond-holders
and be regarded as heretical by the
hard money hunkers. but will meet the
approval of the country at large:
Mr.. VooRHEEs-Ther is a great deal
of talk about Hard Money Democrats.
l am in favor of Hard money, too, when
ever our immense war debt, which was
contracted TO be paid in paper, shall have
been liquidated, and as soon as the true
interests of the industry of the country
| demand it, but not before. To declare
for hard money now is to declare that our
outstanding national debt is one of solid
gold; it is to declare that we so love this
debt that we are anxious to pay the hold
ers of it millions upon millions more than
| is due them. There is no escape from
this How does the laboring taxpayers
| like the looks of it?
REPoRTER-It would only end in
making the times harder than they are
now.
Mr.. VooRHEEs-Certainl The truth
| is, every branch of industry is suffering
now in consequence of the failure
of the last Congress to give finan-
cial relief [ see from the Cincinnati
papers of this morning an evidence OF
this. The proprietor of the Gazette,
your leading Republican journal, is
reported as saying that he could reduce
the wages of his workmen almost one
half. and vet fill his office with laborers.
No doubt this is true, and it only shows
the hard and bitter necessity laid on poor
laborers when money matters are strin-
gent without any reduction in their ex-
penses of living. l noticed also recent
statement that out Of nearly 700 blast
furnaces in the Unite States about 300
were black at the top, standing idle, and
thousands of laborers consequently out of
employment.
REPoRTER-An expansion of the
currency is the way to correct these evils
Mr.. -VooRHEEs-Yes; | honestly be-
lieve that an increase Of two hundred
millions in our circulation would confer
additional prosperity on every Legitimate
interest of the country. 1t would give
employment to labor, and labor means
production and national wealth. The
Government has fifteen years yet in
which to gradually, and according to the
wants of the country, redeem the five
twenty bonds and convert them into a
misunderstanding circulation in the
hands of the people. The law Of the
contract calls for this. Would it not be
better for the people to have this debt i'll
the shape of circulating medium in their
own hands, costing them no interest,
rather than have it boarded up as dead
capital, and eating them up with inter
est? Glow is this circulation to be re-
deemed?" says some one IN the interest
of the bondholders. When the time
comes for a return Of specie payment,
after our paper debt is paid off according
to law, surely the Government can as
easily provide for the redemption in gold
of its own circulation in the hands of its
own people, as it can for the gold payment
of the same amount in bonds. Why
not? Can any one answer? l want the
people to have the gold when we return
to specie payment and are out of debt to
the bondholders. Grant and his follow
ers and indorsers, in the Republican |
party and ont of it, want the bondholders |
to have it, and to have it now in violation |
of law, and in shameless liquidation of !
the contract.