The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1875-10-02
DEMOCRACY AND IMITATION.

! Ii is not little curious that while me ue
mocracy of Ohio and Pennsylvania are Sc
down rs arrant ntlationlsts, as tavorlng in
definite paper money cxpen'ion and entirely
demonehsing gold and silver, and scouting
the idea of ever returning to specie payment
the Published resolutions, addresses and
speeches of their convention and prominent
men at least favor nothing of the
kind. Thus Pendleton in speech in Ohio
last week, is reported as saying
gentlemen, | do not undera,e specie pay
men,s. | am Ia favor of reaching them as
soon rs it is practicable. 1t seem to me there
is a better, easier, safer remedy. 1t is to stop
this policy of cOntractlon TO stop this CON
slant tinkering with the currency; TO stop
this effort at forcing RESUMPTION. Give sta
bility for moment, so that business may re-
yiye-that enterprise may be stimulated by
the hope of gain, and labor be led TO eXertion
by the certainty of reward. We need to labor
more, to produce more; but we can have
neither labor or production on falling prices
and certain losses.
And In reply to a question ola Mr.. Peck,
who asked Mr.. Pendleton 'if it was not true
that if the democrats obtained power they
would issue $4,000, 900 or 800, 900 900 more
greenbacks? Mr. Pendleton said emphat.
really:
No, sir, il Is not true. Do not the demo
crafts need an honest. reliable, sound curren
CIV, more even than other men, Did you
ever hear from democratic speaker, did you
ever read in democric paper, or a demo
cratic platform, or hear 1t in Democratic
state, county, township, school district, or
ward meeting that the party would or ought
to expand the currency so much so that you
thought 1t would be deprecated, much less
end in reputation
Mr.. Peck never did.
Mr. Pendletou-Ihen what is the pertinen.
CIV or sense, or even fair treatment among
opponents, OF such Il question as you have
asked?
Senator Wallace, of Pa, said at Clearfield
on Tuesday;
1.-THE Erie platform does not mean indetin-
ite postponement of specie payment bat It's
thought is TO case an overtaxed people.
Give the people time 10 rest from this exhaust.
ing labor. Economy in administration must
open the door to resumption, and we ought
to save the money paid out to national banks
on their bonds by exchanging bank currency
for government notes. The plan of the de-.
mocracy is to save your money to pay your
debts. The true money OF repIblic is hard
money. We reach the latter through the
former, but The people must have time to re-
cuperate their exhausted energies.
And the Democratic Committee of the Erie
Convention, in their address which the con-
vention unanimously endorsed, say;
We claim that the democratic party has al.
WAYS been and is now in favor of sound
and stable currency, and we have uniformly
opposed the mercenary mutations that have so
often disturbed and destroyed the business of
the country. Composed AS the democratic
party Is. IN large part, of the labor of the ma
ton, It is essential to its best interests that all
needless fluctuations of the currency should
be avoided, and it is entirely safe to say that
with the government in their hands lies the
oaly hope vi reaching the specie standard as
the basis of our currency. II is no part of
its mission or its destiny TO abandon this
idea. 1t will not.
And Judge Pershing, in accepting the nom,
ination of the Erie convention as candidate
tor governor of Pennsylvania, after referring
to the currency platform Of that body, and
endorsing it as he understands it, concludes
will only add that adhere to the doc.
trine always held by the democratic party
that gold and silver constitute the true basis
for u bank-note circulation.
Either these men, if they really do favor
indefinite paper money expansion, and an ir.
rsdeemable legal tender greenback currency,
are hypocritical in these open declarations
or are ashamed OF. the doctrines they secretly
favor The most we can make out of the
declaration OF the leading Pennsylvania poll
ticians is. that they are all hard money men,
want specie payment, but are opposed to
reaching 1t by contraction while the present
in the money market prevails. II
they mean more than this, and really favor
the Kelley nonsense, they are shameiully
double tongued and dishonest.
-r-
- A FINANCIAL FAILURE.
The correspondent of the Bloomington