New-York tribune., 1878-01-22
IS IT DISHONESTY

4 friend in Wisconsin writes 10 complain Of
the terms swndling" and reputation
applied 20 the silver project, and to assure us
that " the business men of the West are quite
"as street in their financial integrity as those
of any other section. Have you 80 soon for
gotten he inquiries, the self-sacriicing oppo-
si.ion which the business men Of thc West
made 10 the Fugitive Slave Law, or the gene
rosity with which they contributed To the cX-
pcnscs Of the army during the rebellion No.
We have not forgotten these things but what
have they To do with the question OF the debt
and the currcncyi We have no doubt that
Western business men. ~ class. are
good husbands and fathers and citizens now,
a. they were good patriots during the war;
bnt it does not follow that they have sound
ideas of finance. Moreover. it must be- under
stood that when the world calls the silver
scheme "A dishonest one, II does not accuse any
individual supporter of that scheme of dis
honest purposes. Many advocate it in good
faith: many more advocate it in bad faith,
believing that it Will enable them 10
cheat their creditors. The morality of each
mans personal action is question for bis own
conscience. The act Itself is intrinSically dis
honest, and whether you like it or not, the
whole civilized world will call it SO. No doubt
il hurts your feelings; but we cannot help
that.
Y0u gentlemen at the West cannot make q
code OF financial morals for yourselves and
cypcct all the rest Of the earth 10 acquicscc in
it. Civilized man has agreed to consider it
dishonest to dcbase the coinage for the pur-
pose of sealing down debts, and that is Just
what you propose to DO. Even our honest
Wisconsin friend, whose letter lies before us,
makes it quite PLAN that he wants Bland
silver dollar for no other reason than because
it will enable him TO pay his creditors with
something that is worth less than gold
That is what he calls doing "justce TO the
"drbt0r" But the common sense of all Mt
tons has long since declared it 10 be cheating
Over 100000 Of American men and women
in the Eastern States have invested their say
ings under the assurance that no American
Government can be guilty Of the dishonesty of
robbing them of One-tcnth of their property
by declaring ninety cents to be legal
tender for dollar. Foreigners have
lent us money 10 build our railways
and factories under the same assurance. If
now, in the mean hope of little
temporary advantage, we trick all these credi-
tors by paying thcm not in the one standard
Of value which all the world acknowledges
but in a bascr metal upon which we aiiix by
statute purely arbitrary and fictitious value,
what shall this be called but swindinS? De
pend upon it, mankind will give such conduct
no other name. and if The West cannot bear
the stigma, and slrinks from the pccuniary
loss which always follows a bad reputation, it
must mend It's ways.
Convince u- hy fair arguments" writes
our friend, " but do not try TO drive this Great
"West by threats" Arguments! The East
has given you arguments in abundance, and
how have you met thcml There has been no
argumenta in reply but Mr. Bland threatens,
if we will not accept 90 cents on the dollar, to
come back "with sponge" and wipe out the
bonds altogether while Mr.. Voorhees, dcclarcs
That if We offer any further resistance 10 the
demands of the repudiatOrs this fair land
"wll again be convulsed in agony, and
"the fires Of liberty will blaze forth again as
"they did one hundred years ago in defence
"of the natural rights of man." This is the
language not OF political economist, but Of
a political bandit. We have tried argument and
cxhoItation till We are tired, and we are an
swered by violence Finally the banks resolve
in self defence to lend no more money except
upon the assurance that they Will get back
the same kind of currency that they put out ;
and thereupon the silver party rises up in
wrath TO ask if We dare threaten the Great