The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1878-10-31
EWING INTERVIEWED.
What ne Thinks of the q rcen bac K S
and shc Future of Parties.


General Thomas Ewing was recent
ly interviewed, and in reply to the en-
quiry if he thought the Greenhack
movement was subsidiug he said:
"The iGea is preposterous. The
movement is gathering force and vol
ume every day. The opposition to re.
sumption and bank meuey carried In
diana by 45,O00 and Ohio by 30 600,
and gained eleven Congressman in the
September aud October elections.
Does that look like subsiding?"
Question-Do You regard the result
i'll Ohio as Democratic victory?
Answer-It was Democratic gain
of three congressman, and the loss of
The State ticket by about One.haIf the
plurality by which we lost it in 1876,
which we had the last full vote. 1t
was not, however, an emphatic in
dorsement of the "Ohio ideas," the
supporters Of which were unfortunate
ly divided, and hence lost several
Congressman and the State ticket,
which. had they been united, they
would have won.
Q. What influence do you think
the National movement will have on
the fortunes of the old parties?
A. l think and hope it will cause a
recast OF the two great parties. The
Republican party is and will certainly
remain the party of forced resumption
and bank money. Three fourths of
the Democratic party is already COM
mitted OF the repeal of the resumption
scheme and the substitution of green
backs. These are the foremost and
vital questions of the day. No Snuff
ling eyasions of the issues will be toi-
Grated by the people in either leaders
or platforms. Both parties must meet
them honestly and squarely. Hence
Greenbacks and anti-resumptiOn Re
publicans will come 10 US and bank
money and forced resumption Demo-
Gratis will go to them. The National
movement l think will precipitate
this result, but the Democracy should
attempt TO go through as the party of
the West, it will lose its grand oppor-
tunity. The National party will then
grow formidable and the division
which lost us Ohio, will lose us the
next Presidential election, or give at
least mere chance Of throwing the
ele ction into the House.
Q. What will follow this resump-
ton; are we to have a let-up or a fur
ther continued decline in values?
"A. Resumption can only be MAIN
tanned by continued low prices of land,
labor and products, and continued
poverty of the masses. We are sub
ject to drain of not less than $780,
600 600 each year to Earope to pay in
terest on bonds and mortgages, and
expenses of foreign travel and of for
eign shipping. This has been paid by
us heretofore very largely in gold,
causing constant drain of our preci-
GUS metals to Europe. This drain
must be permanently stopped before
resumption can be established. The
Resumption law has for time stop
ped the drain, but how2 1t has de-
stroyed at least one-third of our home
market by impoverishing the masses,
and has broken down wages to pauper
prices, SO that the values of our br cad
stuifs and manufactures haye fallen so
low that they are taken abroad in
largely increased quantities, while our
power to buy tea, coffee sugar and
other foreign articles of necessity or
| luxury is vastly diminished, so that,
| through the falling off of imports and
the increase OF exports, the balance of
merchandise trade is largely in our IA
! YOr, and the shipment of coin abroad
to pay Indebtedness and expenditures
is nearly stopped. In short, 1 think
| the resumption scheme is bound to
want, either by renewal of the drain
of gold through an Improvement of
| prices, or by the popular discord
| which will grow in force as long as
hard times continue.