Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1875-07-28
60 FOREN, WILLIAM.

The Bangor Commercial is delighted
with the rag money speeches of Governor
Allen of Ohio. Speaking ofthem the Com
mercial says: That's the talk. William.
Go for 'em. The people are with you
''now as they were in the days of Old
Hickory" The idea that the home Or
gan Of General Roberts should approve of
the speeches of Mr.. Allen after its blatant
professions some time since in favor Of
hard money is peculiar. to say the least.
Just what these speeches of Uncle Bill
are when viewed through the eyes of gem
uine hard money democrats may be
learned from IA recent editorial in the New
York World, commenting upon Gov. AL
lens Gallipolis speech. The editorial
begins as follows: Full reports OF Gov.
"Allen's speech at Gallipolis, Ohio, which
1--WE republsh to-day from the Cincinnati
Enquirer show him in the act of mislead-
ling the people of his party and State in
matters where it is his highest duty to
Instruct them soundly and lead them
wisely" After thus boldly accusing
Mr.. Allen of misleading the people of
Ohio, the World proceeds to expose the
falseness of his speech. The World says:
THE law making the stamped metal legal-ten-
der Of payment rests on the fact that the govern
ment stamp guarantees the value which is de-
pendent on its weight and purity; the law does
not rest on the fal,ehood that the government
stamp iDjects the coins value. let Gov. Allen
before an audience in which there must have beer,
many unskilled and unlearned persons, each with
vote to cast, and each seeking to be informed
what policy his vote should favor, did not hest
tate to corrupt their intelligence with misreprc-
sensations like this
Suppose that instead of taking bar of silver OF
q bar of pig metal, the Government of the Uned
states takes piece of paper called greenback
and says that this shall pass for legal tender in
the receipt and expenditure of all government
cues and in all the transactions of the people
suppose this government to be government OF
good standing, Of sound credit and responsible
for its paper. This dollar thus stamped, instead
of piece Of metal being stampel is to all intents
and purposes equivalent to a silver dollar when it
has been made such by the Government of the
United States Do you call ii specie payments
How much specie would be used if specie pay
Doubtless . government stamped promise to pay
"a gold dollar is worth some part of dollar even
if it mentions place and specifies no time of
payment, but it is worth less than dollar if il
mentions any future time. It's value, besides, Is a
calculating value, and therefore every man is
cheated who is obliged to take it except at his own
ayto-day appraisal. The stamped paper is a
debt. The debt has value doubtless, but when
made legal tender for Others debts, it is forcibly
put TO use as measure Of value and a medium of
exchange for which no form Of credit is fit except
that which at the will OF the holder lac can al once
get coin for The stamped coin is not debt, it
is thing of beauty and thing Of use. Its value
is not to be searched for elsewhere and on
piece Of paper is TO all intents and purposes
equivalent TO stamped piece Of precious metal,
As Gov Allen does, Is therefore to say that an in
definite promise is the same as an actual per-
formance, that debt the same as that which
pays debt. 1t is to say the thing which is not.
Was there no man in Gov. Aliens audience to
show them dollar melted to a lump of silver, and
q greenback with all the promise ,f the govern
ment to pay such dollar scored across it, face
aud then to tell that audience how much the one
would buy, and how little the other, anywhere, Of
anybody
This is very elementary, we are aware, but we
cannot suffer the report Of Gov. Aliens speech TO
appear in the World without counteractng the in
auence its departure from the truth might have
upon some uninstructed reader, by setting the
truth alongside Them. We hope that no such
reader will distrust the truth because we tell him
that in his better days Gov. Allen upheld it
against sophistrics ambitions and corruption like
those which surround the Ohio PLATFORM
This sharp language to Uncle Bill by