Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1877-10-05
Speech Of Gen. Garfield.

Geo. H. Pendleton at Lancaster, Ohio, on
| the 25th. fr" -t-
Gen. Garfield began by stating that the
most cordial personal relations existed
between him and Mr.. Pendleton, and
they had no personal differences to dis.
cuss. He affirmed that the Democratic
party ought not TO be trusted, and went
into brief examination of its record
For twenty years the Democratic party
has not given any affirmative doctrines
that have been good. On the contrary,
its affirmative doctrines have been aban.
[ doned by the party itself; it has become
party of expedients. In 1850 one
branch of the Democratic party held as
a cardinal doctrine that the Constitution
carried slavery into the Territories, and
another branch held that the people had
the right to carry slavery there. Will
any Democrat believe in that doctrine
nowP The next year eleven Democratic
States affirmed their right and purpose to
go out of the Union, and Mr.. Pendleton
held that if the Southern States insisted
upon going out they had better be let go
out in peace. No Democrat believes in
that to-day; the doctrine has utterly gone
as an issue. After the war had ragged
three years the great National Demo.
cratic party declared that the attempt to
put down the rebellion by war was q
failure. That doctrine was shot to death,
and ceased to be an issue. When we
came to restoring the Union the Demo
Gratis said we ought to let the Southern
States come back without conditions, but
the Republican party said no, and for
two years sought to let the Southern
| States ,readjust themselves, but was
Obliged to intervene with three amend
ments, which were opposed by the Dem
ocratic party with all theirpower. After
these amendments were all adopted, in
1868, the rallying doctrine of the Democ-
racy was that the so-called amendments
were void; on this platform Seymour and
Blair ram Does any Democrat new hold
that the amendments are not validS In
1872 they came with Greeley in their
arms and avowed that they were in favor
of all the amendments. Step by step,
year by year, Presidential campaign by
Presidential campaign, the Democratic
party has abandoned old doctrines, and
has not shown itself to be party of
steady, consistent ideas.
When we came to settle the financial
question the Democratic party was in
consistent. When the Government found
it necessary to issue in the form of a
forced loan large volume of legal-ten-
der notes, the Democratic party in Con-
gress, as one man, denounced it in un-
measured terms, and Mr.. Pendleton dem
onstrated to his own satisfaction that
there was no constitutional warrant fol
the issue of legal tenders. He argued
that it was utterly unwise and ruinous
to make paper money. How long did
the Democratic party hold to this posi-
tionP When the war was over the ques
ton of paying the debt came up. The
Republican party said it was debt OF
honor, the price of the Union, and must
be paid according to the letter of the con
tract The Democratic party. said the
debt could be paid by printing paper
money; there was no more able advocate
of that doctrine than my distinguished
friend. In 1857 and 1868 the Democrats
were defeated on that platform, and ir
the main abandoned that doctrine.
Then came a long struggle over the
currency-the Democrats holding thai
by cheapening the money we could gel
out of debt, and the Republican party
claiming that the Government shoulC
keep its faith. A few days ago saw {
ten-dollar gold piece coined by Maxi
milan. With nothing behind it, it il
just as good money as if the Empire O
Mexico was thriving in all its power
This is because it is money. 1t carrie
on its own face, and in its own heart, th
value it claims. The paper dollar will
always be deprecated in proportion t.
the excess of issue over the ability to re
deem. The Republican party seeks Il
make the paper money equal to the bes
money. sl.
In 1872 the Democrats voted for Gree
J ley on the doctrine that public faith AM
: private good demanded the prompt re
7 sumption of specie payments. ..
: In St. Louis last year the Democrat
: denounced the Republicans for not pre-
} viding for resumption of specie pay
} ments; only the date of resumption wa
criticised. Now the Democrats appear
, demanding the repeal of the whole re
sumption plan. When we are with
: three strokes of solid land the Demo
! cratic party proposes to push us bac
D into the stream. They want to abolis
s the National Bank currency, but don
s seem to understand what contractio
: this would be. They ask for large issu
: of silver coin-not to redeem anything
t but to be placed ON top of all the papC
e in circulation. ...
D The Resumption law does not fix th
t volume of currency. l agree with m
r friend that legislation cannot fix the vo
e ume, larger or smaller, but we hold thi
!. the Government shall see that the qualii
G is perfect. 1t is not question of d
d stroying currency, but of bettering
C The moment we have gone three cen
4 higher, and kept there, resumption hi
e been accomplished
s Suppose greenbacks had come up
n goldl Would man who had sold h
l. farm for $10,000 want to carry about Sc
}. enty-fiye pounds of money out West vii
e him? Would he want to cart it out
a silver? When paper currency is as goc
C as coin it is better than coin for conve
e fence. t.H.s
e The Democratic party has shifted i
C ground. Time was when the Democrat
It party was champion of hard money.
d has been for resumption and against, ar
C / am in doubt to-day as to what / sha
say is the doctrine of the Democrat
le party. New York Democrats declare f
no steps backward; New England Dem
1t Gratis favor gold resumption, leaving S
yer out in the cold. When come to oh
a. the doctrine is changed. Are you oh
n Democrats or National Democratsr
as Thurman or Ward the leaderH The Del
ocratic party is changing from year
c. year, from State to State, and from state
te man TO statesman.
IL The Democrats claim that the Resum
a. tion act will be oppressive TO the debt
le class. What is the part of Americ
Id statesmanshipi To legislOte for one ella
N exclusively2 Shall not the policy
to for the whole country? But the DEN
of Gratis say, don't press resumption till d
lis people are out of debt, Was there ev
Id such time as thatY 1t would be Ii
lie the rustic, in Horace's poem, who wait
n for the river to flow by so that he mig
ut cross over. A large share of our indel
edness was caused by our irIedeemal