The Industrial Review, Social and Political. — 1878-09-28 (London, England)

MONEY AND PAPER IN AMERICA.—Mr. Dennis Kearney, a Californian gentleman, who likes to be paid for his work in "hard money," and to pay those who labour for him in paper, is at present engaged in a grand crusade in the American Eastert3 States in support of General Butler and the Greenback and Labour Association. Mr. Kearney's meetings are attended by immense numbers of the working classes, to whose ignorance. and passion the orator, who invariably speaks in his shirt-sleeves, addresses himself. It is strange to think that men can listen patiently to a crazy politician who declares the duty of the, Government to be to "grind out greenbacks by millions 91 bushels," but there can be no doubt that multitudes of the ino.re ignorant of the American workmen are completely deluded DY. Kearney's specious assertions, and are under the firm belief that the whole ot the National Debt could be liquidated by a decree. of the Government ordering the creditors to be paid in noteS printed at the Government presses. Apart from ICearney's rc markable currency, or no currency doctrine, his eloquence is T. type which it is to be hoped is not common even in the Unite,_`: States. It consists for the most part of vile abuse, aimed at the President downwards. Mr. Hayes is spoken or as "a fool et: 4 scoundrel," while an unfortunate gentleman who ventures to in' terrupt Kearney's oration by a question is stigmatised as " headed vampire." The educated classes are "a band of inferne. scoundrels." They are "the Democratic thieves and the R _ publican robbers." Capitalists are "thieves and murderon: vagabonds," while bondholders and employers of labour at "blood-sucking ghouls of despotism," "plunderers" " imps of the bottomless pit," and so forth. One would' fain h°l that even with the lowest kind of American audiences,.junacY  this description would speedily cure itself. Meantime, it is disappointing to find the wild ideas and wilder language of a political mountebank receiving the approval of crowded meetings all over the Union, and being made one of the agencies in popular electioneering. It is said, indeed, that the success, so far, of General Butler in Massachusetts is due to the influence of Kearney over the electors.—" Echo."  SHERE ALl.—The " Times " remarks that we have put up with so much from Shere All, and have been so exceedingly anxious not to give him needless offence, that he is possibly inclined to fancy that we shall put up with anything he may be pleased to offer. We trust, for his own sake, and for ours too, that he may become aware of his mistake before he is overtaken by its consequences. We shall not turn aside now from the frontier policy we have deliberately determined to follow. If there are obstacles in the way, we shall know how to deal with them. We have formed the opinion that it is not safe for us to leave Afghanistan to itself. What we most wish is that the ruler of that country should be an independent and a friendly potentate. If Shere Ali will take that position, we shall have nothing more to ask of him. We cannot suffer him to be unfriendly and independent too. Our frontier must be secured in any case, and if Shere Ali will not help us in this matter, we shall know how to obtain what we want without his help. Moreover, the rebuff he has given us has been so openly dealt that we cannot put up with it, It will not be for long that the English envoy can be turned back by the Ameer's orders. Our envoy will come next, not to request admittance, but to demand it; if, indeed, meanwhile the Ameer himself does not see the blunder he has made, and sue for the Mission which he has just so contemptuously repelled. We still hope that war may be averted; but if war must come, better a little war now than an open trouble for some years, followed possibly by a great war which we may be less well placed for meeting.