Year: 1868

4


,s From the Yolksblatt, September 3, '6s.


The Democratic leaders vex them


selves in vain, to talk it into the people


that the greenback question forms the


issue to be settled by the next election.


Opinions, on this question, are quite as


various and conflicting in the Demo


cratic as in the Republican party.


Seymour, S. S. Cox, and the Eastern


Democrats, generally are for gold and


silver, while Vallandigham, and the


great mass Of the Western Democrats,


are in favor of flooding the country


with deprecated greenbaeks We also


meet in the Democratic party the same


differences of opinion which exist in


the Republican party, between the
views Of Butler and Morton, on the


one hand, and those of Garfield and


Morrill,, on the other.


The Eastern Democrats have the
candidate, while the Western Demo
crats claim the platform. But at last
it has turned out that in this respect
the Democratic platform is susceptible
of two constructions. The Western
papers interpret it to mean greenbacks,
while the New York World and the
leading organs in the East say that it
means gold. The demonstration Of
the World is about as follows: The
Democratic platform favors one kind Of
money for all, bondholder as well as
people. Since the ten-forties are ex-
pressly payable in gold, SO must the
other bonds and the people be paid in
gold. w


A similar difference of Interpretation
exists in respect to the corresponding
paragraph of the Republican platform.
This paragraph declares in favor of
paving the bonds in conformity to
the letter and spirit Of the contract.
Butler Morton aud even Sherman,
assert that in accordance with both
the letter and the spirit of the contract,
the 5-20s are payable in greenbacks.
Gov Cox, Garfield and others, on the
contrary, hold the promise of the
Government to pay a dollar means to
pay an actaul dollar, and not another
promise to pay. In this we agree with
them. The greenback question is,
therefore, still a question of the future,
and will evidently not come forward to
be decided upon, and take the place of
present issues, until after the settlement
of the work of reconstruction.


Just as little does the National Bank
question enter into the issues of the
next Presidential election. Neither the
Democratic nor the Republican platform
have touched upon this subject, aud it
can not be considered a party question.
As to whether the National Banks are
to be disposed of by abolishing, then
changing them to free banks, or contin-
ued as they are, may come up in the
politics of the future; however, we are
of the opinion that first in order of
time will be the far weightier matter
of return 10 specie payment, and that
in this the National Bank affairs, as
such, will lose their Importance.


Nor has the buying up of the bonds
yet become a party question. 1t may
in the future. Views on this, even in
the Republican party, especially in the
West, are so various as to prevent this
becoming an issue.


What, then, is the issue9 1t is one
outWeighing all that ever preceded it.
namely: Whether we are at last to have
peace, or another war. The rebels Of
the South, and the extremists of the
North, controlled the New York Con
vention. Yallandighsm and Wade
Hampton we're its leading spirits. The
former dictated the President the later
the platform. The rebel Generals chose
the candidate for Vice President


The burning question of the contest
is embodied in the few words inserted
in the platform by Wade Hampton.
These words assert that ''the Recon
struction laws are unconstitutional reyo-
lutionary, null and void" This declara-
ton is a threat of another civil war, a
new vast commotion.


In what manner does the Democratic
party contemplate carrying out this
The Southern States,
nearly all of them, are now reorganized
and represented in Congress. The
long condition of uncertainty is past,
and the foundation for restoration to
the normal condition has been laid.
Shall all this be undone, and the eoun-
try plugged again into anarchy and
civil war. The reconstruction laws, it
is true, may not be in every respect au
of perfection. But the South
is responsible for their existence in their
present form, in that she insultingly
rejected all propositions for adjustment
Under these laws new forms of States
have been organized and regular Gov
ernments have been established. Shall
these Governments be overturned and
these Constitutions be nullifed? Can
any one conceive how this can be done
without throwing the country and its
trade into a whirlpool of confusion ?
"Let US have peace" says General