The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1876-11-04

khUl1 AMI V4NOA
] Congress shoald be confnEd 10
the laws, and the members expires
hibitsd from interfering in any
whatevsr with the appointment or
OF the other departments. II she
held misdemeanor punishAble BY
sion for any member 70 introduce. eNae 4
or vote for any set OF speciss class
ton in which he shall at the time Rs
direct pscuniary interest. ii
While strictly adhering 10 rrinOtn
carefully guarding against frequs
unimpurtant alteration in the moda ~ ~!
minis ration, we should hold ou1g n
ready " adopt such modification or q -
a. practical experience may show tg y
necessary to . wise and economical aim1sns
istration Of the public service. Il d0egNot
follow that the system of adminisi aon
suited to our circumstances when th4W
ulation and wealth were less than 0ne
what they now are, is adapsed to - Ng
snt condfrfun: nm'svefNaE p6zslB q 'fo7
a single individual to discharge the duties
Of the office of President under the present
system, it is certainly beyond the power Of
any man however wise and talented to do it
now. The physical powers of Hercules
and the wisdom Of Solomon would not
he adequate to the task. The same is true
of the Secretaries. particularly of that of
the Treasury, which is the most important
branch of the public service, and at the
same time the source Of the greatest amount
of corruption and fraud.
No intelligent board of directors of
private corporation, would, for moment,
think of committing to the care CT a single
man, however able, experienced and trust
worthy they might know him to be, the
sole control Of business business of
magnitude and Importance of that of the
management of the fiscal affairs Of this ma
tion. Much less would they think of Sc
Iecting man for place of such Importance
and responsibility in the accidental way in
which the Secretary Of the Treasury is Of
ten chosen. II they should, an impartial
court would not be likely to refuse the de-
mand Of stockholder for the appointment
of board of conservators or trustees to
take charge of the business Of the company
on the mere presentation of these facts
1t is not economy only but uniformity
and stability that are needed in the man
agement Of the fiscal affairs Of the country,
fol- mismanagement in this department
unsettles values and deranges the business
interests of the whole people.
FINANCIAL QUESTION.
As the voters Of this district have,
through the publication and distribution
of my 81 eeches, been made thoroughly &C
quainted with my views and position on
the question of finance, it was not my in
tention to again explain or defend them in
detail in the present canvass, but my at
tention having been called to the speech Of
my competitor, Gen. 7. G. Hayes, in the
Morris Herald of Sept. 29th, which pur-
ported to be a review Of the financial sys-
tenn which l advocate, which ! regard as a
gross misrepresentation, justice to myself
and constituents compel me to expose the
sophistry Of his arguments and the shallow
ness of his reasoning.
The financial question is one that occu-
pies prominent position in the discus
slons. Of the present campaign. The Re
publican party, true to itself and to the
best interests of the country, meets this
question fairly and squarely, and gives
the people to understand clearly what po
sition it occupies in regard to it. In its
platform, adopted at the national conven-
ton in Cincinnati, it says:
''In the first act Of congress signed by
President Grant, the national government
assumed to remove any doubts of its pur-
pose to discharge its just obligations to
the public creditors and so solemnly
pledged its faith to make provision at the
earliest practicable period for the redemp-
tiun Of the United States notes in coin.
Commercial prosperity, public morals and
national credit demand that the promise
be fulfilled by a continuous and steady
progress to specie payment.
''Gen. Hayes says 1--WE should get
back to specie payments because we have
promised to do 50. When we were en-
gagged in the terrible struggle for the sal
vation Of this Union, the great question
was where are we to get the money to
enable us to carry forward to success our
vast military operations I" How could
the money be obtained ! was the great
question Of the hour. This question was
thoroughly discussed by our leading states
men and fnanciers, and, after various
schemes had been suggested, examined
and found to be impracticable, it was de-
cided to call to the aid of the government
power never before exercised. Under
the exercise of this power the legal tender
notes were issued, and by their aid the
government was enabled to meet the heavy
expenses Of the war, and continue the
struggle for the salvation of the Union.
Yes, it was TIE now despised and perse-
cuted legal tenders that provided the f.
naIClhl BdlNdbiOn VI Vic nuA
that too, not only without the aid, but in
defiance OF the gid gamblers of Wall
street and other money centres, ''at home
! and abroad"
These parties employed every means at
their command to destroy the credit Of the
government, until they we're able to pur-
chase its securities at less than sixty cents
on the dollar, in coin, when silver was the
unit of value and they are now the loud
est clamorers for the maintenance of pub
lie faith, and the national honor, and re-
turn to the gold basis.
How any soldier who fought under the
sold flag" for the maintenance of the
| Union can now enlist under their piratical