The daily gazette., 1879-08-18
FIRST EDITION.
Mr.. Stephens Answ ors
Sherman.

Among the most eIeCtlVe answers 10
$ ,cretary Sherman's Portland speech
was the one made by Alexander II.
Stephens on the 2Sth of July before the
General Assembly of Georgia. That
body invited the venerable statesman to
deliver an address on the leading ques-
tions of the day-those upon which the
several States, and those upon which the
campaign in 1880, the Presidential year,
are likely to hinge as the paramount
issues before the people.
After making some personl,y respect
full illusions to Mr.. Sherman, Repre-
sentative Stephens remarked:
He (Mr. Sherman) states in his Port
land speech, that the great issue before
the country now was SAFE rights and
secession. The question, as l have
stated before, and repeat, is no such
thing. l mean now the issue that is
made between the President and Con-
grcss. 1t is simply thu question whether
congress has got the right to control its
own appropriations. Have they the right
to sustain the Marshals in the discharge
of their public duties? Certainly.
Have they the right TO say to what pllr-
poses all money appropriated shall be
devoted? Certainly. Haven't they the
right to say that no part of it shall go
to any particular purpose? Certainly.
Is that secession? Is it a question Of
the administration of the Federal Gov
ernment and Of the powers of Congress?
There is nothing involving the rights Of
States, or of secession, or of ne " war
in it, and in my judgment this is all a
decoy. 1t is to withdraw the attention
of the day. 1t is simply question of
the right and power of Congress to use
the peoples money as they please, and
on that question would be willing to
60 before any American audience of free
people on the continent.
have stated that this thing Of trying
t, raise the question of secession, in my
judgement, is something of decOy.
The great questionable ones that
are moving the masses of the people
throughout the country-are, first, tnan-
ces, and next taxation. The fiancial
question is the most important Of any.
In connection with that comes The great
money questionable question that is 60
ing 20 stir the public mild throughout
civilization, in the next twelve months
or two years, more than any event since
the Crusades. MIR. Sherman in his speech
refers to the panic of 1873. He says Ger
many, France, Italy, England, all those
countries, suffered as much and more
than we did. What was the real cause
of the panic of 1873? 1t was the de-
monetization of silver in Europe. Ger
many look the lead; the Latin States
followed and it was brought about with
out the people understanding or knowing
anything of it, and it was followed up in
this country in 1873, about six months
before the panic. What was it? From
the first days of civilization, from the
dawn of the Mosaic history, and anterior
has had two standards of value-I mean
the civilized world-gold and silver.
They have been together running down
f ON The time the Cave of Macpelah was
bought with such an amount ofsilver. 1t
Is known as the bi-metallic system
double metals-and the two, from the
days of Baby lon have come down to 1873.
They were the double standard.
1t was so until recently, when the money
holders of the world crafty, in legisla-
ton, 90 the silver struck out. At that
time, when by the best estimate, the
most reliable in round numbers, there
were $4,000, 100000 of metal money in
the world, silver and gold. Four thou
| sand five hundred of these millions were
silver. More than one-half of the money
| of the world from time inmemorial was
stricken from the roll of debt-paying
capacity. Here is the cause, in my judge
ment of the panic in Enrope-Germany,
Italy and England-and it succeeded
here whenever Congress passed 1t, and
no man can tell now when and where II
got through. The effect of this
was to double the debt ofthe country and
of States and corporations and individ-
| uals. have seen a statement re-
Gently, and | believe it Is true, made by
a gentleman with great deal Of care and
prudence, that ten thousand millions of
debt-Federa', State, individual and cor
poration debts-existed in 1874, and the
striking off of silver and elevating the
price Of gold necessarily increased that
debt, in effect, one half, and so with the
interest on the public debt. Now, in my
judgement, this is one of the great ques-
tions now before the people ofthis coun-
try.
Mr.. Stephens next states his conviction
that gold and silver will be placed on the
same footing as to coinaSe at the next
session of Congress. Reli f here is, he
says, what the country most requires.
The next great question in Importance
to the finances. in Mr.. Stephens opinion,
| is our system of taxation.
"Our people of the United Sta'es,"
saws he, "are burdened with the most
unjust and unequal system of taxation
of any country with which am acqnaint-
ed. The poor pay the taxes. by the
poor mean the people who have to work
in some department of life for liveli-
hood, and do not live upon the interest
| of their bonds. Many people now
nav more than per cent, and others
not the sixteen-thousandth part of a
d me. Laughter and applause.] That
| l say is the great question, and the peo-
pie of the North and South should not
be alarmed because we say Congress has
the right to limit the appropriation, and
be alarmed into thinking it is new Sc
cession movement. No, fellow citizens.
our objects are higher, nobler and grand
er, They are as broad as this whole
country, and there is no sectional feel
ing i'm them. Wherever labor is at work,
in the shop and in the corn-teld, North,
s nth, East and West, the cause in which
we are engaged which l am engaged in
and am willing to die in-is the cause OF
the laboriDg masses Of the people. zap