The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-10-09
Quibbles and Apologies.

QulDDleS ana Apologies.
The Bangor Commercial has the courage
of its opinions. 1t heartily commends the
Ohio Democratic platform as "the result of
patient and profound thought of able and
cautious statesmen" and says that ''its
doctrines look to the lasting welfare of all
the people," In the light of Mr.. Schurz's
luminous exposition and keen analysis of that
remarkable and dangerous political decara-
ton the estimate placed upon it by the Com
mercial appears absurd and its exposition
disingenuous. The journal in question still
claims to be an advocate of a sound currency,
but unhesitatingly places itself with many of
its contemporaries in the ranks of hard-money
papers with seft-money principles which find
their prototypes in the Northern men with
Southern principles of ante-bellsm days.
The part is one not unfamiliar to the con-
trolling spirits of the Commercial.
In defense and explanation of its position
the Bangor paper publishes the lame and i'm
potent excuses of Sayler and Ewing and
Pendleton. These arguments have been
traversed so often and their fimsiness and
subterfuges so thoroughly exposed that it is
quite unnecessary to examine them in detail
again. These men are all dodgers. The trust
worthy exponents of the Ohio platform are
Messrs. Allen and Cary and their ablest sup
porter the Cincinnati Enquirer. Those men
and that journal disdain to resort to the
bubbles and evasions of the commentators
from whose voluminous apologies the Com
merciaI approvingly quotes. Mr.. Sayler
starts off with gross Misrepresentation of
the financial condition of England in 1919,
the falsity of which is apparent to every stu
dent of her history. He confounds conse-
represents the natural and legitimate shrink
age of inflated values as real depreciation
in the worth of property. Not satisfied with
one Misrepresentation he ventures another
He grossly misstates the position of France,
and brazenly asserts that the condition Of
Austria and Italy is one of unwonted
prosperity. Gen. Ewing ridcules the idea
that the distribution of wealth is regulated
by the vicissitudes of the crops, the in
terests of money-lenders, and the pro-
duction of gold, and claims that it rests
with the sovereign people. The people can
as well regulate the corn crop as the dis
tribution of wealth. Maine can as we'll con.
troll her hay and her ice harvests by legisla.
tive enactment as the general government
can the distribution and accumulation o.
wealth. Government can protect property
and protect people in the requirement of pro
perty. But Gen. Ewing insists that it car
regulate not only the accumulation and in
vestments of capital, and the laws of com
merce, but natural production as well. HI
forsakes the old Democratic doctrine that gov
ernment NEEDLES only to MARI, and goes fur
ther in his theory of paternal government
than the most fanatical Imperialist of France
OF course be bubbles as we'll as misrepre
sents, declaring that the platform NAV mear
contraction. Mr.. Pendeton starts off will
a falsehood, asserting with the year 1868 fresl
in his mind, that the Democracy have neve
been in favor of reputation in any form. A.
he goes on 10 say that he speaks for nimsel
alone and does not assume to speak for the
Democratic party, it is scarcely necessary tt
notice his argument further.
These three defenders and the men Wht
applaud them utterly ignore the fact that b.
calling for an issue of greenbacks in place o
national bank notes they are declaring for al
enormous forced loan in time of profcun'
peace, for an augmentation of our nationa
debt by hundreds of millions. Every dolla
of increase of bank currency is but an in
crease of individual and corporate indebt
edness. If the people choose to trust thes
men and these banks they can do so,
not, they can refuse to take the notes. Blu
the dollar greenback is compulsory note, nj
| man can refuse to take ii, be its value bu
ten cents, in discharge of dollar of debt, il
| payment for dollars worth of merchandise
Every dollar added to the greenback issue
an increase of the debt which already bur
dens the people of the country collectively
1t is sad to see Democratic papers in Main
declaring for forced loan, for an enormou
increase of the national debt