Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1875-07-17
THRFINANCrAL QUESTION.

I
Whilst. as general rule, there is
nothing ike free discussion as means
of eliminating truth from error, in the
case of the finances there seems to be
an exception, and the more it is dis
cnssed, the more muddled it seems to
become. The only solution of the
trouble. that clearly presents itself to |
our mind is reversal of the policy of |
the government and the consequent
remova. of the causes which depress
commerce and every other interest save
that of centralized capital and the mo-
nopolies it has created. A grossly cor
rupt ard extravagant administration |
is clearly the cause of our financial !
trouble, and untilitis substituted by one |
that is honest and economical it is idle
TO hope for stable currency, healthy
commerce and prosperous people.
When the government has passed into
the hands of honest statesmen, the OPP
pressively discriminating tariff will be
readjusted upon the basis of revenue,
instead of protection to pet manufac
turing rings, monopolies will be broken
up, bonds will be taxed and States al
lowed 10 issue local currency without
paying tribute to pet federal banks, or
being taxed outof existence that capital
mayb pave power, atwill ,toregulate com
merce in its OWL interests. Until this
is done, neither contraction nor infa-
ton can bring permanent relief to
stagnant home trade and demoralized
foreign commerce. Neither can there
be a safe return to specie basis SO long
as the balance Of trade is against us
and gold interests paid upon hun
dreds of millions of bonds costing
only fifty cents on the dollar and the
principal to be redeemed in gold. As
wellmay we expectsecurity to therights
of States and individuals under des-
potlc oligarchy as sound currency and
stable commerce under a government
corrupt in every department and
every officer in each licensed to
fill his Golfers from the pockets of the
people, If then it be true that cor
rupt administration is the source Of
the evils which curse the country, and
if the removal of that administration
be the true corrective of those evils
which is the wiser policy, to work as
untf for the overthrow of the party in
power, or to invite schism by creating
an issue which admits of no successful
solution as long as that party holds the
rims of government? it is not pos
sible to demonstrate to majority that
there is, or is not, a sufficieney of cur
rency in the country to meet the de-
mands of trade, because there may be
enough, were it not locked up in the
strong box of the money rings. 1t is
equally difficult to prove that either
contraction or expansion is the remedy
for the crippled prosperity of people
struggling in vain against the depress-
ing influences of joint corruption and
tyranny; nor is it less difficult to de-
monstrate that gold-itself an article
of merchandise-is a safer standard
of values than greenbacks, for the re-
demption of which the country is
pledged and in honor bound. There
are warm advocates of each of these
conflicting theories about which there
is not likely to be any compromise that
will secure harmony and cooperation;
but if these questions are not heed
lessly brought to the FRONT in the APP
proachingcampaign, unanimity ofopin-
ion may be secured on the one lead
ing and demonstrable truth, that fnan-
cial reform is impraeticable until the
great OBSTACLES removed-the rotten
administration Of government per-
verted from its legitimate and original
ends and made an instrument for the
oppression and robbery of the people.
To enlarge its power, capital demands
contraction-to cOunteract that dan
gerOus power productive labor demands
expansion. The conflicts not one of
principle, but is waged between OPP
pressed labor and aggressive capital
the demoralized many, and the com
pact few welding the immense power
of the almighty dollar. An honest
and competent administration is the
sole remedy-all else is empyricism.