Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-09-23
a. OHANGE."
Letter OF D. @ Goodrich, ESQ, Late of ih .
Ciermont "PeopIes Paper"
TO the Editor of the Dubuque Times.

Letter of o. @ Goodrich, Bsq., Late of lhe
Ciermont "PeopIes Paper"
TO the Editor Of the Dubuque Times.
"Fools never change" but wise
men watch the signs of the times,
and hasten to govern themselves
accordingly. TO the many requests
for an expression of my views upon
the present political situation, with
permission | will occupy a brief
space in your columns, and, once
for all explain to my friends why /
have been a Greenbacker why 1
do not continue to act with that
party why l cannot be Demo.
crat, and why l again fraternizs
with the Republican party.
When, in the dark days of the re.
bellion, a Republican Congress au-
thorizsd the issuing of national
paper currency, 10 order to enable
the government to defray the ex.
penses of the war for the perpetpity
of our free institutions, L was among
those who regarded the greenback
az "God send," 30 to speak, to our
nation; aud when the war was over
and the country saved from imme.
date peril, though suffering the
Legitimate results of that ssuguinary
strife between treason and patriot
ism, a reaction in business, gel err
al ssoppage of all our material indus
tries. a tightening up OF fGances to |
an extent that caused depression to |
hang like pail over the land. l
still chung to the greenback, believ-
ing, If literally dealt by, it would
work wonders in the solution of the
then great question how TO unlock
capital, and place it within the
reach of the suffering millions by
giving them employment. For these,
reasons | have been q greenbacker.
But the questions involved in the
collapsed condition of the finances
and business of the country are no
longer paramount ones. An era of
prosperity has dawned upon the
nation, and the almost unbearable
evils that hung so heavily upon ev-
cry industry, have been cured, or
nearly so, that their weight has
ceased to be a grievance hence, as
| do most firmly believe, there is no
longer need for partisan organiza-
ton of the radical greenback elo>
ment. This being true, together
with the fact that again the great
question of country or no country
is of it's own weight gravitating to
the front, and that We are obliged
70 choose between patriots and
traitors as 10 who shall rule Ameri-
ca, | deem it my duty to sever my
connections with the greenback
party, affiliate with the party where
in my judgment the little influence
| am able to WELD can be of more
service to the country.
In the days that tried mems
souls; in the days when the green.
back was a necessity the democracy
opposed its issue and denounced il
in unmeasured terms. Twenty
years ago every State that rebelled
was Democratic State and while
all democrats are not rebels, every
last rebel was and is today IN the
democratic party. For twenty
years the democratic party has been
the defender of disunion and the
opposer of almost all measures of
progress and right. As it was in
1860, so now, that the backbone
and brains of the democratic party
are in the South. Then the South
ern wing of that party controlled its
councils; today they are just as
surely moulding it's policy and pla-
cling its programme upon the trestle
board. And while | concede that
that the rank and file of the frsg.
msntary section of the party north
are as honest as other men their
leaders have always shown them
selves mere doughfaces constituting
a tender to the machine that Robert
Toombs, Wade Hampton aud orher
men of the same ilk openly declare
they are running, and that they
will continue to run in case Of the
success of that party in the present
canvass.
cannot trust the democratic par
ty, the members of which in the
South in 1864, were imbruing their
hands in the blood of brave men
who went forth to throttle treason
in its strongholds; and those who
in the north at the same time de-
clared that the war for the union
was failure; in favor of immediate
cessation of hostilities and a virtual
surrender of all to red-handed treas
son. l cannot fraternize politically
with the men who today declare for
the principles for which with Lee
and Stonewoll Jackson they fought
in rebellion. After many yeasr of
fraud, intolerance, prescription, as.
sassination and murder, as General
Weaver himself puts it, the political
and personal rights of white and
black Unionists, whether Republi-
can, Greenbacker or Independents
are trvmpled in the dust by this
party. And l am unwilling to see
that party placed in possession of
the executive offices and proclaim
to the world that we think the men
who sought to overthrow the gov.
eminent are TO be entrusted to it's
defense. In my judgment no great
er peril ever threatened the country
than today looms up in the political
horizon; and l could not, if | would,
be Indifferent to the national dam
ger. For these and other reasons
which might be multiplied almost
indefinitely cannot fraternize with
the Democratic party.
Practically, there are only two
national tickets in the field. Either
Garfield or Hancock is to be elected
President in November. If this be
true, what is our duty 2 Shall we
not cast our lot with the party that
L