The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-10-08
Address 10 the Democratic
state Central COMMITTEES.

The Pennsylvania Democratic State Gen.
trail Committee have agreed upon an ad-
dress to the voters of Pennsylvania prin-
cipally upon the financial question. The
The address declares that the time has not
come even for fixing time for the re-
sumption of specie payments, tor mo
voice has proceeded from the mills or man
afactories, from the mines or the furnaces,
or from the farmers or worklngmen, de-
manding either resumption or fixed
time. Governments are established for
the benefit OF the governed, and until the
people who represent the industrial pur-
suits of the State ask for change, it is
worse than folly to agitate the question.
After a brief reference to our present
currency, the address continues as fol-
lows:
"Upon the legal>tender basis the farm
er has purchased his land, the manufac-
turer put in motion his machinery, and
the workingman bought the lot upon
which he erected his home. To change
this basis of values suddenly, by the subs
stitution of gold and silver, would depre-
ciate the price of land, and cause alarm
aud distress in all the avenues of trade.
The change will be a work of time, and
cannot be effected until the country is in
B6IlCI SOuuiLlOh " ICCCAfC Ats Ah0
however much the politicians of the coun-
try may interfere, the solid sense and
good Judgment of the masses will pre-
vail; and they will, by the force and power
of the ballot, prevent hasty and ill-diges-
ted legislation on the question of specie
resumption. However much we may
complain of the want of wisdom that
prompted the Introduction of the present
system, here can be no doubt of the folly
of attempting now to destroy it. What
ever evils belong to it have already been
realized; the business of whole decade
and more has been based upon it, and
only those who desire to speculate upon
a breaking up Of all values, whether of
labor or properoy, are now advocating a
contraction of the currency; and it may
not be inappropriate to add here that in
nothing has the confidence of the people
in their Government been so stsikingly
illustrated as in the universal acceptance
and use of the money issued by it, not
withstanding the bad management of the
Administration. We claim that the
Democratic party has always been and is
now IN favor of a sound and staple cur
Tency, and we have uniformly opposed
the mercenary mutations that have so Oft
Ell disturbed aud destroyed the business
of the country. Composed as the Demo-
cratic party is in large part of the labor
of the nation, it is essential to its best in
terests that all needless fluctuations of
the currency should be avoided, and it is
entirely safe to say that with the govern
ment in their hands lies the only hope of
reaching the specie standard as the basis
of our currency. 1t is no part of it's mis-
sion OF its destiny to abandon this idea.
1t will not. But that same party must be
governed by reason as to the time, the
mode, and the manner in which the point
is to be reached. 1t cannot afford, even
if it had Il e power, to march on to the
objective point over a desolate country
and amidst the ruin of it's industries. 1t
does not propose to commit any such
folly therefore: when in council at Erie,
the party determined to put itself in a
conservative position and act with delib-
GRAFTON and discretion. When they pass
ed a resolve demanding that the volume
of money be made and kept equal to the
wants of trade, leaving the restoration of
legal tenders to par in gold to be brought
by proceeding the industries of the people
and not destroying them,' they but evin-
ced sound judgmen and made no sacri-
fee of principle The effect of this is to
make one common currency, sage where
Congress has made special provisions to
the contrary, in the national loan. There
is no initiation in this part of the Erie
platform; it is but supplying the people
with the amount OF currency withdrawn
by the National Legislature from circula-
lion.
The platform adopted at Erie takes
the position that bankers and brokers
may not have the control of the curren-
cy, that the industries of the State and
the great question of labor have, as they
should have, a voice in the currency
question, and we fearless by maintain that
this il correct. The men who represent
these Interests are entitled to voice in
the common council of the State. To
their efforts We owe iIs prosperity, ard
their advice is not to be discarded. The
coal and iron trade to-day in this State
is PROSTATE; it is paralyzed. Tens of
thousands of men who are employed in
these industries will be discharged if the
doctrine of immediate resumption is sue
ces5ful; nor will they be in much better
condition if the currency as contracted
by government, with a view of fixing a
day for resumption, is maintained. Eel
low citizens of Pennsylvania, these are i'm
portant issues. and they claim your Sc
mus COHStuci dtLUIA III IH6
canvass The pressure is upon US. If
we cannot avoid its evil consequences alb
soluteiy, we must mitigate them as far as
is in our power. 1t has not been the
work of the Democratic party. Thou
canst not say we did it, Therefore, in
declaring at Erie that we would not per
NIT ! contraction of the currency, we de-
serted no Democratic landmark. Our
policy, as a party, has ever been to pto-
tect and guard the industries of the couu-
try. We demand that the legal tender is
sues be made receivable for all dues to
the Governmental policy that will speed
lily bring them to par with gold and inter
changeable Herewith"
The national bank system was de-
nounced, the address says, because the
Government pays the banks $4,000. GOO
year in coin, although it is responsible
for the redemption OF the bank notes. II
would be better, it is urged, to issue legal
tenders in their place, land appropriate
the $4,000, 900 of coin annually paid as
interest upon banking bonds toward the
relic! of the people in taxation"
Ground TO Powder.