New-York tribune., 1877-09-01
THE OHIO SILVER MEN.

TO ARREST TIE UNJUST lNShf.AoE VI DHDA'
TO the Bdttor OF The Tr'bane
SIR ask the privilege of defending the Ohio
Silver Resolution in your columns. Some Eastern
journals have sssailed that utterance violently and
unfairly THE TRIBUNE and Post treat il a clever
but rather dishonorablc dodge by which the silver
manacs were outwitted. Permit me TO state the
situation when our Convention met, the purport aud
intent of the resolution, and probabilities of the fu
ture as related TO tho reconciliation of silver.
The Situohon.-The Ohio Republicans who really
favor the payment of the legaltender notes, ana de-
sire return TO money that is earned and notes that
are paid have for years had difficult and discour-
aging contest. Tie pestilent and plausible money
beresies which seem to have their homes in the
Western States, come upon MS annually like the
erasshoppers in multitude and like them in desruc-
ton. We have repeatedly been called upon to bat
tie against these dangerous errors, and thus lar we
have succeeded If we have not always attacked
the enemy directly in front, it was because we
understood the situation better than the lavender
politicians of the Eastern press, and consequently
chose a flank. movement as safer and more decisive
If we sometimes refuse the ship in the teeth
of,the wind, IL is because own waters we are
better sailors than the Eastern Pecksnihs who give
us holy reproofs al the beginning of each campaign
and unstintod praise after the election. Ii was so
two years ago We met the same pharisaicai treat
1nent in June and July; but in October it was seen
that we had scotched initiation and cleared the at
Inosphere for the National campaign OF the subse-
ouent year. If Ohio had gone Democratic on the IN
fation platform of 1875, the Eastern Republicans
and Independents would have found other work than
finding fault with the who fought the battle for
sound money.
The Silrei ORcsfiOR.-Thls has been the most DELI
cate and difficult of the many questions that have
come 20 us for solution 1t presented great dangers
and contained, as we believed. important advan-
tages. Ii threatened to divide the advocates OF
sound money This would have been disastrous
As politicians we are fools that divide in pres
encc of the enemy. Among the crude and reckless
advocates Of the reconciliation OF sllVer almost
eysry scheme proposed would, if tired in practice
have demonetizod gold by the operation OF the I'M
perous laws OF value. If properly directed, 'he
feeling in favor of silver could De utilized IL preserv-
ing il, as It bas been kept ever since commerce be
gan. As one of tho money metals Of the world, and
at the same time give a larger coin basis fof our
currency. when we shall have returned to solvent
conditions. We believe both these objects of the
highest importance. With very rare exceptions
Ohio Republicans believe in bi-metalhc money. We
therefore no more favor the decentralization OF gold
through the original and irreversibe law OF value,
than we favor the abandonment OF silver through
the law Of Congress.
Early in the discussion it seemed if the shouters
and ranters about silver would carry all before them,
and declare for such coinage OF silver as would
agaiu revolutonizc our whole money system drive
out gold and, to the extent OF the nuence OF such
adeclaratioTi. weaken the public credit. To avoid
these evils, and at the same time to avoid faJal
division of our voters, TIE task before us.
Most of the country press was clamOrOus for nn-
Hunted silver without regard to values or public
credit or private rights Even TIE Cincinnati Com
,aeraI the most jealous IL not always che wSeSt Oi
our papers, in advocating honest money! was com
pletely carried away, Daily, and sometimes twelve
tunes day il shouted The Dollar of the Fathers
"The silver Option" "The Swindle OF 1873"
and such coherent and scientific elacula-
ton. To the Editor of that paper the
silver dollar OF 412l2 gIains, nine-tenths tihe,
il the chariot Of Israel and tie horsemen thereof"
r. explanation and extenuaor OF the epiieptic con
dtion Of that Editor the origin Of his maady ought
10 be known. Ills earlier years were spent on the
banks of the classic Padlys Run. the lissus Of Ohio
While in the veay stage he was violently struck
upon the right temple by bad Welsh boy named
Tyaus Jones' with "a hickOry-nut-not one OF your
Eastern hckory-nuts, weighing 25.S grains, but one
OF the great Western variety, weighing sixteen TO
the pound. The hurt supposed to be mortal,
hat a skilful old surgeon, who had wandered away
from the English Army TO practice in the remote
resion Of Paddy's Ran, trepanned the injured
head with an old silver dollar, brought from North
Carolina early in the century. OF late The
Editor has been undergoing ossGcaton Of the skull,
aud the silver dollar presses continually upon his
brain 1t IS always with him. He is always re-
minded Of it, True the dollar he clamOs abOnt is
purely subjective. but his disordered imagination
projects it into everything, just men afflicted with
mental or visual arrangement imagine thai their
inward fancies are great objective realities. Nor
was he alone. He was the chief among fourscore
bowling deTyshes who were equipped with untir-
ing voices and plentiful lack of knowledge, both
OF the science and history of coinage. Under such
circumstances il was surely wiser TO utilize all this
fcfvor than to extnguish it, especially when to
test it would end in disastrous divisions.
me Re.olpiioR.-The resolution declares for bi-
metallic money Gold is not 10 be demonetizcd in
remoustizug silver. The danger to be avoided is
clearly pointed ont But yOu will say that we have
declared for fun lega-tender silver. True; and 1t
may be admitted that this Is not strictly scientific,
ipasmuch as q limitation Of legai-tcndcr is one OF
the modes of keeping gold and SILVER working IN
harmony. But it is not the only way. nor the best
way. Until other commercial nations can agree
with us in uniform system of free coinage and
full legal-tsnder Of silver with fixed ratio be-
tween it and gold. we would be compelled 10 limit
the amount coined TO the money wants of the coun-
try for pieces of a certain denomination. Why
need any advocate of gold be alarmed at the pros
pect of coming enough OF silver dollars to take the
place Of bills of the denomination of one and two
dollars IL you say that this would still make
silver subsidiary, and continue gold as the ultimate
standard ~e Will not dispute about terms. Such
plan eouid increase the coin of the country by per-
baps fifty millions, possibly one hundred millions,
rs tins coin would be a fayorite for boarding Can