Morning journal and courier., 1880-06-11
NATIONAL REPUBLICAN, TICKET.
 FOR PRESIDENT, JAMES A. GARFIELD, of Ohio.
 FOR VICE PRESIDENT, | CHESTER A. ARTHUR, of N. York.
AN ENTIRELY CLEAN RECORD.
' FOR PRESIDENT,

l General Garfeld's clean and consistent re- l cord on the financial question is something to
 be proud of, and makes him peculiarlyft to
 head the party of honest money. He boldly | declared for contraction of the currency, when
 contraction was most unpopular, though l greatly needed. Soon after the war the
 alarmists raised an outcry against the conse-
 quences of contraction, and Congress was
 flooded with resolutions ordering the instant
 cessation of the process. A bill so ordering
 was reported by MT. >Schenck from the Ways and Means Committee on the 7th of Deeem-
 Der, 1867, the first week of the session It I was passed by vote of127 to 32 Fifteen of l the minority were Democrats. Among the
 seventeen Republicans were General Garfield, MT. Blaine and Washburne MT. Garfield
 was the only Republican who attempted to
 oppose the bill in debate and vainly, for the previous question had been called, en-
 deavored to procure vote on 8 substitute for the bill-a resolution referring the subject l back to the committee with instructions ito
 report to this house such legislative measures
 as shall most speedily and safely lead to re- i sumption of specie payment. :" On the 18th of May following-in 1S6S-he made perhaps the most important financial speech he has ever delivered, in which he combated every form of currency delusion, and, in conclu- sion, declared his belief that ''the gradual
 restoration of our ancient standard of value l will lead us by the safest and surest path to
 national prosperity and the steady pursuits ! of peace"
 l All the schemes of the infationists and re-
 pudiators have found in him an uncompro-
 missing enemy He was @ supporter of the
 public credit act of 1869; he voted against
 the imitation bill in 1874, having vainly tried,
 seconding the efforts of MT. G. F. Hoar, to
 get the bill referred to committee of the
 whole. The whole State of Ohio mustered | but five votes in the house of representa-
 tives in opposition to the bill, and General Garfield was one of them. At the next ses-
 sion the resumption act was passed. General Garfield voted for it. At that time the meas
 ure seemed to be no more than an empty dec
 laration, and even hard-money men were di-
 vided upon it. He opposed the silver meas
 ure both by his voice and vote. When it
 was first passed by the house he was absent, but when it came back from the senate amended he was one of the Il members who voted in favor of Mir. Hewitt's motion to lay it on the table, and so kill it. In the course
 of a brief debate he explained his position,
 and ended by saying: Believing, as do
 and shall rejoice if the future proves me
 mistaken-beieving, as I do, that this bill will not bring the two metals to equality, or keep them there that it will bring no relief to the suffering and distress that now afaict
 the country; that it will seriously injure the public credit, and thereby injure every
 citizen, shall vote to lay the bill on the ta-
 ble'' The delegation from Ohio contained twelve Republicans, and General Garfield
 was the only one of them who voted against
 the bill Ten of the other eleven were pres
 ent and all voted for it. The bill was vetoed
 by the President, and on its passage over the
 veto received the solid vote of Ohio, MT. Garfield alone excepted. And on all the
 financial measures introduced in Congress l since his vote has been right. None of the
 distinguished men who live in the midst of ssthe Ohio idea'' can show such a record and 1 no public man has better.