Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1877-10-11
What Once was Democracy.

Dack-actlng lnnatlon plank, 1t sudden
II comes to light that the democratic
party has always been a soft money
party. Never was in favor of re-
sumption says one. always soft
money party" complacently asserts
another. No one was surprised when
the democratic platform came forth
from the Fond du Lac convention
with plank, denouneing resumption
and declaring imitation. Policy in
stead of principle being the governing
power in the formation Of the plat
form, it was not a difficult nor embar-
RAISING matter to declare in favor of
anything that might, possibly, catch
fey greenback votes But when dem
ocrats solemhly announce that the par
ty has always occupied it'a present at
titude upon the financial question they
are trying to make you the victim of a
stupendous joke or appalling ignor
ance.
The following opinions upon this
question, uttered at different times
may be of interest to those men who
insist that the democratic party was
always a soft money party. There
will probably be no question but that
the men who are credited with these
utterances were good and true Demo
Gratis:
"A paper currency is a great curse
to any people, and a particular curse
to the laborer Of any country, for its
depreciation always falls upon the la
borer "-Andre10 Jackson
at tends to aggravate the inequali-
ty Of fortune, to make the rich richer
and the poor poorer; to multiply ma
hobs and paupers and to deepen and
widen the gulf which separates Dives
from Lazarus "-Thomas H. Benton.
"And you now purpose to give a
further continuance to the violation of
its provisions by again declaring this
lrredeemable paper equivalent to spe-
cie. < x And you compel the peo
pie to receive this worthless paper. by
that omnipotent coercing power which
exists in congress alone. By a long
continued course oferror, by an unin-
tcrupted habitude of crime, the mind
becomes habituated to the contempIa-
ton and reconcilcd to the practice -
William Allen
1.-The currency will be expanded;
prices will be inflated, fixed values
will depreciate incomes will be dim
inished the savings of the poor will
vanish the hoardings of The widow
will melt away II. Pendleton
GA speedy return to specie payment
is demanded alike by the highest con-
siderations Of commercial morality and
honest government. "-Democratic
National Platform cf1S72.
at is one of the greatest humbugs
ever attempted to be imposed upon a
people, that there is not specie enough
in the world to answer all the necess-
airy wants ofthe community. "--Andre,O
Jackson.
"The platform adopted by the dem
ocratic party at Baltimore suited us
we'll enough then and it suits US at this
date. The principles therin enumera-
ted arc good enough for US. and we
propose to stand by them until somebo-
dy clothed with authority provides us
with a better set IF Senator Thur
man proposes to go behind the plat
form, or gives a public. exhibition cal
culated to create the impression that
the democratic party simply practiced
deception at Baltimore, and didn t
mean what it said, then we will unfor-
tunately we presume, be found in OPP
position to Senator Thurman. - Gin
cinnatt Enquirer, Nor. 1874 1872
"Mr. Buchanan said that he entire
" approved Of the general principles
and policy upon which the amendment
proposed by the gentleman from Miss
ouri Mr. Benton) was founded. The
country was now flooded with bank
paper, and it was certain there would
soon be still greater issues. The
amount of bank uotes now in circula-
ton was greatly beyond any just pro-
portion to the specie in our banks, and
from the vast increase of banking cap
ital in the different states the com
menccment of the present year, this
evil would for sometime continue to
increase The evils which resulted
from the system to the laboring man,
to the manufacturer, and to all classes
of society. except spectators, were
palpable. He should not now attempt
to betray them. x ::
1t was calculated to transfer the
wealth and property of the country
from the honest, industrious and I'M
suspecting classes of society into the
hands of spectators, who knew when
to purchase and when to sell. =
james Buchanan, Z. S. Senate,
March %, 1886.
ITO contend that because congress
have derived from the constitution the
express power, and that only. of coin
ing gold and silver money, that
therefore, it is their right and their
duty to create paper money. appears
to me, with all due Difference, to be a
monstrous proposition. 1t cannot be
maintained for moment. The franz
ers Of the constitution have evinced
their intentions as clearly as human
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