The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-08-04

New York Post.l
What Would Gov. Ewing Do?

What Would Gov. Ewing Do?
What would Mr.. Thomas Ewing do, if, by
any misfortune he should be elected Governor
of Ohio?
In the celebrated canvas Of 1875 Mr. Ewing
made many speeches in his State. In one of
them he said: "The execution of the Resump-
ton law involves fragrant robbery" There.
fore if Mr.. Ewing is an honest and sincere man
as we believe him to be, if he should become
Governor of Ohio, he would use all his person
al influence, and all the influence of his high
office, to put stop to the execution of the Re
sumption law. This stoppage would effect a
suspension of specie payments and the restora-
ton of the paper dollar standard.
Mr.. Ewing further said: Gan administra-
ton respecting the interests of the people will
issue greenbacks in place of the national bank
notes, pay off at par such of the bonds as can
justly be paid with greenbacks, and buy such
as cannot be so paid with the new greenbacks
in the open market" Governor Ewing would
therefore use all his influence to abolish the
national banks; to issue several hundreds of
millions of dollars in greenbacks to take the
place of the bank notes; to issue a further num-
Der OF millions equal to the whole amount of the
national debt; to use these to pay off bonds
which are due to buy the remainder.
Mr.. Ewing further said: Legal tender
notes may be issued in peace as well as in
war" Governor Ewing therefore would use
his influence to commit the government to
the doctrine of permanent paper currency
to make the greenback the lawful money
OF the country and the measure of value
and to put the volume of the currency and the
prices OF all articles of commerce at the mercy
of knaves or lunatics who might secure a ma
jority in Congress.
Mr.. Ewing further said: 'sAlthough an
early return to specie payments was in the
platforms OF both parties in 1872, never made
speech in that canvass in which L did not
spit upon that plank of the platform" Gov
ernor Ewing, therefore would use all his in
fiuence to prevent the introduction in the ma
tional platform of his party in 1880 of such an
object of expectoration, to keep out resump-
tion plank and to put in a plank embodying
his own views OF specie payments and the cur
rency.
We have used no words of our own to de-
scribe the financial principles of Mr.. Ewing
We have simple allowed him to speak for HIM
self. What we have predicted that Governor
Ewing would do is not only fair but an I'M
avoidable conclusion as to the action of man
who holds his opinions and who is an honest
and sincere man. To say that he would not do
these things is to say that he is not honest in
his profession of principles or is not sincere in
his efforts to make his principles effeetual.
But it may be asked, What can the Governor
OF Ohio do to further these financial notions?
1t is very true that the currency and kindred
questions are settled at Washington; that the
laws relating to them are passed by Con-
gress and not by State Legislatures. But
great State may exert some influence at Wash
ington upon Congress in the settlement of
these questions. The Governor of State may
be influential to that end A victorious party
III State may be powerful in the same direc-
ton. The mere election of Mr.. Ewing would
strengthen and encourage the paper imitation
lists and the regulators everywhere.
In view of these facts, it is hard enough for
an Eastern hard-money Democrat to acquiesce
with patient silence in the success of Mr.. Ew-
ing. To ask him to contribute to it is to ask
too much on the strongest party ground. To
suppose that he will form an alliance with Mr..
Ewing and expect to retain the confidence of
hard-money associatesin the East is preposter-
OuS