The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-06-23

be that which is certain to arise between the
hard money and rag money wings OF the
party. The hard money journals that try to
belittle the controversy by representing the
rag baby as merely the local pet of Ohio do
not state the case fairly. If the champions
of rag money were confined to one or two
States the question could cause but little
embarrassment. But the real truth is that
the democratic party is pretty evenly divided
on this question, and the soft money wing
is quite ~ unyielding and aggressive as the
hard money wing Of the party. The proof
of this is found in the action Of the demo-
cratic members Of Congress during the pres
ent session. It is notorious that they held
caucus after caucus, extending through the
first three or four months after Congress as
sembled, in the hope Of reaching common
understanding on this question; it is noto-
rious that all their efforts were abortive;
notorious that the soft money men stood
their ground, and that their hard money
opponents were not strong enough to out
vote them in any of those numerous
attempts to establish party creed on the
money question. There can be no doubt
that the democratic members represented
the vie~s of their constituents Most Of
them viii be candidates for reelection this
year, and as they are counting popularity in
their several districts it seems fair infer
ence that the popular democratic sentiment
in fully one-half Of the districts is opposed
to speedy or forced resumption OF specie
payments. The delegates to the St. Louis
Convention from the same districts will rep
resent the same view, and the opposition to
a hard money platform will therefore be
powerful and formidable.
The soft money men in the Convention are
likely to be reinforced and aided by num-
Der Of Eastern delegates who have no active
sympathy with their currency views, but are
willing to make them an instrument for de-
feating Governor Tilden. The real ground
of their opposition to him is not that he is
hard money man, but that he stands in the
way of their favorite candidates. They are,
therefore, willing to assist in the construction
of such platform rs would make him an
impossible candidate. The platform will be
adopted by the Convention in advance of
the balloting, and as Governor Tilden is the
foremost representative of hard money that
part of the Eastern delegates who are bent
on defeating him will favor q platform on
which he cannot consistently stand This
is mere stroke of strategy for heading of
Tilden, and number Of Eastern delegates
who would otherwise prefer hard money
platform will assent to compromise because
a trimming platform would weaken Tildens
chances for the nomination. If these tactics
succeed the soft money sentiment. will seem
stronger in the Convention than it is in
fact
The Cincinnati platform has made it COM
paratively safe to play this game against
Tilden. The Cincinnati Convention aban-
doned the act fixing January l, 1879, as the
date Of resumption, thus renouncing the
basis on which the Hayes battle was fought
last year in Ohio. This retreat from the leg
islation of republican Congress, this con-
spicuous withdrawal from q pledge to re-
sumo at definite date, and substitution of q
vague promise to resume when it becomes
practicable or convenient, is a concession to
Western feeling which cripples the republi-
can party on the currency question, and
leaves an open field for safe dem
ocratic maneuvres in the face Of the enemy.
The st. Louis Convention is quite as likely
to handle this question with view to weaken
the New York candidate as to injure the re-
publican party. 1t is humiliating to see SO
important question degraded into q mere
football of factions but We see no reason for
hoping that the St. Louis Convention will
plant itself on the high ground Of prin-
ciple.
Ii it be the intention of the democratic
party to trim on this great subject the most
dexterous thing it could do would be to
readopt, word for word, the currency plank
of the Cincinnati platform. Anything
weaker, anything more hollow and meaning
less, could not easily be found, and the
effect of its exact readoption at st. Louis
would be to take the currency question out
of the canvass We must not be understood
as recommending such on artifice, for we
feel nothing but contempt for the tricks and
lodges of politicians. But if the st. Louis
Convention is going to shuttle it might as
well shuttle to some purpose Political
tricks and trickishness are detestable but q
bright trick is better than stupid one, and
u verbatim adoption OF the Cincinnati decla-
ration on the currency is the most unassail-
able position the st. Louis Convention could
take on the subject, il it lacks courage and
principle to make square, honest fight for
hard money. Specie payments at some in
definite future period is precisely the policy
advocated by Mr.. Pendleton in his speeches
against Hayes last autumn, and it is pre-
ciscly the policy put forth in the Cincin-
natl platform. Pendletons later speeches
in that canvass and the republican
platform are as like as two peas, and the
literal readoption of this platform at st.
Louis would concede all that the Western
democrats demand in form which would