The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-09-29
MIR. GREENBACKER UNMAsKs.

J That is right, Mr.. Greenbacker. Always
meet an opponent face to face and look him in
the eye, and if he will not then respect you he
can have little respectfor himself. In this light
we cheerfully give Mr.. Greenbacker place in
our columns, however indisposed he apparently
| is to be over.pleasant or complimentary in his
remarks.
| There is one thing, however, about Mr.. Green
hacker that we admire We mean his candor
especially when he admits himself unequal to
the task of arguing the currency question. We
quite agree with him. Such crudities as he
foreshadowed on that subject in his former
communication show that more than even John
Ia. Logan's 'two weeks" could be profitably
spent by him in studying the currency ques-
ton.
What can be mean, for instance, by cOmpar-
ing the st. Louis democratic platform to max
ing an omclct without eggs? Is it possible
that he can discover no greenbacks in that
platform because the words "legal-tender notes
are used instead of "greenbacks" Or is he
auarreing with the ST. Louis convention be-
cause they find fault with the republican party
for breaking faith with the people in issuing
greenbacks and making them redeemablc or
interconvertible with government bonds, and
afterwards dcpreciating their value and de
grading them by taking from them this con
vertible property? Or is he quarreling with
the convention for its declaration in favor OF
the unconditional repeal Of the Sherman re-
sumption act?
Mr.. Greenbacker is equally puzzing when
he assures us that we wholly fail to compre-
bend the reason and nature Of the demand of
the greenbackers for the reconciliation Of sill
YER Our supposition was that 1t was TO give
us more money as well as to enlarge the me-
tallic basis of our greenback circulation, and
give us coin with which to pay the principal
and interest of our national debt without be-
ing at the mercy of the gold gamblers. But
the greenbackers it seems have some occult
reason wholly unknown to us, but which our
friend declines to reveal. What could be more
tantalizing?
We have said we admire Mr. Greenbackers'
candor. We should also like to admire his
goodness. He despises the democratic party,
he tells us, and detcsts the republican party.
Every now and then one comes across people
so truly good that no political or any other or
ganization of the day seems quite good enough
for them. There are about 100000 voters in
this country for whom the democratic party
Is good enough There are probably 3,25000O
for whom the republican party is good enough.
But there areEay 1000 voters so truly and SUI
prcmcly good that they cannot submit to the
contamination of assocating with the other
6,750000. One meets these truly good men
not only in politics, but in religion and all the
social relations. Religiously, they are pre-
cminently pious, but there is no church organ
izatiOn pure enough for them. Socially they
are the pinks of propricty, but there is no So
ciety quite good enough for them. They are
reformers, but
somehow they are so isolated-so grand,
gloomy and peculiar they quite oveawe
the common herd, and therefore never have
any following, and never seem to accomplish
anything This country is governed by the
democratic and republican parties from the
national executive down to the small village
corporations. If a man has any good ideas to
propagate-any wise or wholesome political
theories to put into practice, he must operate
with the tools at hand-through one or the
other of the great political parties of the coun-
try. He certainly will accomplish nothing by
standing outside of both and flinging dirt at
them.