The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1879-06-11
The yrreconcitasles

DOul Tue Jar hesl DlOt UD tDc rep
utation Of Americans for popular in.
telligence is The existence of the
Greenbsck party, and the fact that
not even the logic of even S a clear
some mems brains of the soft-money
cobweb that has been spun therein.
Immediately after tie passage of the
Resumption act in 1875 they com
menced their evil predictions tina!
we never could get back to specie
payments, or that il we did, it could
not be maintained, and they rung az
infinite variety Of changes On tbi'
theme. But in spite of the false
prophets resumption was perfected at
the appointed date the paper dollar
ia the workingman's pocket was made
equal to the gold dollar in the bank
vaults all kinds of legitimate bust.
ness and industry grew better, and
now, six months after resumption,
we have proved that it al be up.
held. Most men, when they find
that they have been utterly mistaken
as to any matter Of policy aud prac.
tice, and that things have turned out
exactly opposite to what they antici
pated, have the modesty to acknowl-
edge their error, and TO refrain from
attempting to teach where they have
only ~blundered. The infetiosists,
however, are a brilliant exception to
this rule Of common-sense The
proof that they were all wrong has
simply made the mass Of them more
blantant than ever. In the Demo.
cratic party and the Greenback or.
~ganizaiion they still cry out for bas'
tard money, based on nothing, de.
manding that the government shall
set the treasury printing presses to
work, and turn out fictitious dollars
until the land is strewn with worth
less paper currency. 1t seems al.
most as if they were infected with the
obstinacy and Ignorance of half-civ-
lied people.
OF course, it is as useless to talk to
these perverted folks as to attempt to
argue with a p~honograph. Nobody
can pretend to understand the details
of what they want, for they are not
exactly lucid in their own ideas, and
are quarreling among themselves
But the one central feature of all their
schemes-whetber contained in an
Ohio Democratic or O Maine Green
back Platforms the issue by the
government of az unlimited amount
of irredeemable paper, regulated by
what they are pleased to call the de.
msnds of business. As Congress
would gauge the sum, its stupendous
knowledge of what business requires
would inevitably come into play. IL
is more than ridiculous that while
both wings of the Ohio Greenbackers
are in unison on this delectable plan,
the seceders from the convention OF
Wednesday broke away because they
could not "conscientiously" sustain
that plank in the platform which calls
for the payment of the government
bonds in greenbacks. Here is split.
ting a hair 'twixt south and south.
west sides with a vengeance If we
are to have an undamned food OF
paper money that represents nothing
and is lever to be redeemed. it would
make no difference what the bonds
were promised to be paid in long
before they fell due the country Thea
would be swept clean of any homes,
money, end the holders might as we'll
throw them into the FIRE. As for issu
ing q sufficient volume of greenbacks
to pay of the interest-besring debt,
that wonld call for a mere two thou.
sand millions Of dollars, and bow
near to nothing they would be worth
it is impossible to say. The thing ia
about as broad as it is long, and
there is no occasion for the straight.
ont Greenbackers to divide their
honse on this question; nor, indeed
is there an impossible gulf between
either of them and the Democrats,
who are filling themselves with the
wind of the precious Ohio idea.
The one pleasing circumstance
about their faction squabbles is tba,
they bring out into bold relief The
fanatical and dangerous designs Of
the extremists, and 50 impel to return
to the cause of good money thousands
otvoters whose judgment was over
come by the earlier fsllacies of ths
infiationists, but who are not disposed
to follow them to the end Of the patti
they are marking out. There ar.
many men who last year we're Green
| hackers in the belief that resumption