The Portland daily press., 1875-08-17
Stepping Out Of the Ranks.


The Ohio campaign has been prolific of
surprises. 1t has exhibited the spectacle of
q great political party which has heretofore
claimed to be the marty of hard money, COM
'mitting Itself to the support of imitation and
reputation. 1t has seen sagatious and
tions of life time and stultity himself for
the sake Of electing to office men whom he
dstrusts and despises. 1t has opened the
eyes Of once ardent infationist to the true
light, and wrought conversion nearly as
wonderful and quite as sudden as SauPs.
1t has done more than that; it has exhibited
to an astonished world the unaccustomed
sight of consistent Democrat, man who
will not surrender his convictions in order to
win party success, who refuses to march
under banner which bears lying legend,
who declines to compromise when principle
is at stake. He stands alone in his party,
like Oliver Twist in the den of thieves, and
protests against the dishonesty OF his asso-
ciates. We have been so accustomed to see
the Democracy pledging itself to the support
of any platform which carries with itself the
hope of victory that we experience genuine
surprise at seeing this man stand up and
unhestatingly declare for principle.
Mr.. George E. Pugh, once Senator from
Ohio, and well known as war-horse in the
old Douglas campaigns, has been asked to
Stump the state of Ohio for the Democ-
racy, and has indignantly refused. Not con-
tent with simple refusal he denounces the
Democratic platform as ''Nonsense heaped
on nonsense to the Skies" and rebukes the
nit the people of Ohio to the endorsement Of
the rag-money heresy. His arraignment of
the dishonest Democratic platform and of
the cowardce of Mr.. Thurman is refreshing
reading. His Interpretation of the platform,
which we give below, we heartily commend
to the notice of the Democratic papers of
Maine. Mr.. Pugh saws:
The fault of Judge Thurman's speech con
sisted in the fact that he attempted to give
color to the resolutions of the state conven lion
which they cannot bear in the estimation of
any intelligent man, These resolutions, though
adroiuy written and intended 30 catch the
breeze from every quarter did certainly mean
thdJ tut democracy OF ONO are IN FAVOR OF
issuing greenbacks, being. legal tenders to an
unlimited amount and with no provision for
their redemption in specie within any caicula-
bic time, aud If that be not delivering us over
to system not merely of incouvertible but
irredeemable paper money, L confess myself
that do not resemble the gentlemen described
by Judge Thurman, who formed that platform,
to wit: MASTERS of the English language"
L consider that Judge Thurman failed of his
duty on that occasion, to stand up in the face
~E ~ 4
wide and fatal departure from the well known
and ancrently established doctrines Of the
Democratic party.
1t is so seldom we fnd anything in the
speeches of Democratic orators which is
worthy of commendation that our readers
will pardon US for indulging in further quo
tations from the sensible remarks of Mr.
Pugh. As 10 the lack of gold and silver
he says:
The reason we have it not is because we do
not allow it to circulate as coin in our country,
and OF course it is exported to the country
where it will perform that Office. As soon as
We allow it to perform its proper function with
US, namely, that of a circulating medium, it
will come back to us in payment for our wheat,
corn, mess pork, cotton aud tobacco These
orators forget that the world wishes to trade
with Us, and t0at We can give them the greatest
supply of breadstuffs and most other articles of
subsistence, of any country on the face of the
globe They argue, from the beginning to the
end, like so many pettifoggers before a justice
of the peace.
The foolish scheme of convertible bonds
receives his vigorous attention, and he ex-
poses its absurdity in language which will
bear reproduction:
That scheme, as / understand the PROPOSE
tioB, is that the holder of greenbacks may sur
render them to the government and II ceive a
bond carrying the rat. of interest named, three
and sixty five one hundredths per cent, and
may return the bond at any time and
call for the greenbacks The authors of this
scheme imagine that the greenbacks will be
surrendered in time of prosperity, and the
bonds called for. and, also, that in time of
adversely the bonds will be surrendered and the
greenbacks demanded This is contrary to the
experience OF every observant man. The grren-
backs will be surrendered in the time of adver-
sity, aud the bonds, with interest will be taken
in their place. Whereas, when the times are
prosperous, and speculation is raging the bonds
will be surrendered, aud the greeLbacks re-
quired to enter into adventures Of every descrp-
tion. Suck contrivance would make our
condition, now hardly tolerable, ten times
more intolerable l regard 1t as one of the
thousand contrivances proposed in my day and
generation, and as l have read in the pages of
history proposed ln our country and other cOun-
tries long before was born, all of which came
to nothing, and any of which if adopted, would
prove delusion and snare. LET u.s. as
Solomon said. hear the conclusion Of the
whole matter" 1t consists iu homely prov
erb: "You cannot make a silk purse out of a
sow's ear, and SO say of paper money.
Mr.. Pugh and those ofhis fellow Democrats
who cannot be persuaded to surrender prn-
cple to policy. stand great risk of being left
out in the cold by their national convention
next year. Their only place of refuge will
be the Republican camp, and we yet look to
see them marching in the Republican ranks
under the good old standard of hard-mone