New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-08-09

day-fOr we presume from the careful manner
of its preparation and the Formally with which
it has been communicated to the press OF tho
country that Il is reckOned one of his great"
speeches-has so far as we can see no slg-
niicance whatever except as 1t disclOses inc
straits to which craftsmanship is reduced In tho
use of WORKOUT and threadbare arguments,
and the discomfort of his own position upon
the leading topic of the present political can
vass. A very large part Of the address u de-
voted to the discussion of the doctrine OF Sc
cesson as held by Democrats North and South;
the record of the Democratic party during ana
since the war /; the success of reconstruction
the dangers to be apprehended from the aces
sion of the Democratic party to power, ana inc
return of the Confederate leaders to Congress;
and tho existence of lawess and rebello's spirit
among the Southern people. Upon these sub
jects Mr.. Morton says nothing that has not
been repeated over and Ovor upon the stump
and in the press. 1t is but restatcment OF
the doctrine of dstrust and hate which tho
Republicans preached last year so vigorously
and on which they encountered 80 sweeping
defeat One would suppose that the experience
of last year would have taught so Old cam
paigner as Senator Morton the weakness and
worse than weakness of that line of argument;
but he seems to have forgotten the miserable
failure of the COURAGE" campaign; he dwells
upon the dlsloyalty of the South, and tho re-
turn of Confederate officers to Congress-, as
though he really hoped to alarm tho people
with sense of Overwhelming peril. lie
forgets that his party went to the people last
year upon just such an appeal. and was
disastrousy defeated on It. He could hardly
have made worse blunder than in under
taking at this time to rearguc the issues upon
which his party took an adverse verdict at the
last election. No new evidence has been dis
covered, and the people are tired of the story.
He answers very briefly the charges OF fraud
and corruption which have been made against
the party in power, and asserts that no Admin
istratiOn was ever so successful III hunting out
and furnishing frauds rs President Grant s
has been This is doubtless true, though
the uncharitablc might say it Is for the
same reason that white sheep produce more
wool than black Ones-because there are more
of them. 1t is only in the concluding portion
of his address that Mr. Morton takes up the
financial question. What he says upon the
subject is chiefly ia explanation of his own
legislation of the country; and the most i'm
portant part of this is where. after admitting
that he urged the issue of the $44,OOO,O0O
reserve" in 1873, he says: "That the period
"has gone by when any increase OF the cur
"rency would do good in checking the panic
81 am free to say, and believe it must run Its
"course until the times are relieved by
ECONOMY, industry, ana the operation of
general causes" This seems to be frank
and unreserved committal-but it is Senator
Morton who says it--and Senator Morton some
times changes his mind.
This speech is blunder in its revival of
tllreadbaN appeals to the passions engcndered
by the war, and its bringing again into prom
incnce the mistaken policy which made last
years elections so disastrous to the Republic
cans and il is equally bunder in its timid
and hating treatment of almost the only issue
involved which has a national significance. 1t
has neither originality nor freshness; and
it shows not less a want of prescicnce
than a lack of comprehension of the plain
est lessons of experience. Indeed we can
not but think that Senator Morton's appear
ance in the canvass at all is mis-
take The Democrats have thrust into
the foreground in the most offensive man.
ner the issue between an honest cur
rency and rag money. 1t cannot be avoided.
Whoever undertakes to belittle it, belittles
only himself. Neither Mr.. Thurman on the
ono side nor Mr. Morton on the other can
push it aside or convince the people that
it is not the vital question in the Ohio can
vass. The progress of the campaign is watched
with the greatest interest, and the result will
be awaited with intense anxiety by the whole
country, for the simple reason that the bat
tie there is fairly joined between hard
money and initiation. In such a fight there
is no place for hesitation or timidity-
none for leaders who are not armed with con-
soientiOus conviction and profound and earnest
purpose. Mr.. MortOn's course upon this ques-
ton has not been such as to impress the pub
lie with belief in his sincerity. His record
needs too much explanation. The Ohio battle
is for leaders who believe in things. and
whom, because they believe in things, the
people trust. 1t is no time for explanations.