The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1879-05-03
IL THERE ANY NECESSITY FOR A
aREENBACK PATTY
ANA IL There Is. Is There any Hope
FOr It2

hacker, who signs himself "Peep." Wedo
this. not because we agree with him in his
conclusions, but because we know him to
be an honest man and anxious to be right.
We fear, however that he has allowed hlmN
self to be too much warped to work well in
tho traces of the straight Democracy.
Nevertheless, we propose to answer some
of his queries, and TO remove, if possible,
some of the difficulties in his way. As we
have given him patient and respectful
hearing. we ask now at his hands similar
courtesy.
We do not claim for the national Dem
ocratic party that it is ready to go as far as
Brick Pomeroy, Beast Butler or Dennis
Kearney, in the revolution of finance. The
Democratic party is essentially Conserv-
alive party, given to moderation, and aim
ing to effect wholesome changes by degrees,
without shocking or suddenly subverting
existing order. Its record on the question
of finance, when carefully scrutinizedJ will
be found to be all that a conservative
Greenbacker would ask for Our able cor
respondent Peep" has evidently allowed
himself to be misinformed when he asserts
that there is no difference between the
Democratic and Republican record on this
question.
The truth is, and the record will show it,
that the substitution of the currency bonds
for coin bonds, the decentralization of silver,
the exemption of bonds from taxation, the
contraction of the currency, and the pre-
mature resumption of specie payments,
were all Republican measures, enacted by
Republican Congresses, and put in force
by Republican administrations, while the
Democratic party was in hopeless minor
itv, and against their stubborn and persist |
ent remonstrance. These are facts abund- |
antly supported by the record, and here are
the sources of our troubles about the
finances.
In the light of such facts as these is it |
not absurd to say there is no difference be-
tween the two parties on this subject? One
is the author of the evils, and the other has
steRdfastly fought the insidious encroach-
ments upon the peoples rights at every
step. 1t is not likely that party will make
war upon itself, or reform its own abuses
As long as the Republican party remains in
power we may expect to be cheated with
''glittering generalities," and to see the
same monster fostered. Ii the Democratic
party was in complete control of the GovH
ernment then we might confidently look for
a wholesome change in the management of
our finances so as to favor the poor man and
the true industries and commerce of the
nation, because that is exactly what Demo-
Gratis have been stoutly contending for all
the time, and it would be to them natural
and congenial work.
Our correspondent asks, ''When, where u
and how the Democratic party ever made +
an effort against the converting of our cur Q
rency into gold Understanding bonds?" r
Here. In the Democrtic Convention of |
1868 these planks were fitted in the Demo- G
cratic platform: G
"Where the obligations of the govern
ment do not expressly state upon their face C
or the law under which they were issued :,
does not provide that they shall be paid in
coin they [the bonds) ought in right and 1
practice to be paid in lawful money of the +
money of the United States-Yjz legal ten l
ders Cor greenbacks.) :
Zone currency for the government and =
the people; the laborer and the office holder; a
the pensionor and the soldier; the producer f
and the bondholder." Il
Equal taxation of every species of prop !,
erty according to its real value including
bonds and other securities. o
Again, in 1870, the Democrats in Con
gress fought against and voted against max :.
ing bonds, authorized by the refunding act,
10 be paid in coin instead of currency.
Democrats opposed the demonetization =,
If silver, and went before the country
With their opposition to it, and were sus- "
tanned by the country, and it is to them - :.
hat we owe the reconciliation of silver "
Democrats have at every stage fought y
he scheme Of forced resumption in the in ~
crest Of the privileged classes, and in their I:
national convention of 1876 made this ems
1hatic declaration:
eve denounce the Resumption Act of q,
1875, and we demandits immediate repeal q,
And as soon as the Democrats obtained q,
majority in the House of Representatives tc
hey passed bill repeating the law, but C,
Republican Senate defeated it. II,
Our friend, "Peep,p seems to be out of 50
patience with the Democratic party for not Ii
ioing what it earnestly strove to do. He CO
'ught not to forget, however, that it has th
been for the last fifteen years in a power do
ess minority, and man or party ought nc
lot to be condemned for failing to accom- q,
dish what it was unable to accomplish.
We give hero a condensation of the Dem III
'cratic platform as published in the Clarion, SC
which is a fair epitome of Democratic SC
ropes and purposes: to
Local self government. la
Honest juries. er
Honest count.
No army at the polls.
Unlimited coinage of silver.
Greenbacks for national bank paper. 10
Bullion certificates. M
sound currency and plenty of it. a.
No increase of the bonded debt. u
Low tariff and cheap goods. is
No restrictions on the carrying trade. n,
FAR distribution for public improve Al,
lents III
The Mississippi River Levee. I'll
railroad from the Mississippi river to a.
he Pacific on tile SOD parallel.