The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1879-04-24
Democratic Driftings.

Rapidly and certainly are the Democratic
leaders drifting into a coalition with the
Greenbackers. The following dispatch from
the Washington correspondent OF the Bati-
more American of the 11th, is but another
evidence of the tendency;
There was one feature of the days pro-
ceedings in the House which the country
will view with alarm. 1t shows that the
Democratic party is a Greenback party; that
its leaders have entered the roll of demagog-
uery and are trying to OUTRAGE the Nationals,
and that the conservative North which favorS
honest money, has nothing to hope for from
the Greenback- Democratic House, and very
little from the Congress, and that the only
guarantee against radical imitation legislation
is that the President will certainly de-
feat with his veto the wild schemes that may
be sent to him. The action of the House
on. the 10th in changing the rules so as to
put it in the power of the iB11atienists by the
machinery OF legislation to introduce their
projects and to press them to an immediate
vote foreshadowea the Democratic purpose,
which is to surrender completely to the rag
money frenzy. There seems to be one many
in the Democratic party in Congress who
can speak the authoritative word against
these heresies. In the last Congress there
was Abram Hewitt, Clarkson Potter and a
half dozen other such men who would never
follow Democraticcaucus into Greenback-
ism. 1t yet remains to be seen whether any
such man is member of the Democratic
party in the House now. The financial
question was brought into the debate on the
Legislative bill by an amendment OF McMa-
hon, which provided among other things,
that the ten million dollars legal tenders now
kept in the Treasury as a special resumption
fund for the. redemption of fractional cur
rency should be Immediately issued for the
payment of arrears Of pensions. McMahon
ostensihly did this in the interest OF the SOL
ders, bit it did not lie in the mouth of a Val
landingham Democrat who never had kind
| word to say for the soldiers until the war
| was over, and a soldiers home was located
in his district. to raise such a specous plea
in the soldiers interest. How poorly yelled
this piece of demagoguism was, General Gar
| field showed in his speech which followed.
| The dabate on this subject was brief and an
| mated.
| Mcmahon took the Greenback view that
| the money was there and ought to come out
Garfield urged the point Of order that the
| legislation was not germane (Which it most
manifestly was mott, and that it was the en-
tering wedge OF a policy which was opposed
| to resumption, and which intended to break
resumption down if possible. If the soldiers
take any interest in such speciOus pleas they
will know that the Republicans in the last
Congress endeavored to provide for the pay
ment of these pensions by authorizing the
! issue Of bonds for that purpose, but the
Democrats persistently objected, and it was
not because they were opposed to increasing
| bonded indebtedness, as they had apprODri-
ated S250,000 last year fer blind asylum,
and had made the appropriation in such
way as To increase the bonded debt forever.
The supporters of this amendment maintain
ed throughout the debate that the fractional
currency is all destroyed. Yet Gen. Gar
| field saowed that it is constantly coming in,
and that only recently $4,000 was brough:
in by one man in one day. To this the sup
porteis of the Mcmahon amendment insisted
that silver dollars were in the treasury and
could be used fcf the redemption of fraction
al currency.
Weaver, of Iowa, the Greenbacker, who
has joined hands with the Confederates, VIC
lated the rules so as to make little Green
back speech on the point of order. Represen-
ia tive Fort, of Illinois, in the course of the
debate, said that while he at one time had
been opposed to resumption, he would not
now raise his finger to place an obstacle in
the way of resumption, but he thought these
ten millions were idle in the treasury, and
that the government would save interest on
that amount by releasing them. Finally
McMahon's amendment was passed, after a
clause had been added, on motion OF Canon,
of Illinois, that fractional currency present.
ed for redemption shall be redeemed with
any moneys in the treasury at the time the
same is presented. This amendment was
adopted by a vote of 81 to Sc, and McMa-
hons amendment was adopted without di-
vision