New-York tribune., 1878-06-22
GAIL HAMILToN--MR. CLARKE.
SCATTERING SHOT.

|
in seyen-league boots from mountain peak to
mountain peak Of faacy and falsity. For the SOLID
| grolnd of fact which it takes but moment to
spurn and to scOrn it takes long hours slowly and
! faithfully to traverse and survey. shall, there
| FORE in this concluding paper merely and slightly
point out a few of the moro prominent and
less important stumbles which Dir. Clarke
| has not only the misfortune to make ID
the presence of the great congregation, but when
he has the efrontery TO peFpetuate and publish TO
the still greater congregation which walls upon the
printed word Especially as l think discern IN tho
| distance another clergyman busly strengthening
himself against the Almighty and stealthily pre-
pairing TO run upon the thick bosses Of his bucklers
AT present." says Mr.. Clarke with incredible
simplicity, al the only discussions Of these topics
Ghe State of the Nation and what peOp.e ought to
demand Of Congressl except by party politicians,
! are by few Independent newspapers, few Ice
| turers and a few preachers Of Fast Day sermons"
| ~ few independent newspapers" There We
! have IT, There Mr. Clarke reveals unconsciousy
| upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed that he
! hath grown so great. 1t is the few Independent
newspapers that Alr. Clarke goes to for hs inioF-
nation and it is not TO be wondered at That he Is al
| astrav for more unsCrupuous and untru5tworthy
reporters Of public events cannot be ound than these
| " few independent newspapers If Ar. Clarke will
independent newspapers" is at least as likely to
be false as truc he will he nearer correct appre-
hensIou Of public affairs than Inc was at any time
| while hc was writing his sermon.
| Nevertheless Mr.. Clarke has u1wit!mgly fallen
! into correct statement and an exhaustive classh-
cation though he did not mean IL. and didnot know
it. Most of our people are party politicians These
| with the few Independents, constitute our whole
! population, and they are all discussing political
| topics. Bat what Nr. Clarke means - TO throw ont
! Of sight the great masses who are more or cst ~
tclligcntly discussing politics over the morning
psprr at the tca-tabe and the post Office, tho
! garden wall over the Summer sewing, the shoe
! maker, bench and the biachsrth's forge; and to
! know no discussion except that which Is
/ organIzed into a newspaper, introduced on
| the platform, or ordained in tie pulpit, or
elected 10 Congress or appointed by the President
Mr. Clarke's idea Of discussion is that commit
! tee i'm each town. might be appointed
to select speakers and topics" and then, suppose,
| if they have any opinion on army reduction, OF
mail subsidy or silver bill, civil service, at
they have to do Is to go 20 the town BALI, choose
moderator, draw up a constitution ard bylaws, aud
enter then opinion the minutes. II .ir. Clarke
VIII but suggest ibis to the Secretary oi tie Inferior
doubtless that gentleman viii instantly reconstruct
American society into this highly organized and
!
too far ineuor for the touch of his regulating hand
Had it not been for the passage oi the Silver
| bill" SAYS MIR. Clarke on page /, " which shook
! confidence in the disposition Of the Nation
! 10 pay its honest debts, We might soon
! have changed our six per cents into folr
| per cents, "saying, It Is cs.im ted. &lH-
! OOOOOO year of interest" Bat he had just before
! said that the reason why United states bonds sold
so readily was that profits In other Investments were
80 small aud risks 80 great! On paac 3, he says
/ that business is SO hazardous that we have only
! not reached the Mohammedan point OF hiding the
! silver and gold in the ground. I'VE only take IL
out Of business and put INTO safe United States Sc
! curtes, though they may pay only four per cent.
The great success of Sr Sherman in selling the new
loan is merely another proof Of the dependency of
| capital and the paralysis" Of business.
Now. # Congress. which has charge OF the
Nations money, has established the Nations credit
so high and firm that everybody wishes to IN
vest m the Nations bonds aud II the people have
So little faith IN their own business that they are
all taking their money out of it and putting II into
the Nations hands, do not see on what ground
Mr. Clarke. m the name Of the people, should lee
ture Congress honesty on sdgaciiy / should
think he would better turn upon the people and
teach them how to be honest and wise so that their
credit should be 40 good rs Congress has made the
Nations credit.
ooh! but" says Mr.. Clarke. THE Silver Bill!
This Is the time which our Congress selects to at
tack confidence (which he had already pronounced
destroyed, to threaten capital (which he had al
ready banlshed from busnessl, to make Investments
(which nc had already declared imposslblel, to make
it lawful, however unjust, TO pay silver dollar
worth ninety cents in place of a gold dollar worth
a hundred. Already this operation has cost many
millions year, by stopping the sale of per cent
bonds"
IL 80 happens that the sale Of per cent bonds has
not stopped. Every morning paper VIII show Mr..
Clarke on the contrary that people are taking
| these bonds by thousands and tens Of thousands
| and hundreds of thousands of dollars daily; at
! a pace which justhcs the Secretary of
| the Treasury in the hope that not only
will the great volume of our National debt
be placed at this low rate of interest, but shall
enjoy the added advantage of transferring to our
own people the hundreds of millions Of our bonds
now held in Europe; so that the entire interest of
our debt will be paid and spent at home.
| But never mind so slight discrepancy this.
If the bonds are selling, when Mr. Clarke says the
sale has stopped so much the worse for tho bonds,
but the argument holds bad just the same "The
! falacy of the argument" says Mr. Clarke, "is as
great as its dishonesty" :" and then proceeds dem
onstrate its fallacy and dishonesty not by denying
that we promised TO pay coin; not by denying that
silver is CON; not by denying that silver
was legal-tender at the time the bonds were
| given. lie has got past that. He knows that we
have faithfully fulfilled the contract but from his
lofty mount of vision he declares with a smile Of
contempt, to say that you have kept your word is
mere Shyloclts argument"
"Ts not so nominated in the bond"
And Mr. Clarke is not the only reformer who is so
captiyated at finding the word bond IN Shakespeare
as to think It settles the whole question: and to SIT
down in the outer vestibule of the quotation