The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1876-09-14

dues. Whoever wants paper money
can then have it. But it will be value
curre ncy and not nuctuAtinE paper
money, II commercs needs more ex-
changes than can thus be conveniently
effected, as it certainly does, banks OF
discount and deposit, bills, checks and
clearing houses will do the rest. These
gold and silver certificates may be
made in the simifitude of bank bills,
and would be current at their face
value all over the commercial world,
and gold6acks and silUer5achs would
fill the pockets of the people.
PARTY ISSUES.
These are some of the party issues
now before the country. Ponder
them thoughtfully. Notwithstanding
old party ties thinking men, as their
minds mature and their knowledge of
affairs increases, are changing. and
honestly changing their party afiini-
ties. This is right, and if it could not
occur all discussion would be not only
useless but mischievous. 1t would
only inflame rassion without enlight-
ening the Judgment. Conscious that
the people of Ohio. are too Intelligent
to turn a deaf ear to trnth. however
humble or even unpopular the voice
that utters it, we can appeal to them
with the hope of fair hearing. But
if uncOnvinced by our reasoning on
the ordinary financial questions. still
there are other considerations above
all parties which surely must deserve
attention. There come times when
parties lose their hold. A million
Democrats sustained the Union cause
in the field, while neither they nor
their political brethren at home ap-
proved the policy of the Republican
Administration. And there are po-
tent reasons, now as then. .., -,
.,..,, ENTIRELY ABOVE PARTIES.
which ought to control the honest cit
iZefi and constrain him to cast his vote
"where it will do the most good" for
his country, whichever party it NAV
elect or defeat. There come times,
too, when the best policy for a party
is defeat. Such a time is the present.
The most devoted Republican ought,
this year, to desire the defeat of his
party. ''Sweet are the uses of adver-
sity," and defeat alone can purge a
party of its corruptions. The books
Of the Treasury, the archives of the
Government, the custody of public
property ought to sometimes piss un-
der the rigid scrutiny and into the in
quisitive fingers of a rival p,rty eager
to find fault or blunder. If no
other c lsOn eXistt d, this ought to de-
mand, even from Republic ms, a
change OF Administration. still more.
When confessed corruption has stalked
abroad at MONDAY, when it is traced
to Legislative and executive officers to
the Cabinet, to Ministers abroad, when
it skulks even in the White House
under the protecting mantle. il not
the approving eye, of the President,
could a fair-minded Republican deny
if he wished his party to survive here
after, either i'll honor on the page of
history, or for good in the Govern
ment of the country, that expulsion
from present power is imperatively
demanded? Punishment should fol-
low dereliction. Republican leaders
have betrayed the confidence of the
people, and it will be noble vindica-
tiOn of the purity of the masses of
that party if they join in cxpelling
them from power and turning their
places over to their Democratic rivals.
1t will be an example to future evil
uOCio. Auu IL LuO 1GcpuOilCau party
can survive defeat at all it will be
blessing 10 the party itself. Every
purpose for which its founders organ
lzed the Republican, party has been
accomplished, and many things that
were not then contemplated. Is not
slavery abolished, aud both races
made equal before the law? What
other purpose did the party ever
have? Did it ever agree about any
thing else? Now that these things
are accomplished, at lags superfluOus
on the stage" Nobody can cbaim that
the Republican party is better fitted
to frame the financial or administra-
tive policy OF the country than its ri
val. If Republican citizens are proud
of the record of their party Oh the old
issues. so be it; we will not debate
them now. They are gone with the
war and with the equalization of the
races. Let history judge them. And
now. Republican citizens, having
achieved all for which you struggled,
there is one thing in which your par
ty is powerless for good. 49,
RECONCILIATION. iii .-.
For a generation the country has
been agitated by sectional disputes.
They eliminated in rebellion in the
South and revolution in the North. A
generation ago slavery was cOnstitu-
liOnal institution. Now every vestige
of it is banished from the Constitu-
ton and laws of the Republic. The
Democratic party in the North op-
posed both the rebellion and the rev.
olution. They aided in the field to
suppress the rebellion, and the result
was accomplished eleven years ago.
Already the revolution in the North
had begun. 1t was famed into flame
by the rebellion, but its sparks had
existed from the first. That revolu.
ton sought by amendments to the
Constitution to equaliZe the African
aud European races in legal rights.
The Democracy of the whole nation
and many Of the Republicans opposed
it, some for one and some for another
reason, but mainly bccause in princi-.
pie, whatever may be the practical re-
suit. it altered the character of our
Conf, d ,ratior. Finally, six years ago
the last Of these amendments was
adopted. The revolution was COM
plete. Whichever party was right it
ought to have been apparent to the
not be undone without bloOdshed, and
that even bloodshed would not undo
it. Surely then the struggle should
have ended. What l did or said may
be little worth; but having opposed
the adoption OF the Fifteenth Amend
ment to the last, and made the last
utterance against its adoption made
anywhere, l, on the 10th of September
1914. at L.. I
delivered alter its adoption, acknOwl-
edged its validity as part of the Con-
stitutiOn. Though the work OF revo-
lution, not law, aud accomplished by
force aud fraud. it was accepted by
the people generally as final. But
still there were those who doubted.
Some in the South hoped, and some
in the North feared, that the Demo-
cratic success would revoke these
Amendments and rekindle the flame
of war. In the South such hope has