The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1878-09-04

~ NSo0Ab MS PoAt anu JUN onObASi ~
rid the country of the ruinous financial
measures which have brought the coun-
try to the verge of bankruptcy and de-
spair. The Democracy stand pledged to
accomplish every legitimate reform de
manded by the Nationals or Greenbackers'
The tree must be judged by its fruits.
The votes of its members in Congress,
the platforms of its National and State
organizations, the declarations of its
press, the utterances of its representative
men-all concur in making up a consist
ent record of opposition to this policy,
and of determination to reform it, which
ought to satisfy the country. In 1868,
the national Democratic Convention
which nominated Horatio Seymour for
the Presidency, anticipating the combi-
nation of the Republican lawmakers
and bond-holders to change the contract
by which the bonds were made payable
in greenbacks, and to pledge the people
to pay them in coin, adopted declara-
as follows:
Where the obligations of the government
do not expressly state upon their face, or
the law under which they were issued does
not provide that they shall be paid in coin,
(they the bonds), ought in right and jus
tjce, be paid in the lawful money OF the
United States
One currency for the Government and
the people, the Iaborer and the office holder,
the pensiOner and the soldier, the producer
and the bOndholder.
AT this time greenbacks, in which the
bonds were declared to be payable accord
ing to contract, were worth from so to 70
cents on the dollar. In accordance with
this platform, the Democrats in Congress
resolutely resisted the passage of the in
famous reputation Act of 1869, making
the currency debt coin debt. 1t passed
the House by party vote, and went to
the Senate, and after speeches against it
by Bayard and Davis (of Kentucky, was
passed by the following vote:
YEAs-Abbott, Anthony, Foreman,
Brownlow, Cameron, Catlett, Chandler,
Conkling, COrbett, Cragin, Drake, Edmunds,
FenrOn, Ferry, Fessenden, Gilbert, Grimes,
Harris, Howard, kellogg, Mcdonald, Mer-
rill, Nye, Patterson. Pool, Pratt, Ramsey
Robertson, Sawyer SchurZ, Scott, Sherman,
Stewart, Sumner, Thayer, Upton, Trum-
bull, Warner, Wiley, Williams, Wilson,
\ ates-A2
NAYs-Bayard, Carpenter, Casserly, Cole,
Davis, Morton, Osborne, Rice Ross, Spencer,
Stockton, Thurman Vickers-I3
And again, in 1870, the Democrats
voted against the refunding Act, which
authorized the substitution of new bonds
in place of the old ones, with the decla
ration written on their face that they
were payable in coin.
The bill demonetizing silver was pass
ed surreptiously. Its object was not indi
Gated by its title. 1t was called can
Act to revise and amend the laws relative
to the mints, assay Offices, and coinage"
No one except those in the secret sus-
pected that it demonetized silver. Mr..
Hooper, (Republican), of Massachusetts,,
its passage through the House
and Mr. Sherman, (Republican), of Ohio,
it through the Senate. Neither
of them explained its real object and
effect: There was no call for the ayes
and nays, and it was supposed to mean
simply what its title implied. The Dem,
ocrats were not responsible for the fraud.
They were in a powerless minority in
both branches of Congress.
The Resumption Act, virtually de-
legal tender paper, was intro
duced in the Senate by Mr.. Sherman,
{ Republican), and was passed December
22d, 1875, by the following vote:
YEAs-Allson, Anthony, Boutwell,, Car
penter, Chandler. Clayton, Cragin, Ed |
Fenton, Ferry of Michigan, Fana- |
gan, Frelinghuysen, Hamlin, Harvey, Howe,
ingalls,, Logan, Morrill, of Maine, Morton, |
Oglesby, Patterson, Pease, Pratt, Ramsey, |
Sargent, Sehurz' Scott, sherman. Spencer,
Washburne, West, Wright--32. All Repub-
leans.
NAYs-Rogy. Cooper, Davis, Dennis. |
GOldtwaite, Hager, Hamilton of Texas, |
JoohnstOn, Merrimon. Ransom, Sprague, |
Stevenson, Thurman, Tipton--14. All Dem |
ocrats with one or two exceptions.
In the House the Republicans voted |
for the bill; the Democrats against it.
Against this brood of iniquities the
party have stood almost solid
from the beginning. A t the last session
of Congress on the bill to repeal the Re-
Act the House vote stood one |
hundred and three Democrats and thirty |
two Republicans for the repeal, and nine
tytwo Republicans and only twenty eight
,aNooI
1t was defeated by the Republican ma
jority in the Senate. On the bill to re-
store the unlimited coinage of silver, the
vote stood one hundred and two Demo
Gratis and thirty-two Republicans for
and seventy seven Republi-
cans and only twenty five Democrats
against it. On passing the bill over the
veto of the Republican President who
holds his office by tenure of fraud, the
vote stood: Senate, ayes &c, nays 10.
Of the ayes, % were democrats, and p
nays, 8 Democrats and 10
House-ayes, 1856, nays
IS. Of the ayes, lis were Democrats and
78 Republicans; Nays, 20 Democrats
and 50 Republicans.
The exemption of the holders of
nUited States bonds from taxation, is
another just ground of complaint. 1t is
/ discrimination in favor of the privi-
eyed class who are enabled to escape
heir share of the public dues at theex
oense of the other classes, whose bur
hens are thereby increased. On this sub
eet the National Democratic Conven-