The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1875-10-07
Hoisted by His Own Petard.

On Thursday last Senator Morton
addressed at GAINESVILLE. one of the
smallest meetings yet held in the
State, though it was announced be-
forehand that it would be the largest,
and great efforts were made to get out
a crowd. Not delegation came in
from the rural districts and not more
than 300 listened to the speeches. In
anticipation Of the coming of the In
diana chameleon, the wide-awake ed
itor of the Signal printed an extra
containing all extract from one of his
speeches in the Senate On the Currency
Bill passed by Congress aud vetoed by
the President, which he scattered
throughout the city, We give the ex-
tract below, which may be found in
Vol 9, part 81, Congressional Record
Forty third Congress, page 1871:
"Mr. MoRToN-Mr. President, it has
been the subject of complaint with
many religious people in this country
for a good many years that when our
fathers formed the Constitution they
did not put into it a recognition of
Almighty God but it seems, accord
ing 10 the argument of several Sena-
tors, that they put gold into it, which
many think is better they erected in
the Constitution a golden shrine, at
which many persons worship who
worship at no other.
"Now, Mr.. President, this debate
has been going on for nearly four
months, and no human being in the
Senate or out of it has been able to
tell the country how we can get the
gold in one, two, three, four or five
years with which to resume specie pay
ments and maintain that resumption.
In view of that fact, / think it is time
TO cease darkening counsel by talking
about specie resumption.
"Mr. President, you can not bring
about specie payments by simply con-
tracing the greenbacks down to $500, =
their value by putting them up to
S4OO, ,OOO,OOO. The people Of this
country have some sense. They want
enough money, but they do not want
any more. They want enough to do
the business of the country; but be-
cause they want that they are told they
will get drunk, they will become glut-
tons. they will want $2,OOO,OOO,OOOl
The very argument is All impeachment
of the intelligence of Congress and of
the people of the United States. They
know that population has increased ;
they know that the country has been
developed they know that business
has been vastly increased, and that
more currency is demanded, and be-
cause they ask an increase just ade-
quate TO this increase of demand, we
are met with the cry of inflatiOn,' .ir-
redeemable paper the country is to
be ruined,' and somebody is to be
scared
"Why, sir, only yesterday 1 saw in
a very prominent New York paper
that imitation is war. Have you seen
it, sir? Ia a solemn editorial we are
told that imitation is war, and that the
Atlantic States will take up arms to
prevent this proposed increase of the
currency. There is to be grand army
of contraction brought into the field
Il had better call it an army looking
out for contracts. We are teld that
this measure will be resisted by force
of arms. l need not argue whether
there is anything in this threat but it
is quite as reasonable and proper as
much that has been said here in the
Senate. Because the people want a
little more currency 10 meet the wants
of business and want free banking, we
are told that we must depreciate the
greenbacks!
'Mr. President, we will come to
specie payments when we can. There
is no use talking about it now. You
have not the gold and Won can not get
it In one, two, three OF four years, and
no Senators upon this floor, however
able they may be, have been able to
tell US where the gold can come from.
We might as well quit talking about
that for the time being. The people
want little more currency. They
believe it will be good for them, and
believe it. l believe it will revive bus
mess all over this Nation. l believe
that business will spring up under the
influence of promise like that Just
as the grass and flowers will grow
under the spring showers"