The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1879-08-07
SPEECH OF
Delivered in Response to q Ser.
enade at Cleveland. Tuesday
Evening, July Goth.


enade at Cleveland. Tuesday
Evening, July Goth.
General II. III. Dodge, was chosen
Chairman and introduced General
Ewing, who spoke as follows:
MY FELLOW CITIZENS: l need moi
say that am delighted at this i'm
mense aud enthusiastic assemblegc
called to welcome the candidates and
the Committee of the Democratic par
ty of Chic to the shores OF Lake Erie.
| would be astOnished at the tremend-
Gus Outpouring tonight, had L not
witnessed in Southern Ohio demon
strations of equal Significance. Before
leaving the East To assist i'm the cam.
paign, 1 was assured by those faithful
chroniclers of the times-the Republic
can press-that it was idle for us 10
struggle for Ohio this year, because
the nomination of Foster and Hicken-
looper, was SO welcomed by the Re-
publicans, aud that of General Rice
and myself was SO disgusting to the
Democracy, aud because the financial
achievements of the Republican party,
and their successful resistance TO the
hoofed aud horned Confederate Brig
adiers, had SO won the hearts of all
the loyal people of the State, that the
result was foregone Republican tri.
umph. But in contradiction of these
confident assurances, one Democratic
meeting in the Hooking Valley, an.
other In GAINESVILLE, another in the
hills of Eastern Ohio, and this large
meeting here, have, I think, already
demonstrated that the downfall of the
Republican party of Ohio, of the
Northwest, and of the Nation is at
hand. The solid city of Cleveland
answers back to their calls will be re-
echoed by an aroused, organized and
enthusiastic Democracy in every ceun-
ty in Ohio before the campaign Is fair
ly begun.
Fellow. citizene, tho Democracy as
sembled in State Convention resolved
to make this fight against the Repub-
lican party on three great fundamental
propositions Of Government on which
we represent the obvious interests of
the masses of the people, and which,
if fairly presented aud discussed, must
meet their approval at the ballot box.
do not believe that the intelligent
people of Ohio can be continually
fooled by sabterfuges into indorsing
policies of Government which they
totally disapprove. do not believe
that they can be again prevented from
adopting measures indispensable to
their liberty and prosperity, through
mere prejudice and false alarms over
obsolete Issues. The day is gone by
for carrying an Ohio election by shout
ing out that the common school sys-
tenn is In danger, or that jeff Davis is
bursting out of the cane brakes to
seize the Government.
What are the measures of the Dem
ocratic party on which it asks the in
dorsement of the people? They are
First. The bill which passed the
House of Representatives last session,
by tho votes of every Democrat but
Republican but four, placing sivcr on
an exact equality with golo as mon
ey metal. Why shOnld it not become
q lsw3 Is it a new tangled, untried,
doubtful measure of Government So
f@11 Asa oSl SaI
pre- e-eminently the money metal OF the
ages. From before the dawn of his
tory until this meridian OF civilization,
no great nation but one ever demOne
tized it until six or eight years ago.
All our mints were open to the un-
limited coinage of silver. All our
debts, public aud private, were paya-
BILE in it from the foundation OF our
Government down to 1874. lis de-
was the result OF foul
and secret scheme of the great usurers
of the world to rob the industrial clas-
ses and to aggrandize Themselves.
The decentralization of silver by |
Germany and the United States struck
nearly half of the metallic money |
of existence. That caused, neceasari. |
", an increased demand for gold to
our resumption policy and |
to transact the business Of the Ger |
man Empire. That increased demand |
added to the stoppage of silver COIN
age in other nations, increased the |
power of gold over fifty |
per cent, as is shown by the tables of |
gold prices of commodities in 1873 as
compared with the gold prices in |
1874; that is, ii reduced the price of
land, labor, aud products of every de- |
scription over one-third, SO that all the
vast public and private debts and taxes
of the United States by reason of this
have to be paid in la
Dor and property worth in gold dol.
lars only two.thirds of what they
were worth five years ago.
Now, the Democratic party of Ohio
wants honest money, aud the honest
of contracts, public and
private. 1t despises fraud. A minor
ity party, having tQ encounter q vast
and veteran party intrenched In pow
er, backed by the Treasury, and by
two thousand National Ranks, could
not successfully fight for dishonest
dollar. No, gentlemen, q minority
party must stand on propositions that
appeal to the good sense and the con-
sciences of men. The great masses of
the people are true to the right, in
public as in private affairs. 1t is be-
cause the silver dollar is an honest dol
lar; it is because its demonetization
was a gigantic trick and compels men
to pay dollar and fifty ceats In labor
and property 90 valued when their.
debts wore made and their taxes es-
tahlished for every dollar that was
due and it is because this
addition of fifty per oent. tothe bur-
den of debts and taxes operates 'as
vast confiscation of four or five bill
lions of dollars of the wealth and Ia
Dor of the producing classes in favor
of the holders OF money securities,
that the proposition of the Democrat
ic party for the full reconciliation of
silver is bound to win. 1t will tri-