The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1878-09-28
THE RETREAT.
VERNON PARIsH, La, /
AuG. 81, 1878. !

a .candluatp 1DI tit LtSioieeo"1b
and although proud of the conf
.dence and respect OF my friends,
feel it to be duty j owe to myself
and to them to say once for all thal
1 j have long since determined never
again TO be candidate for any
office. i am now in my I'D wear,
and am fully resolved to spend my
few remaining days peaceabiy anu
quietly at home.
| have been a democrat all my
life. and j believe the great tllnda,
mental principles OF the democratic
party as founded by Jefferson, and
practiced by Madison, Monroe,
jackson. and others, are based on
the everlasting principles of truth
and Justice. and will live forever.
! Hence it is not strange that i
should feel an abiding interest III
: the success of the democratic party.
IL trust in thus formally bidding
adieu to political life, If l should in
dulue a little in an old mars priv
lege, and volunteer a little advice
to my fellow-citizens OF the parish,
/ will not he charged with writing
in dictaturial spirit or from selfish
motives.
Then let me urge every voter III
Vernon to carefully read and scrll-
tinize the platform adopted at
Baton Rouge. August 9th, by the
Democratic Conservative party. 1t
does seem to me sufficiently com
prehensive and broad for every
democrat tintleed Imight say every
patriotic lover Uf his State to stand
on and defend.
The Greemback party make a
great ado about greenback eur
rency. They seem to imagine they
know more about finance and its
workings than any man living or
dead. Now the only difference be-
tween their platform and ours, as i
understand it on that subject, Is
this: They are i'll favor of issuing
any amount OF greembacks without
even the promise of redemption,
and make them a legal tender i'll
all manner of Indebtedness, Ma
tional, State or private. Now i
ask. if ii promises to pay Il 800 i'll
gold, what right has Congress, the
State, or any other law-making
power. to interpose and say that Il
shall take it III greenbacls, even if
they were at par, much less if they
Were at deprecated standard OF
value!
And as to the issuing of paper
money without making any pro
vision for its redemption, it seems
to me to he too absurd for argu-
ment. 1t would be turning a new
leaf in the financial concerns OF the
world. 1t would be an experiment
that would certainly end i'll mis-
fortune.
Why. fellow citizens, i feel that
/ can SAY without the fear of sue
cessful contradiction, that no Ma
ton, state or corporation ever did
issue paper dollar without making
some provision for its redemption.
The old Continental money of our
revolutionary fathers had its origin
in the necessities Of the times, and
was issued on the faith of the Re
public, but it was based on no
capital, and at the close of the war
the nation was bankrupt, and the
money to the amount Of over three
hundred millions of dollars was
only worth the paper on which it
was printed. The Confederate
money had IA similar origin, and
was based on the faith of the Con
federacy, but the Confederacy failed
to establish itself, and the money
fell stillborn, and was utterly worth
less. And the greenback party
may fill the land with an irredeem-
able greenback currency; their
notes may float through the airlike
the leaves of autumn, but sooner or
later they will find their level, and
fall dishonored and despised ut the
feet of an indignant, oppressed aud
ruined people. i tell you, gentle
men, If ever such an irredeemable
currency should unfortunately be
made the circulating medium of
this country, those who live to see
its end will find its only effect will
have been to enrich the rich at the
expense Of the poor, hard working
yeomanry OF the land.
II claim To ha ono af l+l,a+ .Ioe