Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1877-07-20
Tur poL1TIoAL SITUATION.
v,..o, General Garfield.

The Cincinnati Gazette puohsheus on
Tuesday last. an extended report Of an in
tarvisw with Gen. Garfield. lie was found
II his farm in Lake County, and talked
freely on topics that are engaging the at
tantion of Ohio Republicans. 1.-The paper
money fallacy, said he, ''reappears with
perfect regularity under all forms Of gov
ernment. and nearly always follows the
same process of development. In ONO we
have fought through the first stages anu
must 90 on. Ten years ago we starle" ~.
this State with PendletoniSm, 70 P5! nj
bonds in greenbacEs. The lue" - rTba
| the imitation wave swept tne - down
Republicans got frightenesla an ~ beat of
| their platform a little; II5y L., tbav lower
CouIse, NJ The next year we got
me- - Principles, put souhu Il
uo". !" I - in the platform, and beat
ndhelal g-'s,is s- szatfled Pend etonism; but We
them. .1sil through by the Coin act Of
aIoHe aIo S tLS c6ncbed it: but nothing is set
IS Loo9; @iii tbis country as long as We have If
lIeSi - he paper The Democracy with
bIush turned back on their record of
ssrer,lI years, and, instead of PendletOnism
| we mad Bill Allenism.' But as an educa-
| for the campaign of 1875 was the best we
|
understood just what we meant, and with
that understanding the people sustained
| US. Now, | cannot believe that all that ed
ucation was thrown away. | do insist that
the people are sound on the subject, and
there should be no letting down on our
part. l am not strenuous for specific
day. Let US move on as fast as possible
toward a specie basis, and if when the day
draws near we are not prepared, we can do
as other debtors do-take short extensions
but let there be no step backward. But
the plain facts before the people and the
popular common sense will decide for US.
COrrespondent-There is, however, d
great dread Of contraction.
Gen. Garfeld-It is because the people
think an early settlement of the question
would derange prices; but that evil came
long ago Prices fell to a coin basis as the
panic took effect. Resumption would bring
certainty in business transactions, which
would more than counterbalance all posi-
bic disadvantages resulting from coin
basis at an early day. 1t is uncertainty
| that kills. There will be no certainty TIL
the question is settled, and settled right.
Gen. Garfield reviewed the history OF
| other panics. and arrived at the conclusion
| that the worst of the present trouble Is
ING near a close, and | see abundant evil
dence that the upbuilding has commenced.
The agricultural interest is very prosper
Gus: farmers all through our section are
better fixed than ever before; it's the same
everywhere; farmers pay up their taxes and
everything else more promptly than ever
before in Ohio. | am surprised at the re-
ports | get from manufacturers that deal
in agricultural implements. They have
sold out their entire stock on hand for cash
and do a bigger cash business than ever
before. But when you come to railroads
and iron, that interest will necessarily lag
behind others. Farmers are first out, and
all others must follow in due time. Now,
it strikes Inc that, with the great agricul-
tural population of Ohio already on better
ground, and with the positive certainty
that resumption Will not injure the farmers
an iota, it is poor time to lower our stand |
ard and scare the weak brethren by prom
ising them long period Of uncertainty.
As to silver money, Gen. Garheld SAID he
had no objection to Judge Vests PROPOSE
ton to have $50. 900 900 issued, and take |
more time to consider it. This, said he,
'.is the French system. / am inclined to
think with Mr.. Halstead, that if the com
mereial nations retained silver it would
maintain its relation to gold. But as a
matter of fact, they don't retain it, and if
we adopt unlimited coinage, we simply
agree to take all the silver which all the
rest of the world is throwing out. There
is no help for it as things now stand. If
the silver dollar were tender equal with
gold, the surplus from France, Italy,
Switzerland and Belgium, and all that of
Germany and England, not needed for sub
sidiary coinage. would be marketed here.
1t seems to me impossible to maintain its
ratio to gold under such circumstances"
In answer to a query as to what he
thought of the Southern policy of Presi-
dent Hayes, Gen. Garfield says: ''War
measures must cease some time, and when
so good time as when the war President
went out of office? The fact that we con-
quered those States and then reconstructed |
them by military power familiarized US
with the idea Of continued Interference in !
their affairs, an interference we should not |
have tolerated for moment in this State;
and yet those States were in the Union, en-
dOwed with state autonomy, Just as much as
Ohio. Interference had TO stop, and Pres |
ident Hayes selected the best possible time
to make the change"
Correspondent-Some of the critics say |
there was a contract made by Matthews, |
Foster & Co.
Gen. Garfield don't believe it; the ey-
idence is all against it. No consideration |
existed for such contract. President |
Grant said as early as the first week in Jan |
uary: 81 have held up those Governments |
with the bayonet as long as l am going to.
The people won't bear it any longer. It's |
got to stop" And as to filibustering, Ellis |
and his colleagues were doing all they could |
to aid in completing the count from the |
very start. There never was a time when |
they did not oppose flibustering. We were
on the brink of fearful gulf, and as Amer
lean citizens and patriots they labored earn
estly for a settlement before there could |
have been any inducement offered them as
partisans. No, that story won't do Our
people have the highest confidence in Pres
ident Hayes. In conclusion, the General
expressed himself very strongly against
any Senatorial contest in advance of the
election. 'Let us devote our energies"
said he, ''to carrying the State first, then
settle the SenatOrship as if it were an orig
iOal CnaStIoo