Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1891-10-01
Going Back on Its Record.


The Republican of to-day has very
short memory when he advocates Pro-
lection and denOunces the Silver Dol
lar. He certainly has forgotten the
position of his party upon these ques-
tions and what they advocated but a
few years ago. To show the position of
the party held but few years ago we
have but to give the utterances of its
leading papers and some of its legisla-
ton.
The Ohio State Journal, in its issue
of July 80, 1868, said:
$40 talk about tariff for protection
to home industry is simply asking that
nine-tenths of the people of the United
States shall be taxed to support one
tenth in the exercise of monopoly"
Now that organ is denying that the
tariff is tax to build up monopolies.
Again March IS, 1879: "In arranging
the tariff schedule, there is but one
simple inquiry to make: What rate
of tax or duty will produce, not the
largest profit to the manufactures, but
the largest revenue TO the government;
How the rate affects special private
interests should not be regarded in the
slightest degree"
And, again, on the 10Th of March,
1870: There is no constitutional war
rant for laying duties for protection"
Was it telling the truth then, or it
lying now?
! Upon the Silver question we have
but to go back to 1877.
The Ohio Legislature in 1877 was a
Republican body, and the following
joint resolution was it's official work:
"Joint resolution, relative to the
restoration of the silver dollar to its
former rank as lawful money.
Resolved, By the General Assembl y
of the State of Ohio, That commo II
honesty to the taxpayers, the letter and
spirit of the contract under which the
great body of its Indebtedness was as.
sumed by the United States, and true
financial wisdom, each and all demand
the restoration of the silver dollar tC
its rank as lawful money.
Adopted April "a, 1877.
C. III. GRosvENoR.
Speaker of the House of Representa-
tives. H. w. CURTIS,
President of the Senate.'
Vol. "A, Ohio Laws, page 537.
Against these resolutions only foul
votes were cast, three in the House
and one in the Senate.
In introducing the resolution in the
Senate of the United States, Senator
Stanley Matthews gave it strong in
dorsement, and in the course of his able
speech on that occasion, said:
"This resolution expresses the Opin
ion that the restoration of that coin il
demanded by true financial wisdom
In other words, that it is not only the
right of the United States consistently
with it's obligations to its creditors tC
restore to its coinage the silver dollar
but that it is expedient and wise anC
in pursuance Ofa proper public policy
so to do. By the letter of the law they
have the right to restore silver to its
former rank as coin, and further to
show that outside ofthe law taking in.
to view all the circumstances of the
case, every fact. every event, every in.
cident of legislation, every peculiarly
in the situation, everything that be-
longs to the case, in every sense it il
not in violation of the dictates of pub
lie honor, or Of public justice, or O.
public equity in the dealings of the
government with its creditors to re
'tore the law to the condition In which