New-York tribune., 1878-05-10
AN HONEST MONEY LEAGUE.
NEW ORGANIZATION IN THE NORTHWEST.

UsEFrLNEss-As IMPORTANT MOVEMENT WELL
BEGUN.
IFRou AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRrBUNEl
CHICAGO. April 23.-The formation of the
Honest Money League by prominent business men OF
Chicago and Milwaukee Is event OF c0nsderabie po
tic al significance should not he regarded rs an at
tempt TO shut the stable door "er the horse has been
stolen The present time is 100 late in the course OF
financial legislation ssully to oppose schemes OF
imitation. The imitation movement Is neither 50 weak
that u may safely he discgsreed nor so strong hit
should De considered irresistible. II dangerous pop
uar agitation which has not yet reached It's rood, ana
IL is snguIarly unwise short-sighed TO bctIe It's
proportions or to rembe before it. IL Is true however,
that the promnent men OF the Northwest, particularly
those prominent In politics. dislost TO take one oil
these extremes. They either say "there Is no danger
or at Is too late" But neither position is correct The
Greeuback movement has been neither Killed nor I'M
pcded by the decline of gold the apparent possibility
of resumption II is the vigorous purpose OF the mia
tionists majority of the next Congress They
are working for this end in the West constantly and
shrewdly and unless they properly opposed they
will accomplish this object The Democratic party OF
Indiana and Illinois is the real Grcenback Imitation
party IN those States The late Democratic conventions
Of both these States have in their platforms committed
their parry to the wild doctrines OF Cary These plat
forms sound like the dctatiOns OF that great financial
reioimrr We should say rather, that they his ihun-
der stolen The Democratic macbnists nave taken the
work which Cary's ingenuity devised out of his hands
They have robbed hm Of hts little stock and with all
their superior facilities for business will mOnOpoze
the whole trade ia this special line The Democratic
party advocate the taxation Of Government bonds,
the issue of redeemabe paper to take the place OF Ma
tonal bank bills and broadly hint a tho payment Of the
National debt in .hat money" What could be
asked by Cary or Wendell Phillips. any other man
whom mId commission III luGacy would give the
benefit Of n doubt
with this great political party fully committed TO in
haton not foOlhardy for the believers in honest
money sleep saying because the Silver Bill has
been passed there hope, because the pros
pect resumption encourag that there is more
dangeri The Honest Money League well-siaited
movement Its avowed plan is to furnish To the people
OF the Northwest Trustworthy information upon tie
financial questions brought out by the Greenhack aud
Democratic parties 1t had It's or gin IA the remarkable
effect produced in The last Fall campaign in Wisconsin,
by the advocacy Of sound morey the stump ard IN
printed documents. The readers Of TnE TRmrSE may
have forgotten the They worth re-
calling, for they prove that the people only need 10
De correctly iufurmcd tonsuTe iheir eorrcct decision
The two prominent parties in Wisconsin before the
opening OF the campaign last year. were without an
available issue. There living subject over which
they heartily burned TO contend. But the Grccnback
men were terribly IN earnest They hal a course OF
action TO urge They had well organized clubs. The
average American politician turns green Whenever nm
other makes more noise than himself The Repuh-
lican party could not possibly adopt the Greenback
cause; party consistency forbade. Party consistency
also should have prevented the Democrats from standing
on the Grccnback platform but the Democratic leaders
rose superior 10 this consideration, aud appropriated 10
themselves the ground prepared by the Dnationists
They boldly GdODted GrCenback resolutions, and bom
+laed "A Ggecnback their candidate for
Governor. The Republicans regarded this move
mcut Of their old advcrsarcs with alarm They
did not Disguise their encouragement They did mol dare
make issue of the initiation question, hut In ihcir
convention and IN their platform ignored 1t altogether
They nominated hard!nuney man, but they advised
that he keep ms opinions quiet as possible On All
sides their rrnsp' C'vc defeat conceded There was
no priucpc az stake for which they could make cam
paicn In this condition hopcleSnes Few earnest
ard-noncy men were allowed take the management
Of the Republican party strong hartmoney address
was prepared aud Issued by the Republican Central
Committee. and an uncompromsng hard money speaker
held a series OF meetings IN those towns where the
Grecnback doctrines had obtained the greatest following
To the astonshmcnt OF the sbrewd political leaders the
people showed hunger for correct information. The
hard-money speeches produced immense effect They
provoked discussion and the membership Of Grceuhaek
clubs dwinded before them. One speaker and one cam
paign document could 10 bu little 10 three or four weeks
10 rcvoutionLe the opinions OF STATE hut that little
was 80 thoroughly done that the Republican candidate
was elected by a majority OF than 5000, TO the
enemies.
This election proved conclusvey that the people Of
the Northwest supplied With correct Information VIII
form correct opinions AMI may be relied npon Ia act cor
rectlv. In the light Of this election the Honest Money
League Of the Northwest formed. IL proposes To
furnish 10 the people the correct information which they
crave and which they have been unaole to obtain. Mr.
Thomas NJ Nichol the speaker who did such good ser
vice on the stump IN Wisconsin, has been appointed its
secretary ana gives his entire time its work Mr.
NichOl has embodied In pamphlet OF sxyfour pages
the substance speeches. and the eague Il giving
this wide circulation. The League proposes to publish
and circulate other hard money documents Local leagues
ars forming In many and cities Of the Northwest
The Honest Money League Is non-partisan In its object
II has among fits members both Republicans End Demo
Gratis Is members and It's executive committee are for
But the League proposes wherever IT can exert an
huenee that only the believers In honest money
are nominated for important offices and To do what 1t
can by distributing documents and by furnishing
speakers for public meetings TO aid the election Of those
Tho field TO which the Honest Money League has given
attention embraces the four states Dearest to Chicago
In Wisconsin IT IS met with an encouraging welcome
There doubt that the Republicans In that state viii
take clearly defined stand IN favor OF hard money. II
the Democrats hold 10 their platform OF last Fall they
will lose OF their best men, who VIII vote the Re
publican ticket ANY candidate for Congress next Fal
who announces himself for the repeal OF the
Resumption Act, or the substitution OF greenbacks
termned manner In Michigan Also the League finds
many earnest adherents. Tne success OF the Green
back ticket Town elections cICatd
alarm. Many local leagues have been formed and the
organization OF others Is IN progress The Republican
State Central Committee, too, have taken 1udciously
bold position and the OF hOEes money will be well
defined in the Congressional canvass.
But in Indiana and Illinois the League thus far has
made little progress The hard-mOneY in those
States tmid and deprecatng IN their tone. IL Is not
easy 10 them to realization OF their danger.
They speak Whispers and conceal their opinions and
trust that Providence ny miracle, will overthrow
the fierce inaonists who stalk uncODtradicied
them. In the former State there Is good Ia be-
lieve there not straight Republican backbone
while the Democrats all wild admirers OF Voorhees,
aud irredeemabe paper money. The situation Is not
quite so deplOrable In Illinois but II s sufficiently
al nrrninp Inern are hard -mnnpX lnI