New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-10-25
NR. HORACE WHITE on THE OHiO
ECJTUN

ELECLON
Mr.. Horace White has improved his leisure
in Paris bv writing to The U0iiy NcWs OF
London an interesting explanation OF the con
ditOn of political Parties and the Currency
Question in the United States" The letter
was pennod some days before the Ohio cleo
ton and Mr. White was justified by the facts
then known to our cOuutrymCn abroad III cx-
pecting victory for Allen, aud consequent
aggravaton of the rag-mOney madness all
over the country. He explains, however, that
the Democratic party is, or at any
rate ought to be, if there is any
such thing as political consistency and
sclf-re>pcct, the steady opponent of Govern
ment paper against the Republicans, just as it
was of bank paper against the WhgS. He be
licv"s the party to-day is sound at heart on
the money question. and Will repudiate the FOL
lies of Allen and Cary, exactly AZ it repudlaed
hereto Pcndleton in the National Convention
of 1868 "This attitude OF the Ohio Demo
"crats is nothing new. It's the fourth or Eth
4" time they have gibbetcd their ignorance be-
" fore the world, and while they will probably
achieve another local success by reason OF
" the increasing discomfort with the maladn'in-
"i~tration at Washington, it is not likely
chat they can impose their hercsy upon
." the party at large. Their example has been
followed, it is true, 10y the Pennsylvania Dem
" ocrats, but it has been strongly negatlyed by
those of New York and Wisconsin, the action
" in the latter State being to my mind even
more significant than that of the former, since
Wisconsin il in the geographical quarter
where prOseyteS to the grccnback schisn
were confidently looked for. The Demo-
" Gratis of California holding the opposite doc
&" trines have achieved an unprecedented victory,
and those of Maine likewise advocating a
sound currency, have pulled down the Re
publican majority to very narrow margin.
"My opinion is that the Ohio school of politics,
&" or rather of finance, will fare no better next
"year than it did in 1861
| Mr.. White has been long enough out OF the
| country to miss those undercurrcnts of politics
| which hardly come to the surface Of the news
papers. The money madness of 1875 bears no
sort of comparison with the transitory illu-
| sions of 1868. We have passed this Summer
or rather we are passing n0w-tlnougll one
of the most dangerous crises III Cur history {;
! and what alarmed all thoughtful and mtelii-
! gent men at the progress OF the ono cam
pagn, and inspired them to support even the
maladminiSlatlon at Washington rather than
| encourage the rank rascality and communism
| of Aliens truculent followers, was the llnOWl-
| edge that the West was hOncycombed with Tie
/ destructive theories of r0gues and fools, tae
South ready to follow them, and even the
Atlantic States slightly affected by the pre-
vaing mania. There was not Democrat of
influence in the whole West who burst oppose
the Ohio Madness and even the Republicans,
till Mr.. Schurz stirred them up, were half in
clined to let it pass unchallenged. What were
the declarations of New-lOrk and California
and the short phrase which Wisconsin threw
into her platform en- PEASANT i'll the face OF Il
state of affairs like this?
The victory Of Allen followed, as it probably
would have been, by corresponding triumph
of the infationiSts of Pennsylvania. would
have given over the Democratic party to the
advocacy of all iriedeemable currency and ma
tional reputation. The new doctrine would
! have RIM from State to State like fire over a
dry prairie. 1t is folly to think that memories
of Andrew jackson aud the Bank controversy
would have stopped it. 1t is equally idle to
/ imagine, as Mr.. White does, that the
| corrupt Republican party, itself almost a I'M
sound as the Democracy, would have suddenly
stopped dying, and rushed forth, i'll full yigor
and courage, to check the devastation. We
must not shut our eyes TO the pcrils we have
barely escaped, or the dangers that are still
before us. We shall stop the pilfcring from
| the national treasury rs soon as we can; but
| just now our principal duty is to beat the men
! who are irving to convert all the money III
/ the national treasury into worthless paper.