New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-09-23
INDIANA GREENBACK MEN.


tTRoN A STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE
tsn,.r,Po1Is. Sept. 1s-A fourishing crop of
.hO-ns thstles and rag weeds has sprung up on the
Dolitical field in Indiana to embaTass the move
Soents of the oontendnG parties These unwelcOme
srowths of financial Yagaries and currency de,
isions have interlooked on the sO-called Indepen-
aont Creenback party, an organization quite inde-
nandent of common sense and green enough to
imagine IL is going to sweep the State in October
and tina whole country in November. 1t seems TO
hove had its roots in the Granger movement, for the
Farmers party which that movement engendered
IN 1872 and which ran candidates for State offices
tben ON the anti-monopoly cheap transportation
hobby. became in 1874, under the same name, sub
stantially greenbaek movement, and this year,
with its new name and TIE old speeches of William
n Kelley for its gospel, it is making fight on
nlatform of hostility to the banks and advocacy Of
AZ irredeeInable Government currency interchange
obls for 8.65 bonds 1t is running State ticket,
fu local tickets in about so counties mixed tickets
sometimes fusing with one party and sometimes
with the other in perhaps dozen counties more,
has candidates for Congress in II districts and is
naving the mischief generally with the calculations
If both Democrats aud Republicans.
find it very difficult to get any trustworthy in
formation as to the strength Of the movement or its
prospects Last Friday went to Terre Haute, where
nv all accounts it is to be at its best. The edi
tor of tho former Republican organ, The DAILY En-
ress Major Smith, is its leader in that part Of the
State and the course of his paper in abandoning its
marty and espousng the greenbaok cause is undOubt-
sdlv the chief occasion of its strength in the
ties along the Wabash above and below Terre Haute.
Major Smith did not attempt to estimate the vote
the new party would poll in the State, and could
only speak Of his own section. He believed it had
more adherents in Yigo County than either of the
old parties and that it would elect its candidate for
Congress in the TeTre Haute District In the city,
It's members he said, were chiefly drawn from the
Republican ranks, but in the country the majority
were former Democrats and, taking the State
through he believed the two elements about bal
anced each other-a theory, by the way, which
the Republican leaders woud feel greatly relieved
If they could entertain. PhilosophiSing about the
movement he remarked that it embraced a great
many extremists of all sOrts-stubborn old Adolf
tionists and former Democrats, who sympathiEed
with the South during the war spirtualists, re-
hgious enthusiasts, prohibition teetotaiers, and
other kinds Of Tefouners-in short, people of pos
tive opinions on great variety OF subjects. VI
course he added that the majority Of its adhcrents
were emnently sensible fellows. / should say,
from what observations and inquiries | have
been able to make, that the party is
made up of three classes of people-frst,
veteran hobby-rideTs, theorists and harmless
monomaniacs, such as Major Smith described
second disappointed politicians, who have failed to
get office in one OF the other of the old parties or to
receive the consideration they think they are en-
titled to; third embarrassed spectators ard bust
ness men in the towns, and farmers with mortgages
On their lands who feel the pinch of the hard times
and are ready to take any quack medicine of
theory that promises relief. Major Smiths esti-
mate of the numerical strength Of the. party in
the middle Wabash region was fully justified
by It's demonstration at Terre Haute ON Satur-
day, which was really mammoth affair There
were over 1900 torches in the procession, and
for wagons bands and banners, the pGrade sur
passed those of the Republicans and Democrats on
recent occasions What will the reader think of the
intelligence of these Independents when say that
this impressive demonstration in honor Of that
blatant demagogue "Samp Cary. and that his rant
ings were received as pearls of political wisdomi
In indianapolis the greenbackers possess weekly
organ called The Saa, which is somehow OF other en-
nbIed to print and distribute gTatuitOusly large
number of copies throughout the State. Mr..
Buchanan, its editor, is popularity styled The
Plan" Oh account of his persistent advocacy of the
9e5 bond plan. He is running for Congress IN this
district, and is probably more then any other man
the leader of the Independent movement i'll the
State. Like most of the sOft-money extremists, he
insists upon making speech as soon as the subject
is preached and talks an hour or so about the
tyranny Of capital the oppression OF labor the con-
traction Of the currency the bullionbrOkers Of the
East, and so On through the whole range of Kelley
ISM before one get any definite information out
Of him. They are all tremendous takers, these
ueenback advocates Ask them for fact and they
spin you out an argument. The only statement Ar.
Buchanan gives about the strength of his party Is
that it has 10000 names upon its rolls. This IS an
imposing array Of voters, but when investigated
they diminish like Fallstaf7s men in bncTam. The
10000 names were procured within year, and
chiefly last Fa as signatures to printed statements
of financial theories identical with those now max
ing the greenback platform, but the signers by no
means pledged themselves 70 act politically with an
independent organization.
gathered from Mr.. Buchanan's discourse that the
principles Of the Indiana Independents are in sub
stance 40 follows: The destruction of the National
bank currency and tho issue of greenbacks in its
place-in violation Of course, of the pledge of the
Government that the total volume of legal-tender
notes shall never exceed FIVE hundred millions; the
comforting Of "full legaltender' qualities upon all
the greenbaoks so that they will be receivable for
customs duesin disregard of the implied pledge to
the bondholdeTs that the nation would maintain
gold revenue TO pay its interest obligations; the
intereonvertiblity scheme for greenbacks and 1865
bonds the reconciliation of silver; and finally, the
conversion Of the whole bonded debt into 1865 by
paying it Off in silver purchased with the bonds Of
thar kind. When this plan is adopted the Green
hackers imagine that wages will be high, business
brisk, interest low, and everybody rich and happy
except the bloated bOndholders and the "bul-
hOn-mongers.D The greenbacks are never TO be re-
deemed and the bonds are never to be paid, but
JcfI,, ao1l IN bai Ia a at IA