The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1875-08-12

JoD, l fal to see 1t i'll the right light. In that
case the PRESIDENT had the grace to consult Con-
gress before he contaminated his big job, after
all its details had been arranged bV Babcock
| IN this instance he evolves his jurisdiction from
his own consciousness, and INDUCES his desire
Tor territorial annexation and sef-emolumcnt
regardless of the legislative power.
The Two Parties on the Currency
Issue,
Republican journals in this part of the
country, says the Buffalo Courier, and Ger
tain other localities where public opinion
IS unanimous, or nearly so, in favor of a
sound financial policy, attempt to repre-
sent their party as based on the hard
money doctrine, and the democracy as
the advocate of initiation For good rea-
sons this is done rather by innuendo than
directly, but as a gross and violent misre-
presentation it must be retutcd, neverthe-
less
The responsibility of the Republican
party for all the financial blunders of the
last ten years, not to speak Of the proceed
ing war period, cannot be denied. Dur
ing all that time, while it had absolute
control OF the government, it did moth
ing to hasten and much to retard the
return Of specie payments. And how
does it stand at present with regard to
the money question especially in compal'-
lson with its Democratic opponents? The
New York Sun has looked through the
records of the currency controversy in
the last Congress, and while it finds nc
very brilliant showing Ion either Repub-
| licanS or Democrats, it ut the same time
| has ascertaincd that 1.-THE Democrats at
frequent trials threw n decided majority
OF their votes in opposition to an initiation
of the currency and on the other hand,
the Republicans cast large majority Of
theirs in support of that perniclous pol
lev" Most of the chalrmen OF the impor-
tant committees Of the house were cham
| plons Of rag money. OF the Ohio dele
| cation the Democratic members OF the
| House made a better record than the Re
publicans from the same State. while in the
! Senate the Democratic senator from Ohio
was much sounder ON the money question
than his Republican colleague While
| there are several states, the most mpol-
tant of which is Illinois, in which u ma
.jorily Of the Democrats are in favor of q
sound financial policy and a majority Of
the Republicans in favor of inflation
there is not a single state in which the
| Republicans advocate return to the
hard money basis where the Democrats
are not equally or still more outspokel
for the same policy. Whatever initiation
sentiment exists in the New England
states is Republican. In New York ant
the Pacific states both parties are ON the
right side PENNSYLVANIA furnishes sey
er"l wild rag-money worshippers Of The
Republican faith We believe, indeed
that a majority of the administrat ion par
ty, like their leader, Mr. Cameron is in
iected by initiation heresics, al though no
50 strongly as Judge Kelley, the promi
nent Republican congressman from Phil
alelphia On the other hand it may bt
expected that a good hard money resolu
ton will be adopted by the Democratic
convention Of that state The great blum
der Of the Ohio Democrats is now the pc
Iitical stock in trade of the eastern Repub
| LEANS while some of their xypStorn mart
associates complain that the Democrat in
tlationsts have - stolen the Republican
thunder In the west generally the two
parties are divided on the issue The same
is true of the southern Democrats, while
the southern Republicans are almost with
out exception intlationists One of our Re
| publican contemporaries has counted s>
leading Democratic papers in the southern
states at variance with the views expressed
by the Ohio intlationists That would be :
small number even OF leading Democratic
newspapers, if it were a full count, but OF
the other hand the Journal in question was
not able to name a single leading southern
journal Of the hard money faith which sup
ports or is supported by the Republican
| party.
Ii ought not 10 be forgotten that the
south has been controlled for years by the
Republicans and that there yet remain five
reconstructed states in which the admins.
tration party, although weakened. is still
| in power Since it is our desire and ex-
pectation that the democracy as nation
al organization will continue to be what
! it has been in the past, unanimous and
| decided in favor Of a sound financial pol
| icy, we are very far from being satisfied
with the present position Of many of it's
members with regard to those matters.
At the same time there is no question
that, as a political organization, its re-
cord and present standing on these issues
are better, and its prospects more prom
ising, than those Of its opponents.
Speaking Of the objections made to the
prohibitory liquor law, the Rockland Ga
zette says
The journal sagely remarks that Iii may
well be doubted whether prohibiory law
ever yet reformed one man inclined to drink"
So it may well be doubted whether the law
| against theft ever reformed one man inclined
TO steal; and the remark is Il conclusive against
the law Ill the one case as i'll the other, and no
more 1t has been made Il crime to sell to
men the means of ntoNicution. with all its
horrid train of evils. Ii is the direct object of
he lax sh and 4, 10 to
suppress il, and not to reform the victims of
| the CRIME. The province of law and reform
are separate and distinct, and to condemn law
because 1t does not accomplish the work of re-
form is foolish and illogical
This is new and important admission
on the part of the friends Of prohibition,
and we may add . surprising one. If tie
law has no reforming influence on the
seller OF liquors nor the drinkers thereof,
its usefulness viii scarcely be apparent to