Daily Republican., 1880-01-12
Senator BnyaFd.

We clip the following from the ed
torial columns Of the Kansas City Dali
Chimes :"
When Mr.. Bayard, at the last sessio
) Of Congress as the chairman Of the CON
mittse In the Senate, refused to repor
the silver bill, a. 1t had by a larg
majority passed the House OF Represen
tatives, the "Times'' then criticised hi
conduct as undem0cratic. From hi
official position as the chairman Of tn
committee In the Senate, we knew tina
he violated his duty and the o6icia
trust rsposed in him in setting mp hi
individual opinion against his oficia
duty.
The offence was not sufficient 10 cause
us TO lose confidence In the integrity Of
his motives, but 1t had powerful ten.
dency to shake our confidence in his
proper appreciation Of his public duty.
But the resolution that he introduced
the other day in the United States Sen
ate to repeal the legal tender clause Of
the law authorizing the issuing OF treas.
ury notes has placed him so in sym
psthy and policy with the recommends
ton Of His Fraudulency, Mr.. Hayes, In
regard to dsmonetizing silver and de-
stroying the best paper money that the
people ever had, we now see clearly
that he Is not In sympathy with large
majority OF the Democratic party and
the people Of the great producing States
South and West on this great and vital
question, and that he is an infinitely
better representative Of the Eastern
money oligarchy than he is of them.
Mr.. Bayard pleads in ex nualon OF
his extreme views on this question his
conscientious convictions OF adhering
to q strict construction of the letter and
spirit Of the constitution, but unfortu-
natsly for him this plea will not shield
him from the most palpable inconsis-
tsncy as it regards his constitutional
scruples on the silver question. For
he cannot be- ignorant Of the fact that
the great tinanciers and political econo-
mists who made the constitution, es-
tablished silver as eGectually as they
did gold as legal tender aud our me-
dunn Of exchange. Congress has as
much power to demonetizs gold as it |
has to demonetiUe silver, and if it can de-
mOnetize one 1t can demonetIzs Uo.I,
and leave the national bank to furnish |
tue people with their irredermahl
bank notes as the only currency Of the
The Democratic party and the people
are certainly entitled to have an expla-
nation from Mr.. Bayard. Why is it
that his constitutional scruples do not
prompt him to in reduce a resolutio
the national banks TO redeem
the notes they have in circulation in
gold, II he is so tenacious OF the consti-
Iutional rights Of the people and does
not want them imposed on by rag
money! Is it not infinitely worse in
Congress to suffer the banks to issue
heir irredeemable bank notes and COM
pei the people to take them or do with
nut money, and pay grinding interest
or the use Of them, than it is to suffer
he greenbacks to remain in circulation
hat the people pay no interest IN
The people are satisfied with them as
hey are, as the best paper money that
hey ever had, and what justice or wis
lom is there in Mr.. Hayes recommen-
lation to retire them from circulation
n Mr.. Bayard's resolution to discount
md demonetize theDl To say that the
Government Of the United States, W hose
seal appropriations amount to near
'illion annually, has not the constitu.
lonal power to issue treasury notes t
nd make them a legal tender, and its =
seal agent in transaoting their vast
usiness, Is to take from the Govern s
,ent the power to establish its Co., ifs
al agent and determine how It shall -
ollect and disburse its revenues and :
'ansact it vast financial affairs.
II Mr.. Bayard inherits his policy of :
n exclusive gold currency from the 81
utch, from whom he descended, and Il
xpects support from them in his o.
spirations for the Presidency, he =
Mould Iecollect that this exclusive
old idea is foreign one, and that he 4
laces himself in conflict with a great
ajority of the Democratic party, and b
the people of the producing States n
outh and North.
Mr.. Bayard may be good rspresen- :
tive of the provincial and Bourbon
cas- Of little Delaware, but ifhe would q
me out West he would see all through OF
10 Western States, counties and coun- r.
y towns that have population as
rye as his State. Representing as
nall State as he does, in the obtru- y
W position that he assumes TO the l
party in the Senate, he is 70
70 a diminutive man or woman at ~ ~
rty who are constantly taking promi- So
mt places, fearing that no one will Is
. them or know that they we're in. \
led. or not at the party. \