The Red Cloud chief., 1884-07-25

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Every man who remembers political
events must know that Mr.. Biain. was
one OF the foremost advocates OF specie
and honesty in financial nj.
As long ago rs 1865. when Mr..
proposed IN paw the Govern
ment bonds by issues of greenbacks.
Mr.. Blaine. as Chairman of the Maine
Committee. caused =
circular 10 be scattered broad
east over that St:,e. and was cri icised
for so doing. When the Resumption
act was passed il was not discussed in
the House, so that all the expression Of
opinion on the sub. ect is 10 be found in
the roll-call. Ii was strictly = party
reported on and passed first
BY the Senate BY = strict party vote.
such men As Bayard voting against il
In the House its passage was resisted
bv Democratic leaders. and the roIl-call
that several Massachusetts men,
bers voted against il because it was not
strenuous to meet their ap-
proval, and General Butler voted the
way because he did not believe in
specie resumption at all. Mr.. Blaine
did not vote because the Speaker of the
House rarely votes. He WAS known by
his friends to be heartily in favor of the
measure. The next Congress was
Democratic. and it was given out that
the Democrats would undertake %
repeal the Resumption act. Hearing
of this. Mr.. Blaine, before the new
Congress met in December. 1875, pre-
pared an elaborate speech in favor Of
resumption and against imitation. to be
delivered on the first occasion tina, Of
fered. Before that speech was deliv-
cred an enemy stole q copy OF il, and it
was published in advance of its de-
livery ia n or two papers January
10. 1876, in Committee OF the Whole.
Mr.. Blaine delivered his speech. 1:
fills over three close columns Of the
Journal. 1t is unnecessary to quote
much of it. but the following sentences
will show where Mr.. Blaine stood at
the very outset Of the fight for the re-
sumption of specie payments:
The honor OF the National Government and
the prosperity of the American people are
alike menaced BY those who demand the per
petuation OF an irredeemAble PAPER curren-
cy- For more than two years the country has
49, euoegtng dr0na the prosiratton Of bust
nees: enuedeoce returns bait sa0~iy; trade
revtvoD only partially: SD to-day. with CAPT.
and ourselves in the mids Of ns agitation
r~espoctinG the medium via Whteh business
tfanSactt DED(hall BE carrts4 o. Until that
aus3 ionI sA11j1feay adjnses1. = = idle to e5,
ihe .ess -; (peopie and ths
OF hi - e1fssSS pa - uncerrainey
g. sss !: iSsE|s>eSs1 sss,'S Ssse sso% 'aS say 70
And, while that which Is h02wr as the debtor
class should be fairly and generously consid-
cred I'm the shaping Of measures FOR specie
resumption. there Is no justice In asking
for imitation on its behalf. Rather. there is
the gravest Injustice: for you must remem-
Der that there IL a large class OF deserving
people VINO would be continually and IT.
mOrselessly robbed 10y sucn a policy. mean
tue labor Of the country that Il compelled TO
live from ami by its daily earnings.
There is not a cotton plantation In the
South, not a grain or grazing farm In the
Wc7s, not "a coal pit or iron furnace In
PSnNylvania and ohio, not . manufact-
tfer n New England. not a ship-yard on
tide Atlantic coast, not u lumber camp
from the Penobscot Ia the not n
mile of railway between the two oceans that
would not feei the quickening, gainful In
fiuence of n final and general acquicsc-nce in
measures looking u u specie resumption.
am told. Mr.. Chairman, In tones
of most solemn warming. that this country N
not able to maintain IFS paper money at par
with coin. Sir. | reject the suggestion with
scorn, and il seems To me " ] could lie per
suaded of its truth | should be ashamed tn
rise in the American Congress and proclaim
Ii. Ii wcuid b. an unpardon-
able moral weakness In our p~eopie-aiways
heroic when heroism Is demanded-to doubt
their own capacity to maintain specie pay
ments. To-day we are suncr-
ing from timidity of capital. and so long as
the era of doubt and uncertainty prevails.
hat timidity will continue to increase. steps
owartl imitation will make II chronic.
In any event, Mr.. Chairman. whatever
we may do or whatever We may leave undone
on this whole financial question. let us not de-
lude ourselves that we can escape "A specie
standard. No NIXON has ever succeeded I'm
establishing any ether standard OF value No
nation has ever male the experiment except
M great cost and sorrow. and the advocates
of irredeemabie money to-day are but asking
US to travel the worn and weary read Travelled
so many lime bef0re-o roai that has al
ways ended n disaster. snd often in Disgrace.
This speech was widely commented
on. Indeed, the Nqd which was ed
tied by op6 Of the pycy60t editors Of the
New York Eressn0 PbS1, tho paper
which told al inquirers that could
not find that Mr.. Blaine hade'any re-
Sumption record, and rupeaabd the
| statement after the Jtsrsal he'd called
| attention to il in an eaitorje3 article in
the issue Of February IL 1S56. quotes
Mr.. Blaine - dec1n1k tbet 'the pol
lev Of the Rspublic1a party Is to get
back to specie Payments b . firm and
considerable course" The only occasion
in the HOUSE when Mr.. Blaine had an
opportunity TO vote against the repeal
| OF the Resumption act was January IL,
1876. when Mr.. Holman presented a
resolution declaring for its repeal. MIR.
Blaine. with all of the Republicans ex-
| cept four, voted against the resolution.
Columns of extracts might be giveL
from Mr.. Blaine's speeches during the
period that specie resumption was
threatened 10 show that he was one of
the ab,est and stanchest champions OF
that measure.
The course of the papers which have
raised this issue fitly illustrates the
methods which his foes have adopted
to defeat Mr.. Blaine. Either of the
papers named could easily have ascer-
tanned Mr.. Blaine's record on specie re-
sumption. Indeed. it is difficult to be-
lieve that the intelligent men who write
and supervise tho editorial work of
those journals, can be so ignorant Of
current political history as to declare
that they do not know that Mr.. Blaine
was in favor of the Resumption act.
Their course in this respect is in keep
ing with that which his foes are pursu-
ing. They will stop at nothing which
INSCRIPTIONS malignity can suggest 1t
is anything to beat Blaine In this
case malignity has put on the ounces
cap.--BostOn Journal.
1 Popular Embodiment.