The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1879-09-17
A REPLY TO scHURz AND SHERMAN.
All the Important Political Issues Re.
viewed.

All the Important Political Issues Re-
viewed.
ITr POSITION of THE PARTIES AND THE
PARTY LEADERS ETC.
GAuIrou-, O., Sept 5.-Gen. Thomas
Ewing, Democratic candidate for Governor,
addressed q DIass-meeting here to-day.
DR. Ewing speech was in the nature of
"a reply to those OF Secretaries Schurz and
Sherman, who, Gen. Ewing said, "about
ten days ago illustrated the cause of a civil
service reform by taking the stump in Ohio
tur the administration candidate for Cover
nor. The speaker opened by referring to
tue customary Republican assumption, re
echoed by Secretary Sehurz, that the De-
n0cracy was committed against maintain
ing resumption, which Mr.. Ewing declared
WAS not the case. On the contrary, he
showed that the resumption scheme was
made less disastrous and impracticabe by
Democratic legislation. He said
The twin Secretaries make merry over
my speeches in 1875 and 1877 against re-
sumption, in which declared that it was
impractcable and would result in "a
general massacre of business" | can read
those speeches now without being at all
ashamed of the matter or the manner of
them They were spoken from conviction
IN view of the law and the situation as then
existing, and in no spirit of extravaganza
or partisanship. Juding the law as it stood,
my criticisms were sound. But subsequent
legislation greatly changed the scheme. of
resumption As it originally stood, it pro-
viied for the total destruction of the green
back currency. 50 Mr.. Sherman admitted
ou the day he introduced the bill in the
Senate SO Mr.. Bristow declared in his
report for 1875, saying that "the faith of
the government now stands pledged to the
final redemption and removal from the cur
rencv of the country of the legal-tender
notes as fast as they shall be presented for
redemption" so Mr. Morris declared in
his report for 1876, in which he says that
"hy the redemption law Congress declared
IN effect "a monetary system composed of
coin ard national bank notes redeemabe i'll
COIN" The scheme, too, not only involved
the destruction of all the Greenbacks,
hut also contemplated redemption in
gold alone-siiver having been stealthily
.lemonetized in advance of the resumption
law.
This was the programme of resumption
when / discussed il in the speeches now
criticised and ridiculed by these gentlemen.
But since then, and As result of the agita-
ton against the scheme by the Western
and Southern Democracy, and in spite of al
the opposition of Sherman, Schurz & Co.
the destruction of the greenback money
was stopped, and 1916 600 600 of it saved
from destruction To the stoppage o
this sweeping contraction of the cur
rency the people owe the fact that thei1
business was only manned by the resump
tion scheme-not 'maSsacred." Moreover
silver has been partially remunetized by the
efforts of the Western and Southern De-
mocracy since my predictions of the dis
a-trous effect of the resumption scheme
and its certain faiIure-enough beins
coined to protect the gold in the treasury
from being drained off after redemption
day.
i'm a debate in the Senate on May Is
1873. Mr.. Blaine expressed the opinion
common among the friends and the enemie
of forced gold resumption, when he said il
4ha SENATE: "UndOubtedly, the Who'll
question of resumption has been change,
Nv the coinage of the silver dollar. Tn
Secretary of the Treasury may begin re
.umntion tomorrow with the millions i
silver, in my judgment, with perfect safety
For resumption in silver you have 90
nlentv. For resumption in gold you have nc
~ half enough" TO this partial restorf
To, of silver and to three enormous crop
in tho United States, accompanied by tire
failures of crops in Europe, which hay
turned the balance of trade largely IN on
t',-or Mr.. sherman owes the fact that h
-. ~ far equalIed his great prototype, :
Robert Peel in reaching and maintaInlr
re.rnptiou while he has far surpasse
Tim in his march to his bad eminence.
WE HAVE EQUALIZATION, BUT NOT R
SUMPTION.
Not only has the resumption law bee
,,,ade bv our efforts less disastrous by sto
~, the destruction of the greenback Gu
Ianev. and less impracticable by the r
,,onetization of silver and the unexample
.uccession OF large crops at home and cage
markets abroad, but it is also to be bOrI
IN mind that the result attained Is not,
80 resumption We have equalizatio
only not resumption. Resumption,
nromised by its advocates and understOC
hv the people, was the free circulation
CoId. silver and paper and their lnterchanl
Of all the bank counters III the Unite
States There will be no resumption
oct until every bank in the United Stat
receives deposits in coin and paper withol
5istihetion, and pays demands in eth
form of money the holder may prefer. SUI
= not now the case. Gold is no more
General circulation now than it was fl
Gears ago There is, in effect none in Il
hank vaults. No man in Ohio con get
thousand dollars in gold without paying
a premium the cost Of expressage to al
from New York. A friend OF mine t
athar day at Columbus city of 90 o
Inhabitants with dozen banks-wanted
oct two TWEEN .v-dollar gold pieces as PR
ents for his daughters, and went from oal
to bank in vain to find them.
Instead of resumption, the people ha
merely equalization of paper and com IN
is, gold prices for their lands, labor al
products, that is, 81 % hundred for tn
pork, 90c. bushel for their wheat and a
to 81 per day for their labor, with which
pay enormous and undiminishing taxes a
debts, contracted when their products
labor were worth over 80 per cent. me
than they are to-day. 1t is true the mon
earned by a days labor will buy about
much days earnings would have bong
four years ago. 1t is true the money {
for hundred pounds of pork or busl
of grain will buy about as much as
money got for the same products four yes
ago. Here is neither gain nor loss. But
is also true that every mans debts a
taxes cost him in labor or products so
cent more to pay them now than fc
years ago.
The debts of the country, public, cor
rate aud private, running from four We
400 amount to not less, as have here
fore repeatedly shown, than ten billions
dollars. This shrinkage of values resu
in compelling the payment of debts W
"a ner cent. more of labor and proper
and in effect adds FIVE bifiions OF dollars
the weight Of that vast debt burden.
taxes. National and local, amount. in
aggregate, to eight hundred mllllonl