The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1896-10-30
REPUTATION AND plsHonoR.
A Fart 81 Henry Ward neechors Hest
Rermona


During the fat money and unlimited
paper currency excitement of 1877 Mr.
Beccher delivered a famous sermon on
Thanksgiving OF that year OH the perils
OF the day. In Il he used this language:
whenever in nny mutton there is
such an attempt to tamper with stand.
ards that the moral sense of man Is he,
wildered and liberty is given to unprn.
cipled men at large 10 cheat. TO be un.
faithful to obligations. TO refuse the
payment of honest debts-whenever
that TAKES place, II is nll the worse II
done with the permission Of the law
/ hate the devil riding OIL law worse
than do the devil riding without q
law under him. Whoever campers with
established standards hampers with the
very marrow and vitality Of public
faith. The danger into which
we are running - hidden under the
mystery Of finance and the currency
All money Is but q Representative OF
property. IA now, by facility of inter.
course, all the World ia one open mar
ket, the need OF one n nd the same stand.
ard of money, uniform, universal and
unalterably becomes iInpcrious.
Gold is the worlds standard. Gold
IL the universal measure Of value. Other
kinds of money there are-silver, cop
per, paper-but they all must conform
10 gold and be measured by It and be
interchangeable with II, In fixed and
definite proportions. Gold IL king In
commerce.. All other money must rep
resent gold. No vote of Legislature can
change the nature of commerce, the
nature of property. the nature Of It's
representative In money OF the relative
superiority or inferiority OF different
icurrencies. Gold came to It's supremacy
ns a representative of property by the
congratulated consent Of mankind.
Congress cannot change II for the
world. nor even for THE notion, except
upon past transactions. II may give
impunity TO men TO cheat confldina
creditors. but II cannot rule the value OF
currency In all future transactions.
"The crime Of paying q debt in cur
rency inferior In value to that In which
II was contracted, base at oil times and
anywhere, has n deeper guilt and a
baser infany in our case. When In our
mortal struggle capitalists were solicit
ed to lend their money TO us on the faith
Of the nation, we were too glad, most
grateful, for their aid. Then they were
not grasping and swollen usurers. Oh,
no! They were benefactors. We re-
3oiced In their bounty and gave thanks
for their conflding faith in our national
honesty. Now, our dangers past, we
r:vilc them. finding no epithets too vio-
lent, and strive TO pay them, not gold
fJr the gold they lent our misery, but
in n dishonest measure of an inferior
metal.
"In the court of the commercial
worlds conscience we shall be convict
cd Of endeavoring to cheat the men who
came 10 our rescue In the dark day.
This congress would not have existed
nor any government of the United
States, but for the strength given to our
armies by foreign capitalists, and now
TO return their aid by base treachery
Is to deserve an infamy as deep as the
lowest depths of hell. but woe to those
men, bull-headed, without eyes, who are
attempting TO undermine the integrity
and simplicity of the nation"