Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1878-03-22
Gen. Garfeld,a Speech.

THE following is the conclusion of
Gen. Gariields recent speech in the
House in reply to Judge Kelleys at
tack upon him:
In my opinion, Mr.. Chairman, the essence
of this whole matter will be found in this:
The gentleman from PENNSYLVANIA is not con-
tent with the legislation we have had. He
denounced silver when il was first proposed
as n subsidiary coinage in place of paper scrip,
and sought to laugh it out Of the House. But
IL SO happens that the wind now is in another
quarter. He and some other financiers of the
new school accept the Silver bill only as a step
to the next stage of controversy. 1t is not the
silver dollar, but the unlimited, irredecmablc
paper dollar to which they cry "All hail, pa
per that shall be King hereafter" The pro-
gramme of these advocates of fiat money! is
beginning to appear. We had it in power
full speech made by the gentleman from Massa-
chusetts (Mr. Butler) few days since, in
which he said
81 want that dollar stamped upon some
convenient and cheap material of the best
possible intrinsic value, so that neither its
wear nor destruction will be any loss to the
Government issuing it.
~ also desire the dollar to be made of
such material for the purpose that it shall
never be exported or desirable to carry out of
the country. Framing an American system
of finance, do not propose to adapt 1t to the
wants of any other natiOn and especially the
Chinese, who are nearly one-quarter of the
world.
81 desire that the dollar so issued shall
never be redeemed
This is the new battle line on which these
champions of the new system of American
| finance challenge all men of both parties who
believe in gold and silver and paper exchange
able for them to join issue. They wish to
strike from our law the nations promise and
pledge to redeem its notes. They wish to
supercede the barbarism of gold and silver by
a coinage of paper, and in the kingdom to be,
| when paper, wild, shOreless, bOttOmless and
worthless, has become the currency of the
country, then will the time arrive, welcomed
| by the apostles of the new finance, when our
bonds shall not only come back to this coun-
try but shall depreciate to fifty cents on the
dollar. This is the very essence of Commu-
| nism.
For years the gentleman from Pennsylvania
| has advocated a non-eXpOrtable currency.
"Non-eXportabler Every damaged manu-
facture is non-eXportable. They want our
| currency to be so bad that no nation under
heaven will touch it. This doctrine of the
non-exportability of paper money was born in
| the brain of John Law, and announced by him
| 10 years ago as clearly as it has ever been an
nounced by the gentleman from Pennsylvania
! (Mr Kelley, or the distinguished gentleman
! from Massachusetts (Mr. Butler).
If | read the signs in the political horizon
| Alright, the time is just at hand when men who
! love their country, its honor and its plighted
faith, men of both political parties, will stand
| together against this new heresy known as
American finance. 1t was in the spirit of thi:
same doctrine that the gentleman from Penn
| sylvania two years ago went to Ohio to the
borders of my district, to the leading town in
the district of my colleague here (Mr. McKin
ley), and at the time of strikes in the center
of that great iron region, when the question
between capital and labor, between employer:
and employed, had been pushed to the verge
of violence, and addressed an excited throng
and, if the papers did not report him incOr
| rectly, he warned the mill-owners, the capital
lists, that the time was not far distant wher
labor might take capital by the throat. W.
came near having scenes of riot awakened b,
the wild flash of his Communistic torch.
He sought not only to destroy his party
in Ohio, but to elect man to our Governor
ship who denounced gold and silver coin as
barren ideality. The people of his distric
were not inclined TO forget what he had dom
when the elections of last year were coming
on; and there are men now on the floor wh'
courteOusly and tenderly, because OF his years
ability and long service, wrote to the peopl
advising them to trust him again, and express
ing the belief that the scenes of 1876 wOul'
not be repeated. And on these assurances h
is here to-day; here to-day to assail those VIII
believe in redeeming the plighted promises o
the nation.
On the issue he and his associates raise my
choice has long since been made. 1t is an is
sue of such transcendent Importance that !
may rcnuer all otneTs ODsolete' IL Is IH
struggle of honor against dishonor; of lay
against anarchy-a struggle in which tn
peace and safety OF both employer and EN-
ployed, Government and people, may be in
yolvcd.
In such a contest l care not into what part
the issue lands me or in what company
finds me; when il comes shall stand with tn
men who defend the money of the Constitu
} tion and the faith of this country. Al
plause. And we cannot be a moment to
soon in understanding the nature and design
| of thnsn Mhn are nrnnarinp the conflict.