The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1876-07-21
EWING FOR TILDEN.
Gen. Tom Ewing, the Great
Creenbacker, Talks
Wisely.
Why the People Should Stand
by the Democracy.
Semsthing fer our Readers to Pom
der Upon.

At the Tilden and Hendricks ratiiica.
ton meeting at Lancaster. Ohio, Gen.
Tom Ewing made the following signifi-
cant speech. at was says the cores
2ondent OF the Cincinnati Enquirer,
characterized by intense earnestness
and vehemence. showing how his whole
soul Is In the currency question" lie
said:
Gen. Ewing's speech.
Fellow-citizens come here this even
ing to JOIN the Democracy of Fairfield in
ratifying the nominations of Tilden and
Hendricks, and especially to discuss the
position and tendencies of the two great
parties in the Presidential canvass on
what regard as the paramount question
OF the day-the currency question.
CURRENCY REFORM.
laddress myself especially to those
Democrats and Republicans who seek
currency reform in the interest Of the
many, not the few: who wish the gen.
eral government to issue all the currency,
whether paper or metallic, who are hos
tile to all schemes for increasing the bur-
den OF the debt, and who prefer 10 walk
through the paths of prosperity to re-
sumption Instead of being dragged
through hell to reach it.
THE SUBSIDIZED PRESS.
The theorists and usurers who have
managed the National finance since the
war have bought nearly the whole press
of both parties to crush out this popular
currency reform, attacking it with an oc-
casional argument drawn from the re-
port of the British Bullion Committee,
and an incessant volley of misrepresenta-
tons, caricatures and ephithets, just as
the Chinese attacked the British in the
opium war, with a few ancient cannon
and legion OF hideous banners, masks,
gongs and stink.cans. Bat in spite OF all
the clamor and abuse with which they
have been assailsd, these currency re-
formers still live. Their faith has grown
and spread by intelligent discussion. and
they mean to maintain their ground
against all opposition, come from what
quarter it may.
THE DUTY OF The CURRENCY REFORM
PARTY.
How can they best maintain it?
Clearly by combining to give victory
10 whichever OF the two parties is most
likely to effect all or part OF the reforms
they seek. A third party would be but
disturbing element in the canvass, and
its formation could not be justified unless
both OF the great parties were equally
committed to the recent laws for the
spoilation Of the people, the repeal Of
which is the first step toward a just set
uement OF the money question. AS a
Sincere friend Of such currency reform,
declare my conviction that 1t can be best
promoted in the approaching presiden-
ual election by the triumph of the Dem
ocratic party, which is substantially
committed against
THESE PERSIcIous LAWS,
and tor the overthrow OF the Republican
party which enacted and almost unan,-
mously sustains them. What are these
laws' Passing by. as a wrong accom-.
plished and !rreparable, the law of 1868.
which MIR. Sherman so Justly character.
ized before he prepared and passed it as
an act Of "repudiation and extortion.r
they are, first, the act Of March u, 1873,
and subsequent provisions Struggled into
the Revised Statutes, by which all debts
over 80, payable In gold or silver, were
MADE PAYABLE ONLY IN GOLD.
This act. like that of 1869, and like the
resumption law, was passed by stealth.
ihe people had no notice Of il. There
was no discussion in the press, on the
stump, or In the halls OF congress.
though 1t added hundreds of millions TO
the debt and put hundreds Of millions
into the pockets Of the bondholdsrs
without equivalent. 1t was slipped
through congress by its ingenious manip-
uators without attracting the slightes,
public attention. From the Admin.
istration Of Washington till the passage
OF that law the American silver dollar
has been legal tender for all amounts
and for all debts, public and private
United States bonds included. But tn,
bondholders ana their attorneys in con
gress saw that tor twenty years past the
worlds product Of gold had been gradu
ally diminishing and Its product of silye,
rapidly increasing. and that the United
States, which prior to the war had pro
dueed no silver, or next 10 none, pro
duced in 1871, 1872 and 1873, more tina,
all the rest OF the world combined. The,
knew that this enormous increase in sill
yer, the limit Of which in the next few
years no man could conjecture, added L
the contemplated demonstration @
the silver by Germany, would great,
cheaper that metal as compared viii
gold; hence the legislative swindl
by which the people were deprive,
OF the right to pay their public an
private debts In the cheaper an,
cheapehing material. How much al,
that add TO the burden Of those debts
The old standard silver dollar, I'm which
they are payable, Is already worth twent,
per cent less than the standard gold dol