Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1878-10-31
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8. ls7s.


After all the trouble MIR. Rust has
had in keeping the greenback party OF
this District in line, it seems particular
" unkind in our Congressman elect. TO
breed dissension in the camp. as he APP
pears TO have been doing, if we can
Judge from the following, which we
quote from the Belfast Age:
The Lewiston Gazette (hard money!
thinks il sees evidence that the greenback
party is changing its ground from the fat,
inconvertibie system to the metallic, con-
vertible system, and in support of this it
cites Mr.. Murcb, our congressman elect,
as follows:
Take. for instance. the views of the distinc-
lively Greenback Congress sman. Thompson ii.
Murch, contained in an deliberately reported in
terview with a correspondent OF the \. l..
Sun. In that interview Mr.. Nurch not only
'emphatically denies that greenbsckers are in
fiationists and that the greenbick party Is in
favor of irredeemable paper money but he
distinctly states that the GreeHbdck currency
ought 10 Be redeemdble, but trheher the re-
deemdbHity should be confined 10 one metal
is question, rather think not. After all
the talk and fuss about fiat money, Mr.. Murch
whites down the whole question of redemp-
tion to choice of one OF two metals. In
short. Mr.. Murch's Greenbsckism seems TO be
summed up in his statement that the govern
ment should be the sole issuing source of
money and Mr.. Murch adds his belief that
these are the ideas of a vast majority who
voted for me.
If those are the views of Nj. Murch. it is
substantially a surrender OF the vital issue.
Instead OF his following Ewing, Voorhees,.
aud Judge Kelley, as he has stated a pur-
pose TO DO, he may as well take Leopold
Morse, Hewitt and Garfield for his file
leaders. According to him all that is in
volved in the contest is the question wheth-
er the government shall be the sole issuer
OF money. We protest that this is not the
idea of the ''vast majority" who voted for
him. Had it been they might as well have
voted for Hale.
Mr.. Rust then goes on TO state the
views Of the vast majority, and to re-
iterate the principles of the greenback
party, as he understands them, closing
as follows:
The money OF the people. which has
been hid away or destroyed, they demand
shall be restored. They want nothing
more of the policy of redeemabiity which
is COMPRISING the vast energies of this
country into the dimensions of peck
measure. Instead OF narrow, three pence
ha'penny system of redeemablc or convert
lille currency, they want bread system
of currency equalization; paper issued by
the government; free coinage OF gold and
silver, and all of equal value throughout
the jurisdiction, and all circulating side BY
side, reciprocally receivable BY the gov
eminent and people; convertible, not at
any specific time or place nor into any spe-
cific quantity OF any particular products
of human industry. such as gold and Sill
yer. but iuto any and all of the products OF
such industry, including those metals. II
Mr.. Murch holds any other doctrine or pro-
poses to follow the lead of those who teach
any other doctrine. We say. emphatically,
that he will not represent the greenbackers
of his district.
Knowing the popularity of the Sun
reporters, as a class, we cannot help
feeling that Mr.. Murch has been incor-
rectly reported. Only a short time be-
fore, he declared emphatically lin favor
of irredeemable money" and we cannot
believe that he would so soon 60 back
on that assertion. Still there is mys-
terry hanging over it all. The report, as
given in the Sun, reappeared in the
Rockland Opinion, where Mr.. MurcL
could not have failed Of seeing it, and,
SO far as we are informed, he has not
yet set himself right with his party by
denying the statements therein contain
ed. Since these things are so, it really
does look as though Mr.. Rust had Just
cause of complaint, and we hope that
Mr.. Murch will not delay declaring him.
self SO publicly. that all may be fully
assured of just what his views really are
on the great question of finance.