Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1876-12-14

the repeal of the act providing for the re-
sumption o. specie payments on the LIST of
January, 1879. giving as reason that the
act stands in the way of resumption. The
necessary meaning of this resolution is that
the act put off resumption, and but for it
we could have specie payments at
once. Vi course party talk
ing thus boldly must have
some measure or remedy to propose by
which the government can at once redeem
the greenbacks in coin according to promise.
But the next resolution shows that it is only
Snug the joiner. and not the lion, who is
roaring, and reveals the silly hypocrisy OF
all that is said by declaring that specie pay
ments can be brought about only by proper
economies, wise finance, and official retrench-
ment; or. in other words, that nothing can
be DONE and the whole subject should be
dropped. The fact is the first two reso-
buttons are intended for the East and to
show that the Democracy are deter
mined to have specie payments at once.
and the third resolution for the West, and to
show that the Democracy do not intend to
have specie payments all. This part OF the
platform has wonderfully familiar look
and leaves the impression that it may have
been prepared by one of the candidates on
the ticket The position OF the Democracy
upon the currency question illustrates its
moral and intellectual condition throughout
We find an utter want of convictions
and total absence OF measures, pol
icies, or anything wearing the SEM
blance OF patriotism, and we find only
cunning vascillation and hypocrisy. They
are for and against specie payments. for and
against green backs, Tor and against banks.
for and against In1sLion, Just tho varying
prospects of the hour indicate the gain or
loss of votes. The vane upon the church
steeple does not point the direction of the
wind with more industry than do the
nap, furr thar baf arad a "A daforroad
face to the popular breeze.
THE LETTERS.
The letter Of Governor Tilden treats chiefly
OF the finances and cannot be read by any
impartial mind without the conviction that
it was intended to satisfy men whose ideas
are exactly opposite to each other. He
struggles through half an hours tedious
reading to arraign the Republican party for
not haying forced specie payments long ago.
and then argues to show that the law
providing for resumption 10 hindrance to
when he comes to tell how resumption can
be brought about, and what the Democratic
party would do if it were in power, he has
nothing better to offer than the following
miserable platitudes:
THE proper time for resumption is the time
when wise preparations shall have ripened into
perfect abIsty 10 aeeomplish the object With a
and encourage the reviving OF business. The
earlies time in which such result can be
rations shall have been matured. the exact date
would have to be chosen with reference TO tie
then existing state Of trade ard credit operations
in our own country. the course OF foreign com
merce. and the condition Of the exchanges with
other nations. The specific measures and the
actual date are matters of detail having reference
to eyer-changing conditions. They belong T. the
domain OF practical administrative statesman
ship"
Who can read this without knowing that
it is a disgracelul juggle of words, string
ing together OF sentences intended to make
an impression and yet conveying no idea
whatever. 1t suggests no measure, points
out no remedy, and labors by mere volubili-
ty to cover up the utter incapacity of the
author.
HENDRICKS ON SPECIE PAYMENTS.
Governor Hendricks in his letter, after
talking in general way in favor Of specie
payments, and urging the repeal of the Re-
sumption act the only measure which has
been enacted for that purpose, then escapes
from the whole subject in the following cut
fetish sentence, which was intended to Gre
ate an obscurty, and practically means abso-
lutely nothing:
II thoroughly believe that by public economy.
by official retrenchments. and by wise finance en-
abline US to accumulate the precious metals, re-
sumption, at an early period. is possible without
producing an artificial scarcity Of currency or
these reforms. together with the restoration OF
pure government. will restore general con 6dence
encourage the useful investment Of capital. fur
nish employment to labor, and relieve the coun-
try from the paralysis of hard times
1t will battle human ingenuity to extract
practical idea from the above sentence. 1t
is precisely the kind of talk a man INDUCES
In who has no opinions upon the subject, and
seeks by pompous and enigmatical phrase to
conceal the AFFECT poverty of his intellectual
exchequer.
REPUBLIcAN ACTION.
Tho Republican party has been, and still
is, in favor of return to specie payments.
1t regards gold and silver as the standards of
value, and has looked forward steadily and
honestly TO the time when the paper money
OF the country should be at par value. That
there has been, and is to-day, diversity OF
opinion in the ranks of the party in regard
to the manner and the time OF resumption is
not to be denied; but there has been a gen.
eral concurrence as to the necessity of re-
sumption and the importance Of adopting
practical measures looking to that result
1t was in this spirit that the act of JAN
uary, 1875. was passed. fixing the LIST of
January, 1879, as the time when resump-
ton should take place by the redemption of
green backs in coin, and for that purpose
authorizing the Secretary of the Treasury to
reserve the surplus gold in the Treasury and
TO sell bonds to procure the additional gold
that might be necessary. Whether these
preparations are sufficient and that addi-
tional legislation may not be necessary,
and whether in fact the time fixed is not pre-
mature, is doubted by many who are the
earnest friends of specie payments But
what has been done was honestly intended
TO accomplish the great purpose, and when
the ST. Louis convention, and Tilden, and
II endrieks pretend to be greatly in earnest
al out specie payments. and denounce the
Republican party for not having brought
them about before. and demand the repeal of
the resumption act because it is an obstacle !
In the way Of resumption. and then fail ut |
terly TO point out any method OF resumption, |
and talk only in empty platitudes about re-
Stunning by public econ oniies, "'wise finance" |
and Official retrenchnert." We realize how |
utterly heartless insincerc, and ignorant they |
are about the whole business The platform |
and letters are intended 10 reconcile the |
hard-money men of the East, who are de- |
specie payments at once, and the !
greentack men of the West, who are OPP |
posed 10 resumption altogether and every |