The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-03-23
THE NATIONALS.

| Our reporter has given in another column
prctty full sketch of the doings Of the GOWN
ton of the National" party IN this city N
Wednesday, but his instructions on all sch
occasions to be simply truthful without patti
san shading or bias, compelled him to RESI-
the temptation constantly present to show II
some of the ludicrous phases of the gathering
While protesting to plant themselves squarIy
on the Toledo platform, which really trets
currency as secondary question, but lays StrSH
on such subjects as taxation on church prohr
ty, Il government patcrnalstic care over labT
opposition to the contract system OF prison Nd
or. &c. the members of the convention lad
nothing 10 talk about but the everlasting re-
frain ofcurrcncy-curr ency-cuucncy, andon
this theme the widest and most contradictory
theories. Us usual, were preached and wrangcd
over The Toledo platform, in point Of fct,
was heartily secuted or ignored, for that a
hard money platform, declaring in favor oF'il-
yer reconciliation and the placing Of silcr
and gold on parity and then recognizing thn
rs the only true monetary basis On the ON
trarv. the foremost men of this convention
seemed to cling to the old exploded idea q a
copious issue of grccnbacks and their enforced
circulation As legal tenders, thus making mn
ey cheap and plenty, to bring down the rate OF
interest, raise the price of property, and so m
And in reality currency is the only theme
lp pAt n II
about 1t is subject that has engaged he
ablcst minds of the world for ages and get
there is hardly point on which two are agreed.
1t is therefore capable of infinite discussion,
and as it has been the common theme for pp-
ular wranglc in this country for the last fifteen
years, there is not "A township but has its poit-
ical economists and philosophers to whom he
theme, though still reconcile IN the extreme TO
the learned and thoughtful, is as simple rs
planting 'taters or building n hcncoop; md
they can therefore talk lcarnedly on it for holrs
and nothing gives them more delight.
1t looks, however, very much as if the un'X-
pectcd success of the silver bill IN precipiat-
ing specie payment when least looked for as
indicated by the latest dispatches from Wash
ington, was about to put Il sudden quietus to
all this everlasting wrangle over the currency
question, by the question most inopportundy
and perversely settling itself With the dollar
of the daddicS, the grcenback and the gold doll
ar all suddenly jumped to a parity and instead
of the dreaded contraction resumption brought
about by an actual expansion, there is the
greatest reason to fear that the country will all
at once settle down TO state of blissful salts
faction over the happy contamination, and rec
ognzing ii as really the best that can possibly
be attained on the subject may suddenly turn
Its back on the hitherto popular currency doc.
tors and very impoitely bid them to stop their
gabble and dry up The Biddc Bank qucs
tion is settled and passed out Of mind. So
the Missouri compromise, seccss
ion, slavery, negro suffrage and rehabilitation
Of the south, and so, like the bloody shirt, the
paper token dollar as an oriflamme sinks into
lisuetude and contempt as thing of the past
Sclah