The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-05-30
RESUMPTION.
How Secretary Sherman Swears to ssRe
sumo In ,79 or be Damned.''
The Two Methods In which this Govern
ment can Resume Specie Payment.
The Difference between Gold as Currency
and as Commodity
Especial Correspondence N. o. Democrat.1
WASHINGTON, May 26.

Especial Correspondence N. o. Democrat.1
WASHINGTON, May 26
THE PROFANITY
of great men is one Of those idiosyncracies
which the American people are prone to tole-
rate with great deal of charity If not to
actually admire In q sneaking way. We have
In our domestic history many recorded epi-
sodes of illustrious profanity, beginning with
the Father of His Country, who is represent
ed by veracious historians as having roundly
'cussed' Gen. Charles Lee at the battle of
Monmouth and to have given vent to his
paternal feelings in equally decided terms ON
other occasions.
The immortal Jackson was more luxuriantIy
profane than any Of the prior Presidents, and
his "By the Great Eternal has become truly
household word in the land. Old Zach Tay-
lor was profound though not very brilliant
swearer. Frank Pierce was given to mild
forms of objurgation, such as 'Dem it, and
old Buck has been known to leave a Cabinet
meeting and walk all the way to Meridian
Hill, for the sole purpose of giving vent to
his presidential feelings in the choicest vocab-
ulary Of the Army in Flanders. Honest old
Abe did not swear, but he made UP for his
lack Of profanity by his plenitude OF smutty
anecdotes while Andy johnson came after
and did swearing enough for both admins
trations. Grant was not profane himself, but
the dminutive and yet mighty Mullett, who
did the swearing for Grants Administration,
was the most versatile, ready and accom-
plished objurgator that ever swore an oath
and Is yet, for that matter.
| Having had my attention called to this GU
rious and interesting study long ago, and
| having followed with something like q stu
dents enthusiasm
THE PROGRESS OF PROFANITY IN GOVERN
| MENT,
/ early became anxious about the policy Of
the present Administration, in that line. |
knew that Mr.. Hayes could not swear an in
telligible oath. A man who had served In his
brigade told me during the Ohio campaign Of
1876 that he had never known Hayes to
attempt profanity but once and that was in a
battle where the troops belonging to q con-
| tiguous brigade got scared at volley of
musketry from their own skirmish line and
ran away, leaving the flank of Hayes brig
ade exposed. But most of Hayes men
thought their commander was trying to
pray, and some of them went SO far as to
take off their hats and bow their heads He
never swore again.
Knowing these facts, I felt that the swear
ing OF this Administration must be done by
proxy. When heard that Bristow was going
into the Cabinet / was reassured, for Bris-
tow's profanity is of the school of the State OF
Kentucky, and is therefore sufficient to meet
the requirements Of any administration. But
Bristow did not come in. Instead of him
came John Sherman; and it has recently
transpired that John is doing the
| SWEARING FOR THE ADMINISTRATION.
The first installment of Johns official pro-
family was given out the other day, and while
the quality of the article was such as to suggest
room for improvement, there can be no doubt
that John will ultimately excel, provided he
devotes himself to the acquisition of profane
knowledge with the same assiduity as has dis
tinguished his efforts in by-gone years to ac-
cumulate a fortune at the expense of his be-
loved country. II will be damned" says
john "if do not resume in 1897
Here we have distinct avowal Of financial
policy in general terms
Now. the reporter who elected from John
this startling announcement of his general
financial policy was an accomplished inter.
viewer, and, as q matter of course his avidity
for details led him into minute inquiry as te
the methods by which John SO profanely pro
posed to resume in 1879" The following
was Johns financial reply to the reporters
inquiry touching his proposed method: 'Tl
be damned if am going to stand up and be
catechised like a boy at sehoolp And these
two declarations sum up Johns fnancia
policy so far as heard from-he will be
damned Ii he does not resume in 1879; and ht
will be equally damned IL he tells anybody
how he is going to do it.
Let us see If we can find out of our owl
knowledge and thus save John from the dis
!, which he does not want to tell or beint
damned. From now until
THE DATE FIXED BY Law FOR RESUMPTION
, and by John for damnation Is space Of nine
teen months and seven days.
] TO resume means for the Treasury to reacl
condition that will enable it to disburse golt
coin INTERCHANGEABLE with legal tender notes
at the option of either itself or the payee, ii
discharge of all liabilities of the government
| anu Gtlat Will llEbIIGI IL W Iecelv0
own paper INTERCHANGEABLE with gold coin a
/ the same option in payment of all dues to tn
, government When this condition is reaches
by the Treasury, specie payments will be re
sumed by all private institutions, because
THE TREASURY is THE LARGEST DEALER Il
! MONEY
that there is in the country and thus, evel
, without any law beyond the natural laws o
trade. the smaller dealers would be forced t'
follow the example Of the largest At th
present time the Treasury receives every yea
about s297, 100000, and disburses nearly tn
: same amount. Of this sum not far from
100000 is gold or its practical equivalent
Heretofore the Treasury has carried on tw'
|. distinct lines of business. 1t has dealt il
gold to the extent of, say, s11o,o0o,0oo a year
and in paper to the extent Of say, 10000, ,00o
To ras,,1ma means that IL shall rnarfye thes