Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1878-05-16
Our Washington Letter.


Advices iron the Eastern
States are to the effect that the
''greenba k issue" will be promi-
nent in the Fall elections. This
does not show that new party
is 10 he organized, at any rate for
permanent existence, bat the
the move ment is represented to
he of such strength, even in some
of the New England States, that
the supremacy of The Republican
party there is threatened. The
''hard times" may be credited
with bringing about this condi.
lion of things. There was a re.
dncticn of sS,000,000 in the re-
ported public debt during the
mont!"oi April, and the sinking
fund holds millions upon millions
of dollars more than there is le-
gal authority for. This money is
taken in taxes from unremunera
tive latOr. Improbable business,
and deprecated property, and its
collection has added and is adding
10 the general distress. In the
face Of these facts there should be,
tut is not, a Vigorous effort to re-
duce Government expenses
Whatever the merits of the case
may be the above is thought to
stale the belief and feeling of the
average voter in the East, and
not a few expect that by the time
the Fall nominations are made the
movement will be stroug enough
10 dictate terms to one of the eX.
listing parties, and TO overthrow
ihe other.
In Maine, where Eugene Hale
had wished to be the Republican
candidate for Governor, as a step
towards the Senate, his friends
now insistthat the present Gov
ernor she'll accept the nomlna'
ton for q f)urth term. The rea
son given is that Hale believes be
could not be elected on the usual
hard money platform of the par
~, aud cannot afford to sacrifice
chances for higher honors, as he
thinks he would do, by standing
on a platform made TO conciliate
tue greenbackers In that State
there is upquesfionably n condi.
tion 0! politics extremely dan
ger US TO the old Republican ru-
lers.
The fact grows more patent ev
cry dty that the management OF
our finances is fast coming TO be
the great issue TO which all Others
have. or sooH will have, become
subordinate. Whatever the a
mount of meus possessions, few
very few, have failed 10 feel the
siringency that has steadily grown
more unbearable since September
1878. The large number Of f.
pancial speeches delivered since
last October In Congress indicates
the drift Of public sentiment
They have been good. bad and in
,i'fTrent, and few have been re-
ally able. Perhaps that OF Gen
Gordon delivered last Tuesday
should sake the highest rank. Il
certainly appeared to, judging
from the rounds Of applause thai
greeted the many unanswera5lt
points lie made against the au
ihors of the financial Legislation
,f tue past decade. lie arraigneC
il MS the prolific source of every
evil threatening our material In
serests to day. ] must refer ii
interested, to it us published in full
in the Record, aud asst will be,
understand, in pamphlet form
but cannot furbear noticing {
few points. lie dated this mis-
chievous work as beginning away
back in 1866, and denounced il
eloquent words all the subscquen
acts in the direction of conlrac
1ion. / believe he convince
many Of his audience who wer'
never convinced before Of TN
damaging effects of contraction
,,y comparison, enlarging and wild
ening lis scope to include the ex
,,erience OF England, France ant
Italy. When he closed it wa
generally felt even among thos
imposed to his views that enfurcet
resumption, or at leastthe attempt
had received no such deadly blow
from any preceding speaker TIN
session. The comparatively larg
number of Senators present mus
he regarded as complimentary
Many members of the lowe
IIDuse attested their interest b.
listening throughout. The gale
ries were filled to overffowlng wit
an audience from the thinkers ant
cultured men aad women VIII
ruend their winters here. ID
carried bis audience with hIr
from the start as was evidences
by the frequent outbursts O
cheering, and the merits OF n
speech OF the session has beel
cauvassed as this, and am sur
the verdict has rarely been as nea
unanimity. Gen. Gordon ha
been an influential Senator iron
his first appearance; his popular
1o,.stanflv pr0Wn. and from