National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1878-02-16


The oddities of the city of New York
have subiugatcd the press Of that State to
their preiudices and aims until there Is no
liberation of an honest difference of opinion
anywhere. We are led to this remark by
the treatment bestowed upon the Hon. G..
W. PATTERSON, of the House Of Represent
ativcs, who represents the thirty-third dis
trict of that State, by n portion Of the press
of his district. He voted for the silver
measure when it passed the House, and for
that act the jamestown journal assals him
with bitterness Of expression entirely un-
worthy the occasion. 1t says:
Governor PATTERSON seems to be possessed
with special genius for voting on the wrong
side of every important question that comes
up In Congress. lie goes to the extreme on
cheap money, believing in a dollar worth
ninety cents, and recently has voted against
tho anti.subsidy resolution, showing that he
iavors the various Treasury grabs that am
waiting to be lobbied through Congress.
| Those who know Governor PATTERSON, rs
we have known him for well-nigh half u
century, know full well that he is actuated
by rs intelligent and honorable motives in
all his actions in public and private life as
any man living. This knowledge should
and would, no doubt, have shielded him
from so bitter criticism Of his official con-
duct, except for the spirit of intolerance
that seems to have seized upon every man
and paper found enlisted in the prejudiced
and blind crusade that has been opened
upon the silver measure and its advocates.
The following is Governor PATTERsoN's
temperate, courteous, and candid reply to
the Journals unjust assault:
In reply wish to say there was never one
single day, from the time the first silver dol
lar was coined in the United States till it was
demonetized, but what 1t was on par with
gold. and for several years it was worth from
one to three per cent. more than gold, and
when remonetized and made of silver as good
and heavy as the bill voted for requires, It will
be worth one hundred cents in gold.
The editor of the Journal will find In his
own village one man at least, who has lived
many moro years than himself who wrote me,
under date of January 81, highly appauding
my vote on the silver bill and have received
numerous letters, both from Chautauqua and
Cattaunugus, ola like character, wile one good
friend from Dunkirk wrote me that 1.-THE de-
cent and honest Republicans in that town to
q man " were opposed to the silver bill; while
another gentleman of equal intelligence from
the same village wrote me that tho great
mass of the voters Of the district approve oil
your (my) vote"
Suppose gold had been demonetized instead
of silver, and had become chattel, or that II
could only be used as a legal tender for So
whN; would its value have been, as compared
with the legal standard silver?
The silver that has been recently coined and
put in circulation to take the place of frac
tional currency is Of an inferior quality and
Is not the silver OF the fathers" and ough
never to have been issued
The question is asked whether 1t would b,
right to pay the Government bonds in silve
in case 1t should be remOnetized. | answe
that Government never issued bond payable
in gold, but in coin but all bonds issued sine
silver was demonetized ought to be paid IL
/ gold. No creditor should be deprived of tn
value Of one cent Of his just due from tn
Government.
: eighty cents on the dollar will not be YER
. likely to sacrifice much If they get even green
backs In payment or silver when remonetized
Again, the editor charges that my recen
| vote shows that am in favor Of the variou
a Treasury grabs that are waiting to be lobbie
, through Congress-
This jamestown editor is younger and pei
o haps wiser than l; but want to say to hir
S that | am sworn to discharge my dutie
p honestly and faithfully, and will judge a
matters that come before Congress, and wi
n vote as think right, and for the hest interes
: of the whole people, and no man will be a
# lowed to dictate what my vote shall be in an
case. | do not know of a railroad bill, MOI
Z before Congress, that expect to vote for, bu
d should one be proposed, in some Of the me-
5 Territories, where it was absolutely necessar
for the purposes of Government that roa
should be built, my hands are not tied up b
q pledge beforehand to prevent me from gi'
= ing an affirmative vote.
> Yours, respectfully,
7, GEORGE W. PATTERSON.