The daily gazette., 1878-01-26
From the N. Y. Herald.l
The Silver Controversy and Par
fV ROuftfes.

The line of operation between the ad-
vocates and adversaries of the old silver
dollar is entirely different from the di-
viding line between republicans and
democrats. In the heated currency dis
putes of former period IL was only ne
cessary TO inquire to which political par
ty a man belonged in order to know,
without further question, where he stood
on the subject of money. During Presi-
dent Jackson's memorable struggle with
''the monster" the simple fact that a citi-
zen called himself democrat proved
that he was an anti-bank man, and if a
citizen called himself whig that desig-
nation stamped him as a supporter of the
United States Bank. So during Van
Buren's Presidency all democrats were,
as a matter of course, upholders and all
wings opponents of the Sub-Treasury.-
High tariff men and free traders were
also separated in the same way, although
there were a few protectionist democrats
in Pennsylvania and Connecticut. But
at present there Is no such connection
between financial questions and party
politics. The party line and the finan-
cial line, instead of running parallel, as
in the last generation, cut across each
other at right angles. We behold Stan.
ley Matthews and Dan Voorhees, ON the
same side, Thurman and Bayard on op.
posite sides of the silver question. Hen.
bricks maintains an evasive silence and
Blaine instead of standing ON the fence
attempts to straddle IL. In this State the
! venerable Thurlow Weed is a jealous
apostle of the silver dollar Horatic
F, Seymour, like coy maiden, bushes tc
tell his love, and our two Senators. though
of opposite politics, stand shoulder ,to
shoulder for honest money. Neither
/ party, either in the Senate or the House
4 enulH fakA 1ani1a1 arAnn1 a a nftxr -,
the silver question and attempt to en-
force its decision by caucus discipline
without exciting mutiny which wouls
rend the party into fragments.
| This is an anomalous and unnatura
state of things. If the currency were
subordinate question, dominated by SOM
paramount question which took a strong
er hold ON the public mind, such stat
of things might continue for some tim
just as many anti-tariff men waived thei
views in support of the war and of tn
reconstruction policy which followed
But the currency is not subordinate
question. 1t is the only question whicl
has power to stir public feeling; the onl
; question on which the people have activ
aggressive convictions All the rest
cant, the empty shell of issues that hav
died with the progress of events. Their
is no longer Southern question to aC
upon, but only the semblance of one I
.juggle with. 1t is mere trick of polit
cal ventriloquism in which the operator
utter the voice with which a corps
seems to speak. But in the currenc
question we pass from sham to reality
It stirs public feeling to its profoundes
depths, and unless it is soon settled il wi
, shatter the two political parties into sl
vers. We are aware of the great coht
sive power of mere party association &c
mented by long habit, but il cannot witt
stand the disrupting influence of para
mount live question. In the progress G
disintegration the country may perhap
be distracted with one general scrub rae
for the Presipency previous to ne,
creation Of orderly and organized pal
ties