The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-10-07
iIr, Thurman OH the Condition
OF the Country.

Mr., Thurman OH the Condition
Oi the Country.
The little that we could hear yesterday
Of Senator Thurman's speech At our dis.
lance from him in the crowd, and amidst
the noise and confusion surrounding us,
va, devoted to the depressed business
condition Of the country and the general.
" unsatisfactory state Of industrial and
financial affairs. lie seemed TO be hold.
ing the Republican party responsible for
all thi,, and to be inculcating the idea
that inasmuch as the Republican party
had had control Of the government for SO
nlny years, and inasmuch as ii has prov
Ell unable or unwilling to extricate the
country from its difficulties, it ought 10
give way to some other party. A parallel
Euinstitnted between a political party as
The agent Of the people and an individu-
Al r the agent OF business man or
house, and the honorable Senator put the
question to his hearers whether it was
not sound policy to turn out man or a
party from a position after they were
found to be unwilling or. unable to dis.
charge their duties properly
This is all very specious, and the crowd
~ho listened to the Senator seemed TO
drink it in as something very profound
indeed. Alexander Stephens, ex.Vice
President Of the Southern Confederacy,
says that all statesmen must needs have
'nelement Of demugoguery in them. This
statement Of Stephens may account for the
demagoguery involved in what Senator
Thurman said yesterday on the point un'
der consideration. His Mansfield speech
in the Bill Allen campaign showed that
be could play the demagogue when neces.
,lty. Ordinarily he is credited with
bting statesmanlike in his views, when
be speaks in the Senate. And this
reminds US that from his place in the
United States Senate during the discus.
sion on the passage of the Resumption
Bill, Senator Thurman expressed views
touching the condition OF the country,
and the cause and cure OF that condition,
that do not seem to tally exactly with
Ehat he said yesterday on the stump.
First, we will premise that Mr.. Thur.
aAn was at the time referred to a hard
money man. lie opposed the Resump-
'ou Act on the ground that it was not
dequate to the work contemplated, viz:
the resumption otspecie payments. His
belief was that it would not contract the
currency fast enough; or, to use his own
words, that "the retiring OF greenbaCks
Under it would not amount to more than
S,OOo,OOO" in the four years from Jan.
a''y, 1915, to January, 1879. In his
speech on that occasion he explained his
Views on the business situation Of the
country, aud for the benefit Of his West
virginia friends, who seem to need good
deal Of light on the subject, We append
herewith what he said:
You will have no increased banking
under this bill, II you pass it, until bust.
ness begins to revive; and when will bust.
aes' revive? All that il necessary Is for
man 70 open his eyes and read the his
oIy OF his country 10 know when ii will
revive At intervals OF about twenty
!eAH We have one OF those things called
PANE, followed by stagnation in bust.
~ The result OF ovcr.trading, over.pro.
sSaGn'otextrayagAnec Of all sorts and de.
salpHons-extravagance in individuals,
stHa'aagance in corporations, extrava.
SaaSe S In governments large and small;
~uaI at last the bubble bursts, and then
Sas a season ol retrenchment and
Tonomy, And how long does that last
s NV long Is il before debts are liQuidat.
n AaI a:arplus Is accumulated, so that
Hs5e S". begins 10 be an upward tide in the
SSLT SuesS Of the country2 Never has II
St,,..e .es' than four years in the United
,..'S yne Of the first things that | can
M, OIees I; when | was a very small boy,
~. ~. alg lgner than this desk, was the condi.
S,s a q 4, monetary affairs in 1919. How
WV ' ,S. ~. Then business began to re.
a s y throughout the country, and peri.
VI great prosperity followed. Then