Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-07-08

rs the right way Of promoting resump-
ton, and arbitrary enactment of any
specific time apart from such revival /
as injurious. However this may De
the minority amendment was pushed |
as bringing to the issue a square vote
between the hard money and soft |
money sections. This was ultimately |
brought on and the amendment voted |
down by very large majority. All |
this confirms us in our belief that the |
very invention ofthe two terms "hardsn
and ''softs" was unfortunate as imply
ing an opposition in opinion between
conflicting portions of the Democracy
which does not really exist.
1t is true that there does exist very
small section within, not only the Dem
ocratic, but the Radical party too,
which desires permanently irredeem-
able currency; but this section made
no effort to get its views adopted in
the convention, either in the minority
or majority reports, and cannot be
considered as before the nation at all,
but rather as fancy of few unprac-
teal theorists. This theory alone is
really entitled to the denomination of
soft money. But no section of the
Democracy yentured to dispute that
resumption is goal to be aimed at,
the difference being question of means
and time and even as to time neither
section defined any exact period. The
true question at issue then is not the
time bit the means of resumption. and
this is an issue, not between sections
of the Democracy, but between the
Democratic and Republican parties /;
and is met, as all questions are, fair
and square in the Democratic platform
without reserve and without hesitation.
Neither party then, neither section of
either party ventures to put before the
people as its programme for political
action any statement which does not
commence with an aVowal of the prin-
ciple that currency promptly redeem
able in gold and silver is the objective
point to be kept in view, the points of
difference being when and how. The
Radical party Enthusiastically says
by an arbitrary enactment, it is laid
down by act of Congress that green
backs are to be at par by January, 1879;
they might as well enact that we are to
have a wet spring or dry summer in
1879, or q good tobacco crop, or a
moderate stand of wheat. The way to
raise the value of greenbacks is to
elevate the credit of government and
cherish the productive energies of the
people-which is in other words to do
the very opposite of what the Radical
administration has been doing ever
since it has been in Office. The credit
of the government will never be i'm
provedwhile everyyear brings increased
estimates, together with increased tax
alton and increased deficits at the end
of the fiscal year. Credits will not
be improved by the sale of public
Offices and Congressional votes, the one
to political Adventures, the other to
wealthy corporations, by collision with
revenue frauds and official defalcation
and systematised black mail. Credit
does not grow by extravaganza and
dishonesty either in individuals or in
governments, but by economy and in
tegrity in all transactions commencing
in the national administration and de-
scending thus through all States, all
corporations, all institutions, all in
dividuals. We must all grow punctil-
ious in public and private business,
and the example must be set us where
it will be most conspicuous in the
National government; and when We
feel that we can place confidence in the
government and one another, we can
have sound, convertible currency.
and greenbacks will be at par.
Again, the national industries must
be cherished instead of overwhelmed.
Burdensome and unnecessary internal
taxation must be obviated by national
frugality, and theenormous imports on
foreign trade, not for revenue but for
enriehing individuals at the expense
of the nation, must be removed. Trade
and commerce must be allowed to ex-
pand, as they will if left to their natural
energies, and with them money will
circulate whatever the currency that
may be required. But how utterly
this is the reverse of what the Radical
administration has been doing for the
last ten years, which has in that time
/ plundered and wasted the revenue,
enormous as it has been, to an extent
which might have paid the debt of the
nation in specie many times over,
while still with economy and honesty
vast sums might have been left in the
hands of the people for productive en-
terprise which have in fact become the
food for peculation and corruption.
So that in fact the Radical admins
tration has been the soft money power
by destroying the credit of the nation,
while the Democratic party makes re-
sumption its objective point to be ar
rived at by thorough reform in every
department of government, and the re-
establishment thereby of the credit of