The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1878-09-12
SOME SENSIBLE TALK TO GREEN
HACKERS.
A Veterans Warning to the "'EatiOn.
ais"

AIS
Gen. Durbin Ward Of Cincinnati, on the
5th inst, delivered an address to the
national greenback party" at Sidney, o.,
which is highly interesting and is as APP
propriate for this locality as if specially
prepared for the greenback wing of the
Nationals in this congressional district.
His speech contains the following remarks:
1t is law Of all revolutionary parties
composed of malcontents breaking loose
from old parties that the extremists always
get the control. 1t was so with the know
nothings, it was so with the republicans.
The first anti-slayery men never dreamt of
pushing their mild, moral suasion opposi
ton to slavery into legal action for its de-
struction. But the hottest heads, as they
always will in revolutionary movements,
ruled the cooler ones, and moral sussion
became palitical power. And so In the
present national greenback-labor move
ment, while they may protest, and at first
desire to hold aloof from mere socialism
and communism. il cannot be done. They
viii become controlling factors in the ele-
ments OF unrest now seeking to harden up
into elements of power. Be not deceived,
my greenbsek friend; If you are not willing
to take the national greenback offered you
by the democracy, you will finally take the
red flag of communism. There is no half
way city of refuge. The third party must
be defeated and dissolved, and fused with
some other party, or it will end In the COM
mune, and of the commune / shall have
something TO say before closing.
You must then, icy national friend, dis
place one Of the two parties if you would
succeed, 1t is a necessity of your posi-
ton. And which one do you think you
can destroy2 Can you destroy the demo-
cratic organizationP Can you do what
none Of its other rivals have been able to
do during nearly century of struggle
Verify, you cannot. The democratic party
will be coequal with the republic itself
If you drive either party from the field, il
must DO the republican. And from the
very nature Of things do you not see that
il you did that the mass of the republicans
would join the democrats, and you would
be little stronger than you are now
True, few democrats of extreme views
and few republicans of like views might
join yoq, but every possible accession
would leave you in hopeless MAJORITY
But you may answer that If your views
are correct you will finally win. And that
brings US to the discussion of what you
want. What do you demand? What
are your principles2 Because parties
cannot when new. achieve success at all,
except on what are thought at least to be
principles, and cannot live long after their
principles are dead. Perhaps you answer
that the present evils grow out of bad cur
rency legislation, and you demand currency
reform. You demand the overthrow Of
the national banking system. So be it,
The democracy will give you thai in due
tune; but wheat crop cannot be raised
in u month, nor q monetary system sue
cessfully changed in year, Policies
grow-are not built like cob-houses. Per-
haps you say you want greenbacks put in
the place Of national notes. Very well, or
i'll, as any one may think; but our plat
form offers you that. Again, you want q
repeal of the resumption law. Well, did
not the whole democratic party Of Ohio
vote against its enactment, and does not
their platform favor its repeal2 If not
repealed it goes into effect next January;
and how preposterous il is to think your
third party movement can affect the
question. If il goes into effect and sue.
ceeds, the issue is gone. Ii it goes iato
effect and fails, its failure will force its re-
peal, whatever any party may say. AT
last the national greeDbacker, with Sam
Gary as as bis spokesman, steps boldly to
the front and demands that greenbacks
shall take the place of all outstanding
bonds. He demands illimitable lrredee-
mable issues. He insists Cd fat naoney.' -
he claims that the government, by some
mysterious sovereign magic, can give IL
linitable value to printed Taper. Unfor-
tunately, no such official alchemy exists,
or else AladdiD's la mp in the Arabian
Nights would be tame, commonplace
tact, unworthy a school boys admiration.
IL by its fat" the government could
create thousand millions Of value, ii could
by the same token create five hundred
thousand millions. The whole prouerty
ct the United States is not worth fitty
thousand millions in gold. and 80, if this
necromancy of Gary would pan out" in
the working operation of the machinery.
our rulers could buy upaA the property in
the nation and have four hundred and City
thousand millions left TO carry on
their conquests abroad, until
like Alexander, they would have to sigh
because there were no more worlds to con-
auer, unless. indeed, they could take unto
themselves the wings of the morning and
ny not only to the uttermost parts Of the
earth, but to the uttermost regions oil
illlmitable space, where their illimitable is
sues would find scope and verge enough
to have full course and be gIorl6ed," Scr
of wisdom, sapient greenbacker Of the
national type, do you really believe thai
fifty thousand millions Of mere Fiat" If
redeemable paper issues would buy more
wheat, or houses, or gold, than one thous
aud millions? If 80 the experience of tn,
world, then, is fable, and the history o.
the asslgnats and mandats, Of revolution
airy tame, the south sea scheme, the con
inentAi money, the confederate money