The daily gazette., 1875-10-20
Importance of Settling the
Specie PdUment Question
NOW
From the New York World,


When there came a generation in
Egypt that knew not Joseph, then
Israel was oppressed. In 1876 the gen
Grafton which knows anything about
q specie currency in this country lex
cept "d-d barren ideality"1 will
cast the preponderating.. vote for the
last time at Presidential election In
1880 controlling majority of the
voters will be men who may indeed
remember but set no store by the fact
that there was a time when gold and
silver coin was the only legal tender
in this country. The figures in this
connection are Instructive; more, they
are alarming, for they show that if the
memory of better past do not suffice
to bring us to specie turn of mind in
1875, the country will then have to
wait until the pressure of new disasters
drives us to resumption, until a new
generation has been instructed, by
their own experiences, as we'll as con-
vinced and persuaded, of that we
already knew by past experiences, in
regard tothe comparative utility Of q
bullion and paper basis for currency.
Our popu alton in 1870 was SO, ,558, 900.
In November 1876, allowing for an
increase OF 12 per cent. which is lib, :,
eral; when we take into account, the
decrease in immigration it will be
43, 1856, 1878. In 1870 there were 8,307,-
3O6 persons eligible to vote, In 1875
there will be9 1884, 18l persons eligible.
In 1879 one-fourth of those eligible
did not vote at the Presidential elec-
tion, In 1876, it is a fair assumption,
that one fifth of those eligible will
not vote. The vote at the Presiden-
tial election in'lS76 will probably not
exceed 1900, 600, which will be little
over 900, 900 more votes than were
cast in 1872. OF the one fifth eligible
who will not vote in 1876, much the
larger portion will be persons over 80
years of agc-that is to say persons
who arc practically acquainted with
our former system of specie based cur
rency. These voters all told amount
TO about 2,500,00 persons. Against
these must be set 100000 voters
between 81 and 80, who have no
knowledge at all of the specie system,
except from heresay, and these being
young, ardent and healthy, will nearly
all vote. Practically, then, we have
the state of the voters on the currency
question divided thus: 100000 too
young to know anything about the
question, nearly all Of whom will be
at the polls; nearly 4 Zoo. 600 voters
between 30 and 80, large majority of
whom will vote, and who most of them
remember the times when we had gold
and silver in se;and 100000 voters
over so, msjoritY of whom will no:
vote, The preponderance of course
1876 will be the second aud largest
class who are able to decide the matter
practically, because they have had ex-
perience in it.
But this second class, like the third,
class, is subject to large deduction.
A bulk of the negro vote will be in
different to the question from ignor
ance, and from having no practical
experience in the advantages of hard
money over rag money 4 portion of
the foreign vote also which has inmi-
grated from non specie paying coun-
tries, must be declared Indifferent. All
these deductions made, and it is quite
apparent that in 1880 majority of the
actual voters at the Presidential cleo
ton will be persons who, having had
no practical experience of the differ
ence between a specie currency and a
paper one, are indifferent to it as q
practical issue, and inclined to treat it
rs an abstraction or g id barren
| ideality." 1t is quite apparent also
that the repudiationists who, more or
less disguised, certainly exist in this
| country, have been speculating upon
this very condition of affairs here indi,
Gated. Delay and postponement is
victory to them, for every year that
they can delay decisive action upon
the question of resumption not only
makes the act of resumption more
difficult in itself, but increases the
number of voters who are incapable,
from the lack of experience, of looking
upon the subject in the light o fa prac-
tical and vital issue. The notion that
people will take practical views OF
something they know nothing about is
| Just about as rational as that tiresome
old humbug of the bliad man compar-
ing his notion of scarlet 10 tie sound
of trumpet. The blind man has
necessarily no notion at all of color
TOR can you explain 10 him sensation
the organ for interpreting which Ii,
lacks. a majority of voters who know
nothing about the specie currency can
not be taught to realize its advantages
and talking to them about 1t is merely
vexing the wind. What a voter o
this class does know is, that he ha
his rags and that 1t will be TROUBLESOME
to him to deprive him of them. C
the superior advantages of the substi
tute proposed he knows nothing. Thes,
facts make it plain that now is tn,
best practicable time TO enter upni
effective steps for resumption, the frs
and plainest duty in that regard beint
to select public servants from thos
men only, We are pledged to do al
that can wisely be done for bringing
about this necessary reform. Stead
steps toward Specie Payments, no ste
backward.
Baron Won Kalchstein and ssveral ott
er officers of the Prussian army are i
Georgia examining the country for til
| nf AaniAinr