The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1878-03-07

In an able article reviewing Hayes
Message vetoing the Silver Bill, the
Cincinnati Enquirer scores that doc
ument in fitting terms, Discussing
the reasons, if they may be digniiied as
such, given for veto of q message so
clearly constitutional, and so emphat-
ically demanded by the people, that
paper says:
1.-THE veto message is as weak and
illogical as it is outrageous. 1t damns
itself. What ars the Presidents argu-
ments? "The capital defect of the
measure is that it contains no provision
protecting from its operation pTe-eX-
isting debts" The hand that wrote
those words in the message, whether
that Of Sherman or Hayes, should
have palsied in the writing, and the
Administration that sent them to
Congress should resige for shame. One
great purpose of this bill was to cor
rect legislation witch ignored "pre-
existing contracts" Did the men
who demonetiZed the old silver dollar
exempt the pre-existing debts? The
entire National debt is payable, in the
specific words of the law authorizing
the issue Of the bonds, and in the spe-
cific contract printed on the bonds
themselves, in the dollar which this
law reinstates, and which the Sherman
gang banished from money with the
most reckless disregard of ''pre-eXist-
ing debts" The National debt was
made by law payable specifically in a
named number of grains Ofsilver or in
a named. number of grains of gold.
Why did not the men who stopped the
coinage of those grains of silver i'll 1873
= in 1874 m T,f
from the Ope alton of their Infamous
measures the "pre-existing" National
debt to the amount of about two thou
sand millions? 1t is criminal impu-
dence in them now, touching this bill
meant to undo the very wrong of
which this message complains, to moan
kelying hypOcritest that the bill "cOn-
tains no provision protecting from its
operation pre-existing debts" AS the
President calls this feature " the capi-
tai defect" of the bill his veto has in
f1icted capital punishment uoOn itself
has committed suicide. The Presi-
dent hangs all his objections to the
bill upon the point of impairing the
obligations of contracts. 1t is not the
coinage of new dollar, but the coin
age of an old one, that the law author
ICES. And the President should re-
member that the surest way in which
to Is injuriously affect the public cred
| it' is to weaken the respect at home
for its managers; that ''public faith"
begins at home. The Government
should first keep faith with its own
citizens. But the President advises
lying to ones wife, swindling ones
daughter, cheating his son and robbing
his employer, in order to give to a
stranger more than is promised. When
he says it was understood different
ly, he only heaps infamy on the heads
Of those who have caused the bonds to
be understood as the bonds themselves
say they shall not be. He cOnfesses a
high crime and misdemeanor when
admitting an announcement of the
/ administration In defiance of law" "
When he says that 1.-THE standard oi
value should not be changed without
the consent of both parties to the con-
tract, !" he unwittingly takes precisely
the position of the Congress that de.
nounced such a change in their law
trampling on his veto, and, in spite OF
himself, rectified it."