The Portland daily press., 1879-08-19
Honest TRUTH
The Honest Truth VS.. the Dema-
GOgueS.

gOgueS.
Tt is an old and stale trick alike of the high
way robber and the political demagogue to
throw dust in the eyes of his intended victim.
In the one case it ''silences opposition" and in
the other it sometimes procures convert by
binding him to the truth. The Democrats
who have become Greenback "leaders" are
playing this game. A favorite way is to ask
foolish and irrelevant questions, and, because
in nine cases out of ten they are not worthy an
answer, to assume that they cannot be an
swered. We give here as sample Ten
Questions for Hard Money Speakers to An
swer" appearing in a Greenback organ, with
a grand flourish. We append to each the
answer of Honest Truth:
l. If by the original contract the fve-twenty
bonds were to be paid in coin, what need of chang
ing the contract in 1863!
Answer The contract was not changed,
and all the legislation that was had was simply
to enforce the original contract and to protect
the public credit But this is a dead issue,
since the Republican party has made green
backs and bank notes so good that creditors
prefer them to gold.
2. If they were not to have been paid in coin,
what right by the constitution had they to change
the contract?
Ans. This conundrum is tender to No. l,
and is answered above.
2 Does not the Constitution say that ex-Post
Facto law changing a CONTRACT shall be passed!
Ans. No man could more completely dis
plav his ignorance than by mixing up e1-post
facfo laws Gclating to crimes) with laws pro-
hibting change in contracts. But we can
assure our interrogation that there Is no danger
of law such as he describes being passed, un-
less the communists and repudiators get hold
of the government machinery
4. If the Greenback when it was worth 30 to 90
cents on the dollar dishonest and it is not hon
est to pay bonds bought at that price in them, has
not the soldier who paid in the dishonest dollar
as good claim in law and equity as the bondhoder,
and should he not receive the balance due him, and
the bondholder be taxed to pay it?
Ans The greenback never was dishonest.
1t was the use which the demagogues tried to
make of it that was dishonest; The greenback
never pretended to be worth more than its
market value. As to the remainder of this
muddy conundrum, every Government credit
or has been and is entitled to the money which
the law gave him, and the present effort OF the
repudiators to work up sympathy for the SOL
money his pension is paid i'll, is too thin even
for gudgeon bait.
B. If the Greenback is dishonest money, what
can you say of the National Bank note which is re-
deemable in the Greenback?
Ans. The greenback now, thanks to the Re
publican party, is the best money in the world
and the national bank note is equally good
because the greenback is good
6. How much 'hard money" coin have the Ma
tional Banks in their vaults:
Ans. A sufficient amount to guarantee the
Government, the bill holders, and everybody
against such losses as used to make the old
banking system a byword and disgrace. Ev-
ery dollar of National Bank currency has a
dollar and quarter of gold value behind it for
its redemption
7. If the bond backed by the word of the Gov
ernment is good, why, is not the greenbaek, not
r;, inter GOOD backed hV the word of
the Government?
Ans Thanks to resumption, it is, and 1t
will continue to be so long as another State
Rights rebellion does not make another sus-
pension necessary.
s. Is it not in the nature of old parties to be-
come corrupt after they have been i'll power twenty
years?
Ans AS long as the combined opposition
tho Tammany-rebel-demo ocrat-iiat-repudla-
tors-are not allowed to grow old i'll power, no
danger need be apprehended ON this score.
o. Do reforms ever spring from the upper GLASSES
of society, the so-called aristocracy:
Ans. Respectfully referred to Mr.. Joseph
T.. Smith. capitalist, bondholder coupon clip
per. and negotiator of notes at high rates OF IN
terest. besides general dealer IN political
''truclk-and-dickery.'
TO- What has the Republican party done for the
working man since the close OF tne war, ana whal
has II not done for the bondholder?
Ans. 1t has firmly established the industries
of this country against the unwholesome COM
petition of foreign pauper labor; it has pre-
served the scale of laborer's wages above thet
of any other country in the world; it has made
the poor mans dollar as good as the bond
| holders; and it has protected the business in,
terests of the country against the anarchists
| so that now every branch of trade is revlvlns
| and the working man is the master OF his own
| services.
We take so much notice of this primary cate
| chism because no public speaker can afford TO
| waste his time on it. Let us hope that some
| ingenious Greenbacker will PROFOUND more oil-
ficult conundrums.