Year: 1879

[Ohicago Times-Story Republican.


When the boys had things their own way,
they followed the example Of Ewing in Ohio,


and Bragg in Wisconsin, and Cloudy in nli-
nois, and put aplank in their platform for
the special accommodation of the rag-baby


lunatics. The old bucks had no sooner
taken the party in hand than they took care
to appoint q committee on resolutions the
majority of whom were Of the ancient order
Of hard-money Democrats. The majority
reported plank declaring gold and .silver
to be the "money of the constitution" I'm
mediately thereupon q difference of opinion


manifested itself. The boys we're not pleased


to see the party change ends on this ques-
tion, and declare that they had all along been
fighting for sort Of money which was


not. Accordingly, they proposed to take out


the majority plank and insert one of their
own, declaring that greenbacks should be


substituted for bank notes, and that their


legal tender character should be perpetuated.


After three hours wrangle they failed in


their main purpose, but utsuoceeded in inducing


the convention to modify the majority plank


to some extent. The majority plank declared
gold and silver coin to be the only money of


the constitution. As modified, it declares
such coin to be the money of the constitution,


the omission of the word 'only" implying
that there may be some other money of the


constitution, 1t also declares that s'all paper


currency should he at all times convertible
into coin at the option of the holder, and it's


volume should be regulated by the business of


the COUNTRY" Now the boys do not ACCEPT that


doctrine. They hold that paper currency
should be plenty, whether it is convertible


or not, and they hold that its volume should


be regulated by act of Congress, and not by


the business of the country, or by the law OF


demand and supply. The only part of the
money plank which will be satisfactory to


the boys is the declaration in favor of the
unlimited coinage of silver on the same
terms with gold. This, however, will hard


ly suffice to reconcile them to the doctrine of


oonvertibility. They can not be expected to
labor for success with great zeal after sus-
tanning defeat upon this question, to which
they attach so much importance. OF course
they can not expect aid or comfort from the
Greenbackers, and that being the case, tho
prospect before them is not brilliant.


The platform is in some respects good,
and in one or two particulars bold. Besides
the money plank, which is tolerable, the
plank demands such a revision Of the patent
laws as will protect innocent purchasers of
manufactured articles from suit for infringe
ment is we'll enough. The tariff plank, de-
manding Gas right that our people shall
be allowed to buy and sell in the markets of
the world untrammled by vexatious and op-
pressive tariffs" and declaring in favor Of
''ths speedy establishment of free trade as
the permanent commercial policy of this
country is sound and vigorous J; but it is


more than doubtful whether the Democratic
national convention can be induced to say
anything half SO bold on this subject. The
civil-service plank, however, is mere clap
trap. It suggests reform by law, as though
the mode of making appointments and
removals could be changed by act of Con-
gress. It also suggests the abolishment of
superfuous Offices, which is all very well, the
only difficulty being to induce any party
when in power to surrender any portion of
the spoils. Finally it suggests "such whole
some reduction of salaries that the expe enses
of partisan campaigns cannot be paid out of
the public funds by the indirect method of
political assessments upon official incomea-''
far that officials can't afford to contribute to
campaign funds- an idea as childish as could
we'll be imagined.


4ue boVeutu plaukS OomaUOlu9 I'd 1reo
ballot and an honest count of the voteeseast
at all elections" and declaring that the pres
enoe of armed troops at the polls upon cleo
ton day, and of partisan officials clothed
with power to intimidate, arrest end i'm
prison voters without legal process,
is ':intolerable in a free country" viii be
approved by all fair-minded men. The per-
sons most likely to disapprove of the de-
mand for free ballot and an honest count
are the persons who have obtained control
of certain States by dishonest counts and by
depriving others of the right to cast their
ballots. As for the declaration about troops
at the polls, that is superfuous, since there
is a law now forbidding the interference of
armed troops with elections. The declara-
ton against partisan officials is aimed at the
national elections law, which, however de-
fective it may be in some respects, is gener-
ally approved as to its scope and aim by
those who are opposed to free fraud as q
mode of deciding political questions.