Year: 1874

TIE MONEY QUESTION IN TIE CAM
PAIGN.


There is one feature of the present cam
paign in New-YOrk which can only be re-
garded with unmixed qualification by all those
who are sufficiently free from party prejudice
to be pleased with general public tendency
in the right direction. In respect to the i'm
portant question of the currency, both parties
plant themselves firmly upon sound financial
principles. Both candidates for Governor are
hard money men, infexibly opposed to any
further degradation of the currency, and both
are in favor of the prOInptest possible return
to specie payments, with no retrOgrade move
ments lin the meanwhile The orators OF
each side exhaust themse yes in asserting their
superior soundness upon this question, and in
accusing their enemies of secret afliliatiOn with
the repudiatOrs and in1atiOnists. The two
parties held important meetings IN New
York and Brooklyn on Monday night. Their


leading men took prominent part in them.
Nothing was so remarkable as the efforts each
meeting made to establish it's own sOundness
on the currency and upon every other ques-
ton now prominently before the people.
Both were for an honest currency, both were
opposed to corruption in office, both were In
favor of peace and good government in the
South. This alone would not have been re-
markable, for upon these abstract questions
all parties are accustomed to agree. But
Messrs Dix and PierrepOnt do not differ with
Messrs. Herman and Seymour in regard to the
measures by which these desirable ends are
| to be obtained, excepting that the former wish
| Cen Dix elected Governor, and the latter
| favor Mr.. Tilden. In everything else they
| agree with the unanimity of chorus. They
are each trying to persuade the public that
the others cannot be trusted to secure the
ends which they see the public desire, and
that is their only ground of difference.


While the party organs are exciting them
selves over this endeavOr. we take pleasure in
cOngratulating the people of goodwill upon
what appears to us fact full of promise and
encouragement. The Republicans say that the
Democratic victories in Ohio and Indiana were
victories of initiation, and the Democrats
answer with references to the rag-money atti-
tude of Morton and of Logan and the admira-
BILE Democratic platform of Illinois. There is
truth enough in each of these cries for mere
party warfare, but to those who look at the
matter with candOr there is nothing to dis
courage an honest man of either party. 1t is
true that the Democratic platform in Indiana
was as bad as it could be, and that the Re-
publican was no better. But it is also true
that the masses took no such interest in the
financial question as the venal managers
on both sides expected; and while
number of infatiOnists as bad as
Morton were elected by the Democrats.
such hard-mOney Democrats as Kerr and Nc
Donald went unhnchingly through the cam
paign upon their avowed principles, and the
former is elected to Congress and the latter
expects to 90 to the Senate. In Ohio the Demo-
cratic platform was worse than the Republi-
can, but it owed its success in great measure,
not to its vicious financial principles, but to
the reaction in the State against the temper
ance movement and the weakness of the Grant
Administration. Its independence of the in
flationist demagOguery is most clearly shown
by the remarkable victory IN the Cleveland
District, won by Henry d. Payne, thorough
going hard-mOney man, who made his canvass
fearlessly upon that issue The campaign now
going on in Illinois is even more encouraging
in its aspects. The inhatiOnist Congressman
of the Logan sort were entirely unable to COM
NIT their party in the State to their worst here
sizes. and the Democrats adopted platform
which is perfectly satisfactory in regard to the
currency.


The real fight, so far as the question of in
flation and reputation is involved, is not any
where square fight between the two parties.
It cannot be made to appear so. 1t is con-
fest, as old as government itself, between the
better and the worse elements within each of
the parties. 1t is struggle between light and
darkness between intelligence and ignorance,
between the foolish knavery which thinks
something is gained when debt is lodged, and
the common sense honesty which sees that the
easiest and best way to get rid of debt is to
nav it, The curse of politics is that consid-
cradle number of politicians think, with Butler,
that men are naturally knavish, and that any
scheme will be popular which will appear to
relieve people of their just obligations. Some
times. for a moment, these creatures get the
upper hand in a convention, and the cOnse-
ouence is platform of folly and dishonesty.
But they are not confined to one party,
and this year they have captured several
conventions on each side. We insist that they
have nowhere shown themselves strong at the
polls, even in those States where they appar-
emily control their organizations. In New York,
we think it subject of profound congratula-
ton that they have not dared to show their
heads anywhere. The fact that tho partisans
I of Tilden aud Dix are equally anxious to show