Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1879-09-13
SPEECH OF GEN. THOMAS EWING AT
GALLIP0LIS.
A Reply TO the Remarlks of Schurz
and Sherman.

A Reply TO the Remarlks of Schurz
and Sherman.
Galllpolis, o. Sept. 5.-Gen. Thos .Ew-
inc, democratic candidate ior governor,
addressed a mass meeting here to-day.
MIR. Ewing's speech was in the nature
of Il reply to those OF Secretaries Schurz
and Sherman, who, as Gen. Ewing SAID.
..about ten days ago illustrated the cause
of civil-service reform by taking the
stump in Ohio for the administration
candidate tor governor" The speaker
opened by referring to the customary re-
publican assumption, re-echoed by Sec
retarv Schurz. that the democracy wore
committed against maintaining resump-
ton. which MIR. Ewing declared was
not the case. On the contrary, he show
ed that the resumption scheme was made
less disastrous and impracticable by
democratic legislation. He said:
The twin secretaries make merry over
my speeches in 1867 against resump-
ton, in which declared that it was i'm
practicable, and would result in a gen
eral massacre of business l can read
those speeches now without being at all
ashamed of the matter or manner OF
them. They were spoken from convic-
ton IN view of the law and the situation
as then existing, and in no spirit OF ex-
travagance or partizanship. Judging
the law as it stood, my criticisms were
sound. But subsequent legislation
greatly changed the scheme of resump-
tion. AS it originally stood, it provided
for the total destruction of the greenback
currency. So Mr.. Sherman admitted on
the day he introduced the bill in the sem
ate. So Mr.. Bristow declared in his re-
port for 1875. saying that the faith of
the government now stands pledged to
the final redemption and removal from
the currency of the country OF the legal
tender notes as fast as they shall be pre-
sented for redemption So Mr.. Nor
rill declared in his report for 1876. in
which he says that by the resumption
law congress declared in effect mon
etary system composed of coin and ma
tional bank notes redeemable in CON-
The scheme. too, not only involved the
destruction of all the greenbacks, but
also contemplated redemption in gold
alone-silver having been stealthily de-
monetized in advance of the resumption
law.
This was the programme OF resump-
ton when l discussed it in the speeches
now criticized and ridlculed by these
gentlemen. But since then, and as q
result Of the agitation against the scheme
by the western and southern democracy,
and in spite of the opposition OF Sher-
man, Schurz g. Co., the destruction of
the greenback money was stopped. and
S346 100000 of it saved from destruc-
ton. To the stoppage of this sweeping
contraction of the currency the people
owe the fact that their business was only
manned by che resumption scheme-not
'massacred.' Moreover silver has been
partially remonetized by the. efforts OF
the western and southern democracy
since my predictions of the disastrous
effect OF the resumption scheme. and its
certain failure-enough being coined to
protect the gold in the treasury from
being drained off alter resumption day
In debate IN the senate on May %
1878, MIR. Blaine expressed the opinion
common among the friends and the en-
emies of forced gold resumption, I'm
doubtedly, the whole question of re-
sumption has been changed by the
, coinage OF the silver dollar. The secre.
tary of the treasury may begin resump-
ton tomorrow with ten millions IL sill
yer, in my judgment, with perfect safety
For resumption in silver you have go1
plenty. For resumption in gold yol
r have not got half enough To this par
tial restoration of silver and to three
enormous crops IN the United States, ,ac
companied by three failures of crops IL
Europe, which have turned the balanc,
of trade largely in our favor. MIR. Sher
man owes the fact that he has 80 ia
equal ed his great prototype. Sir Rober
| Peel, in reaching and maintaining re
f sumption; while he has far surpasse,
: him in the miseres inflicted on the PEG
pie in his march to his bad eminence.
We have equalization but not resump
: ton. Not only has the resumption Law
!, been made by our efforts less disastrou
d by stopping the destruction OF the green
;, back currency, and less impracticable b
II the RECOMMENDATION of silver and the un
!. exampled succession Of large crops a
= home and eager markets abroad, but
y IS also to be borne in mind that the RI
:, suit is not, in fact, resumption. ResumI
ton, as promised by its advocates an
: understood by the people, was the ire
e circulation of gold, silver and paper an
their interchange at all the bank cour
ters in the United States. There wi
' be no resumption until every bank in th
e United States receives deposits IN col
1T and paper without distinction, and pay
e. demands in either form of money th
~ holder may prefer. Such is not now tt
case. Gold is no more in gener
IL circulation now than 1t was five yea
ago. There ls. in effect, none in tt
Of bank vaults. No man in Ohio can g
n thousand dollars in gold without pa
ing as premium the cost of expressaf
~ to and from New York. A friend of mil
er the other day at Columbus-a CT
OF of $4,000 inhabitants, with doz'
pc banks-wanted to get two twenty do
~ lar gold pieces as presents for b
~ daughters, and went from bank to bal
er in vain to get them.
y. Instead of resumption, the peop
T. have merely equalization of paper al
-. coin; that is, gold prices for their land
!" labor and products; that is, so 25
at hundred for their pork 80 cents bus
is ell for their wheat, and IS cents
Ill 81 per day for their labor, with whi
l., to pay enormous and undiminishil
y taxes and debts. contracted when th'
products and labor were worth so p
cent. more than they are to-day. 1t
true the money earned by days lab
will buy about as much as days ear
ings would have bought four years ae
1t is true the money got for hundr
%" pounds of pork or a bushel OF gra