The Hartford herald., 1880-09-08

whether you will remain with that
party or not?
Have they changed, il the question.
Has your party tackled sail and veercd
round toward the bond-holder instead
of the plOwhOlder' That is AN impor-
tant question to you, and desire your
earnest attention, for can show you be-
yond all question, beld all doubt,
that they have.
GREENBACK PLATFORM or TO-DAY.
In the first resolution of the Green
hack Labor party, adopted at Chicago,
ILL.,, July 10, lSSD, in your present plat.
form, ! find the following: "I'haI the
bonds of the United States should not
he refunded, hut paid ~ rapidly as pr;ic-
ticable according to contract" sac
cording to contract'-that is your plat
form now upon the payment of bonds; /;
not "a word was said twu years ago
about the contract. No, il was to issue
absolute money and pay oil the debt.
That was your Toledo platform and
your Missouri State platform. Now il
Is Ia pay them according to contract.
Well, what is tine contract? Why, |
haven't the slightest doubt in my mind
but that every t;rcenbacker present will
answer that the contract is Ia pay them
oil in Greenlnacks. And that is the
way you Were answered two years ago
10y your speakers, and you know il and
can't deny il. Are yoI answered that
way to-day: Oh, no. Who is il that
speaks for you on this subject Who
Is II that Is suppo>,'! Ia l'c the eXpound-
or of the Gr,rnlrick platform, its aims
ami ITS objects: Who higher authority
IN your party than your candidate for
President, who, If elected, will execute
the laws Of this country according iO
contract? Why, if General Weaver is
elected President, yOu lave from lris
very words, what lic considers the con-
tract Ia le, and what lic prol,'S,s Ia dO
il he is elected.
Now, my friends, ,iO not intend to
make one single declaration that | can
moi support by the record, and declare
to you now, that your candidate for
President declares these bonds are pay
abl. in coin, and that your party pro-
p,s.s To pay them in coin. read from
ihc (su0,f sxi,DiH RccOrd of April 9Th
last from the speech delivered by
GEN. WEAVER IN THE HOUSE or REPRE-
SENTATIvES,
| Which | had the honor nf listening To,
giving his views upon this subject. |
paid particular attention la that portion
of the speech that referred To the ma
tional debt, for the reason knew the
party in this part of the 'Uuntry-in
Missouri. and, in fact, everywhere, M
their national platform two years ago
had made the declaration upon this
subject which | have already read to
you, and desire to know whether or
not there was any change in the senti-
ment of your Greenback leaders upon
the subject. read from this speech
the following:
ave do not seek to compel the bond-
holders tn receive the greenhick in
payment of his bonds" We do not
Why, my Grrcnlack friends, Is that
true? Can il bc possible: Is il reason-
able to suppose that Il party only two
Years old, YOU may say, has changed 81
radically in this platform and its prom
ises :.
read further:
"rhc people once had the right sO to
pay them" oh, yes. they once had
that right .-"but that right was ruth
lessly and wickedly taken away by
change of contract in 1863, which took
from the tOiling tax-papers six hundred
millions, more than half of which went
to enrich
FOREIGN PRINCES AND USURERS."
Now you have il. t;en. Weaver says,
in So many words, We do not propose
tO pay them in greenbacks, but in coin;
that in 1869 the contract was sO changed
that they are now payable in coin, and
they don't propose to pay them in
greenbacks.
Now, my friends, was il not singular
position for u gentleman tn occupy in
debate, and was itnOt asingular position
for yOur party two years ago la arraign
the Democratic party and denOunce
the Democratic party as II bond-hold-
cr's party, becallse il proposed tO pay
this debt i'm coin: You know you did
ID. You know thai every speaker you
had upon the stump denounced the
Democratic party as a bond-hol'ler's
party because il proposed to pay the
londs in coin.
Well, now, when ] read this speech
by Gen. Weaver to my friend Williams
week ago, and his platform, you may
well imagine his astonishment at the
dilemma in which he had placed him
self. lie hal read from the Democratic
platform Of lS,is, announcing that those
bonds were then payable in lawful
money, declared that he would be n
Democrat from to-day and support Sey-
mour ii he had been nominated upon
that platform, and lec;iiIse the Demo-
cratic party had abandoned that plat
form, he had abandoned the Democratic
party. And that is what you all claimed
two years ago.
| Now your candidate for President
tells you, in 1869, one year after the
Democrats had adopted that platform
that his party-the Republican party
changed the contract and made the
bonds payable in coin, and your party
and your candidate for President are ON
the record in favor of paying them in
coin. And that shows the insincereity
and shows the
UTTER RECKI.rsSSNEsSS OF PRINCIPLE.
When men arriign the Democratic
party for abandoning "A platform, and
turning around themselves and say
they abandoned il because the contract
had been changed. Oh, you remember
well, YOU gentlemen, who remember
the campaign of 1865 remember il
was the cry of the Democratic party
Throughout this country that these
bonds We're payable i'm lawful money,
and should he 81 paid. You remember
the Republican party in its platform
declared IT was loyal debt, and being
II loyal debt, should he paid i'm coin.
And the two parties went before the
country upon those two platforms, and
the issue was made fairly and squarely
: upon them, and | can see before me now
probably many gentlemen who voted
for Grant upon tlmt platform, declaring
it should be paid i'm coin, who are now
Greenbackers and denOuncing the
Democrats. Why, you know it is true
and the first act that was passed by Il
. Republican Congress, or among the first
: and believe the first that Grant signed
after he was elected, was this act that
Gen. Weaver mentions, carrying out
Al.