Mexico weekly ledger., 1878-10-24
CARE BLAINE AND THURMAN
LAID ON THE SHELF"

Ihe New York Sun asks this ques-
ton: 1t says that when a presiden-
tial candidate cannot carry his state
it is usual to drop him.
sit is safe to assume that James
G. Blaine and Allen G. Thurman vii, viii
be rather lively members of the re-
tired list; and it will be well for their
rivals TO keep an eye on them
AS yet, MIR. Blaine has not risen,
but MIR. Thurman has delivered him.
self to an interviewer in this wise:
Reporter-If you are right in what
you has said, Senator, does it not
follow that we are beaten on the cur
rency question?
Senator T.-Not at all. But why
talk about being beaten? Add the
vote of the Nationals to that of the
Democrats, and is not the Republi-
can or National Bank party in Mi
nority of thousands in the Sta e !?
Yes, tens of thousands. And then
remember how the Republican candi-
dates and orators dodgei and prevar-
icated. Remember how Mr.. Secre-
tary Sherman announced that he was
in favor of keeping in circulation
$3.50, 900, 900 Of greenbacks, or at
least as many rs could be kept at par
with coin-a declaration that has
brought upon his head the severes}
denunciations of the bank advocates
in the East. Look at the speech of
Mr.. Foster, st Springfield. / have
no copy of it; bit if my memory is
not at fault, he declared himself in
favor of keeping in circulation all the
gresnbacks now outstanding-S346,-
900, 900. When / was at Canton /
was told that the friends of McKia-
ley claimed that he was as good a
Greenback man as General Wiley,
the Democratic candidate. / don't
know what foundation there was for
the assertion, but / am convinced
that that impression was produced,
and that it helped to defeat one of
the best men and one of the bravest
soldiers that Ohio has produced.
Was not General Warner everywhere
met by the record of Dan Worries, in
opposition to the demands of the
capitalists and bankers of the East
And have You overlooked that pre-
cious piece of spread-eagle oratory Of
Judge West, extolling the greenback,
that stood at the head of the Ohio
State Journal for weeks in italics i?
Why, sir, tell you that the Repub-
lican candidates and orators, with
some exceptions, did all they could
to dodge the issue. But the nation
al banks were not deceived. They
knew they were in life and death
struggle, and they fought for self.
preservation. They and the 100, 900
FL derll office-holders supplied the
sinews Of war to the Republican
committees. and the consequence
was that never before in Ohio was
there so corrupt a use Oh money in an
election. Mark it, do not say that
the banks in their corporate capacity
furnished money but their sharehol-
ders and dependents did. 1t was not
to be expected that SO tremendous
and ramified combination as that of
the national banks could be assailed
by the Democratic party without our
losing at the onset some votes. Re-
member the desertions from the Dem
ocrptic party when Jackson vetoed
the bill to recharter the old national
bank, but IN the end the losses were
far more than compensated by our
gains from the ranks of the opposi-
ton. And SO it will be again. The
antagonism between the Democracy
and the national bank system was In
evitable. 1t is what Seward would
have called an irrepressible conflict.
With its power of expansion, the ma
tional bank system, il perpetuated,
may, in a compare lively brief period,
treble or quadruple its number oil
banks, and p actically WELD by far
the greater po. Jon of the active capi
tai of the country. And who then
would rule, the banks or the people
/ find fault with no man for being a
national banker. I would not say a |
word to create prejudice against him
as an individual. He is engaged in
q business that the law sanctions. but
it does not follow that because he is |
an upright citizens the unjust and
dangerous system, of which he is
part, should be perpetuated. 1t will
take time for the people to fully un-
derstand and form a correct judgment
upon this question. It is true that
financial and currency matters have
been. much discussed for several
years; but until this year the discus
sion was so much marred and obscur-
ed by extravaganza and wild theories
that the real point of controversy was
almost lost sight of. Now that point
is clear. 1t Is q square fight between
the people and the banks, and every
days discussion will make it more
and more plain that we have the right
side of the question. Over 1000
national banks, welding $500, ,000,-
600 Of capital, over $500, 600, 900