The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1875-09-25

places on Gods earth that the State Of Mary.
land should be chosen for such an attempt
here on the soil Of the province Of which
George Calvert was the first proprietary
where nearly two hundred and fifty years ago
he proclaimed aud insisted upon the right Of
all men 10 be eligible for Office, without ques-
ton as to their religious faith; and Of all men
who were sought to be so assaled and pro-
scribed that the great grandson Of Charles
Carroll Of Carrollton, man who has added
honor to an honored name, should now be
excluded from Office because he is guilty Of
the great ohense of worshiping Almighty God
at the same Christian altar as did his patriot
ancestor. But, gentlemen, these dark.lant-
ern people have made a mistake. Voice
That's SOL There Is too much honesty
and feeling in the American people to permit
such Infamous attempts to be successful, and
sure am that hundreds, nay, thousands Of
Marylanders, who love civil and religious
liberty, will join our party in administering a
hearty rebuke to such n proposition, whose
originators will be buried so deep by popular
verdict that they will know no political resur
rection, in this generation, at least. Laugh
ter.
have referred to this issue with mortifca.
ton that it should have place in American
politics have only met the issue because
our opponents have chosen to make it.
propose now, and at all times, whether backed
by few or many, to shield the principles Of
civil and religious liberty as our fathers es-
tablished them in our written Constitution.
have spoken Of the prostration Of all busi.
ness interests in the country. | have stated
that the road to recover that which has been
lost and squandered under the rule of the
party In power would be rugged and hard TO
travel, and want in this connection to say
one word to you in regard to the present cur
rency Of our country, the currency of the
people, for there is no use in constant indus.
try II il Is to be cheated Of It's just reward. Is
not q standard, stable measure Of value due
for days labor, or for any business transac-
ton, however large or small? moments
consideration will show the absolute necessi.
ty, in all honest and steady dealings, to have
standard Of value Just as much as standard
Of weights and measures for commodities
bought and sold. Let US see what power was
given TO our rulers to deal with this subject,
for we Democrats have an easy test for the
rightfulness Of any measure by seeing whether
it is warranted by the Constitution Of the
United States. All the power given TO Con-
gress on this subject is to ''coiB money and 10
regulate the ralie thereof, and Of foreign coin,
and It to fix standard Of weights and meas
ures. The meaning Of the word to ''coin,"
whether that Of photographers or in the com
mon dealings Of mankind, is to stamp pieces
Of metal into money, and "coinp is stamped
metal, 10 be used as money, and such money,
by the Constitution, must be valuablei in itself,
for Congress is directed "to regulate the
value thereof Now the value, as you see,
must exist in the money itself or It could not
he ranulataA A Nvhtoh NJ
be coined is simply n money of credit, and
who shall regulate" money of credit; who
can regulate the hopes and fears that elevate
and depress credit? A power in Congress
to regulate the weather could as well be ex-
eeuted, and the famous Pope's bull against
the comet would be Just as useful. Observe,
too, that in giving the power to- Congress to
coin money Il is Immediately connected with
the power and duty "to fix a standard of
weights and measures" In fact, these pow
ers and duties must necessarily be exercised
together. Which of you would deal with
grocer whose weights varied, and who some.
times gave ten, twelve or fourteen ounces to
pound, or with dry goods merchant who
gave thirty or thirty.four inches to yard?
Laughter. Or with the grain merchaat who
gave three pecks to the bushel, or coal
merchant whose scales allow but 1900 lbs. to
q ton. If any one Of these dealers were thus
discovered in departing from the standard
fixed by Congress what would be the result 4?
Would he not be arrested, fined and impris.
oned, and his business broken up? for no
man would deal with him because Of his dis.
honesty. Now | ask you, in all fairness,
suppose you purchased five pounds Of tea, for
which the owner asked and you promised one
dollar per pound, and when he weighed you
the full weight, how can it be right that you
should tender him q paper note worth but
eighty or eighty.fve on the dollar; which is
the more dangerous offense against the COM
munity--the false and fuctuating measure Of
value or the false measure Of quantity? Is
not either equally fatal to honest dealing. Is
not the standard measure of each equally
necessary? Is it polite or right, or Just in
Congress to omit or forsake its duty in fixing
a standard Of value for the money Of the peo.
pie just as much as for the weights and meas
ures Of the commodities they buy and sell
Why should not dealer Justly reply To your
complaint of his short weight or measure that
your money was equally short in value?
Why should one otfense be punished more
than the otherp Is not the false and fuctua-
ting measure Of money value Just as danger
GUS and destructive to fair dealing between
man and man as the short measure and the
light weight? Insist therefore upon having
this standard Of value restored 10 you; demand
Of any party in the name Of the Constitution,
of your party, that this measure Of value shall
be restored; point out to any Senator or Mem
Der of Congress his oath to support the Con-
stitution OF the United States, and bid him
keep il. Let your text be short and plain
from this time forth until your demands are
acceded To-. II not granted in your day, teach
it TO your children hard money for hard labor
honest money for honest men.
If our forefathers thought they needed il in
1776, how much more do we in 1857 One
hundred years ago Europe was distant and
unknown country, Africa, Asia and South
America known to us only by the traditions
oftrayelers and geographers, and now thanks
to steam and electricity, all are at our very
doors. The oceans are almost bridged BY
fleets Of steamships, and message to China
is gwen and answered in as little time as its
takes to write il out.
This wonderfully altered condition calls
upon us TO be in accord with them. The i'm.
portance Of Nation in the family of Nations
consists mainly in its share in the commercial
transactions Of the word. If we are to have
our Just place and our share in all this we
must deal in the money Of the merchantile
rorld. Now, bring the currency which a
Republican Administration have forced upon
US into contact with the money Of the rest of
the commercial world, and it shriyels like
dead leaves. 1t is no measure Of value--t Is
discarded and worthless in the worlds com.
merce. Have you reflected that every pound
OF cotton, of tobacco, every bushel Of wheat
or corn, and every other product which we
export, has its price fixed for purchase Of us
IN the money OF the commercial world. that