The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-08-02
SENATOR THURMAN AND THE
CURRENCY,
He Regulates the Double-meaning
Ohio Platform.
And Stands by the Ancient and Sole
Principles of Democracy.


MANSFIELD, Ohio, July Ex-senator
Thurman delivered his first speech to-day
in behalf of the Democratic ticket While
dissenting from the financial plank in the
Democratic platform, he took occasion to
explain his own position on this point. He
said: q
You, my fellow Democrats of Richland,
arc what are called hard money men; and
am hard money man; that is to say
we don't believe in an irredeemable paper
currency; we believe that such a currency
must necessarily fuetuate in value, lead to
speculation and extravaganza and benefit
no one but money shayers and specula-
tors: we believe that our currency should
consist of gold and silver and, for conven-
fence, paper convertible at par into gold
aud silver at the will of the holders. In
this we concur with the uniform teachings
OF the Democratic party, with the opinion
of every really eminent political economist
the world over, with the lessons of expert
ence found in the history of every COM
mercial nation, ard with the views of
almost the entire body Of the business men
of America.
Now, it has been roundly asserted, with
violence ofspeech that might be consid-
cred Incorporate, that the platform of our
late convention means just the opposite of
our opinions; that it means an irredeema-
I BILE paper currency, now and forever, and
consequently that gold and silver, or pa
per convertible into gold or silver, shall
never form part of our circulating medium,
But certainly no such idea is expressed 10
the platform, nor do | believe that it is en-
tertained by the majority of those who ap-
prove it. know that there are men who
advocate the abandonment of gold and
silver as money, who scout the idea of the
redeemability of the currency, who assert
that whatever the government calls money
is money, and who regard irredeemable
greenbacks as the best currency the world
ever saw. But | do not think that these
men constituted the majority of the late con
ventlCn or of its committee on resolutions
Had such been the case their views would
have been expressed without ambiguity
But you look in vain in the platform for ;
: direct expression in favor of irredeemahil
t ity or any direct assersion that gold and sill
s yer should be denatiOnalized. 1t advocate
t the substitution OF greenbacks for nationa
4 bank notes, but it nowhere says that green
o backs should be irredeemable. On tn
: contrary it contemplates that they shall
be brought to par with gold; and although
we may not be quite able to see how tina
+ can be done in the mode proposed, its de
o sirableness is most distinctly and fully rec
IS ognized
n And then as to imitation, the platform
e does not expressly demand more currenc
If it denounces contraction but does nc
say in plain words, give US initiation, VIVA
Is it does say is that the volume OF the cur
b rency should be made and kept equal t
d the wants of trade, and this is all. Now
IN suppose that there is not and never ha
r, been a man 10 any civilized country VIII
n would not say that the volume of currcnc
n should be equal to the wants of trade. i
d say so is to utter a mere truism-a mer
u abstraction, The practical question i
ID have we that volume now, and upon TIL
- Continued on third page)