The Portland daily press., 1875-08-18
The Currency Issue.
Remarks of Hon. John III. Burleigh at
the Republican County Convention at
Alfred.
A Plan for the Resumption of Specie Paw
ments and the Better Distribution of the
Currency.

Mr.. PREsIDENT:-We are about to enter
into political contest OF great Importance, as
all our campaigns have been since Buchan-
on's time, when he and the leading Democrats
around him and his administration were in
league or in sympathy with those who sought
to divide. and destroy our country. We have
the same old enemy to meet and conquer, and
the same principles to uphold and defend as
before. When the Presidential contest of next
year comes on, the history of the Republican
and Democratic parties will be before the peo-
pie. They will not see through glass darkly
but will realize the responsibility resting upon
them and vote with the party that has been
tried and found true. We we'll remember that
when the Democratic party had charge of the
Nation they sunk it into the mire as deep as
they could, and that the Republican party
lifted it out and placed it in the high position
it now occupies
There is a way by which many in the Demo-
cratic party propose to get into power, that is,
to delude the people with the idea of cheap
money; making them believe that when they
have charge there will be new deal and every
one will have all the money he wants. / have
heard this talk but have never learned on what
basis the distribution is to be made.
l. can conjecture that if the Democrats should
get into power and start up currency mills,
they might feel so rich that they would deal
out to their friends in the South the amounts
they might claim for slaves, spoliations of the
war, and war debts that they contracted prose
cutting the rebellion. don't see what good a
deal of that kind would be to those who were
loyal to the government, and have now no such
pecuniary claim on it. But L can see that the
issue OF an indefinite amount of currency
would depreciate what we have, end in repu-
diation for time, and in such distressed
country as we have but little thought Of
They may purpose in this way to extir guish
the loyal war debt If so they will make a
mistake. Our war debt is in the hands of the
people of too many nations. We must nav
and the more divided and weaker we are the
more able other nations will be to press their
claims, and, too late, it will be found that
honesty is the best policy
MIR. Chairman: The settlement of the cur.
rency is the most important and prominent of
the questions of the day. 1t is question that
the people should discuss and understand. so
that their Representatives in Congress can
truly represent them; and until The people
have made up their minds as to what thew
want fear Congress will fail to act wisely.
Neither congress nor the President have often
lea the people in the great issues of the day.
we know that halo Of greatness and good
ness mas been thrown around the members of
the hrst Congress- that tbe people of the pres
ent DAY allot to them a superior wisdom and
foresight, which they do not accord to the
members OF Congress of the present day. But
what does our great historian, Brncroft, say of
them? will use his words; "The conserva-
tive feeling still maintained its energy, and
forbade any change, except where change
was demanded by instant necessity Iney
came together thus undecided, and they long
remained undecided. They struggled against
every forward movement, and made none but
by compulsion Not by foresight nor by the
preconceived purpose of themselves or their
constituents, but by the natural succession of
inevitable events it became their office to
cement union and constitute NATIoN.''
1t seems to me that the historian of the
present day might say as much of TIE last
Congress. We all remember that during the
war, when we lived common age, it was
often said OF President Lincoln, that he moved