Year: 1875

with foreboding and anxiety upon the possi-
BILE consequences of victory in demorahzlng
the general politics of the country. The re-
publicans OF Ohio will make but feeble show
in denouncing the rag money principles of
their opponents, because they have long
faunted in rags themselves and cried them mp
MS embroidery. 1t is only in deep twilight OF
financial ignorance that the rag money tatters
can be mistaken tor futtering fnery, but
deep twilight has long overspread the West
on this question of the currency. The greater
portion of the Western members of Congress
In the last Congress-, republicans as well as
democrats, Senators and Representatives
alike, were zealots of rag money, and nothing
but the President veto prevented their tri-
umph. The republican champions of in
fation acquiesced with sullenness They
did not renounce their views, but
yielded ungraciously to the force of circum-
stances, thinking il inexpedient to split the
party by an open quarrel with the President
But like all men convinced against their
will" they are 'sof the same opinion still"
Their constituents know full well that their
opposition to the rag platform Of the Ohio
democracy is false and hollow. The ground
taken in that platform is the popular ground
in the West and all Presidential candidates
are so we'll aware oft that neither Blaine nor
Wilson, nor Tilden, nor Hendricks will utter
lisp on the currency until after the Ohio
election. 1t is the popularity of imitation
among both parties in the West and South
that makes the dangerous Ohio platform 'the
ragged edge" of our politics The political
courage of the hard money Presidential can
didates on both sides willis in view of
the situation. If the democrats carry
Ohio both parties will trim on this
vital question, Ohio is the only great
State which will hereafter hold an October cleo
tion in the Presidential year, and the prelimi-
nary contest in October will virtually decide the
Presidential election, as it has generally done
heretofore when Pennsylvania was the lead
ing State 1t is with an i'll grace that the
friends of other Presidential candidates de-
nounce Senator Thurman for his silence, when
it is certain that Blaine and Wilson and Hen
bricks and even Tilden will be as dumb as
oysters until it is seen how the political cat
jumps in Ohio. Thurman is in more diff
cult position than any of them, because Ohio
is his own State and he is compelled to take
an active part in the canvass All other
Presidential candidates, of both parties, will
watch with keen and curious interest his de-
pertinent on the ragged edge.


Thurman is not lacking in dexterity and
his most obvious cue, so far as he discusses
the currency question on the stump, is to ex-
pose the inconsistency and hypocrisy of the
republican opposition to the democratic plat
form and hold up the imitation record of Nor
ton, Butler, Logan, Kelley, Ferry, Carpen-
ter, Cameron and the republican ma
jority in both houses of Congress. He
will represent this campaign against
the democratic platform in the light of suit
brought for adultery by husband who can be
convicted of the same offence by overwhelm-
ing proofs. Such countercharge does not,
indeed establish the innocence of the accused
wife, but it defeats the suit There is moth
ing which public patience is so little disposed
to tolerate as Satan rebuking sin, and Thur
man will make such handle of the votes and
speeches of majority of the republicans IN
the last Congress as will cause their shafts TO
fall harmless at the feet of the Ohio de-
mocracy. The republican party of Ohio isitself
SO infected with the imitation heresy that
Thurman will make as ragged an edge for
them as he is forced to stand upon himself.


The mischief Of The Ohio rag-money plat
form lies in its tendency to lower the tone of
both political parties and of all our public
men on the subject of the currency if the
democrats carry the State. In that event both
of the national conventions will next
year s'speak with bated breath on
and every Presidential candidate will
be demoralized. Our experience since the
war has taught us some humiliatipg lessons
as to the piinbility of ambitious public men.
Horatio Seymour accepted Presidential
nomination on greenback platform, though
he was fresh from making public speeches
against Pendletonism. What reason have we
for supposing that Tilden is man of sterner
virtue, or is less controlled by political am
bition than Seymour? If the infatonlsts are
strong in the convention he may as easily for
get his annual message as Seymour did his
strong anti-greenback speeches Poor Horace
Greeley, who had Kept insisting for years in
the Tribune that it was the duty of the gov
ernment 10 resume at once went to Cincin-
natl as o Presidential candidate and made
speech to the Board of Trade, in which he said
that resumption would necessarily be post
poned many years by practical obstacles, and
that Western business men need feel no alarm.
It is not safe to put much trust in politicians,
and there is great danger that an imitation vic
tory in Ohio will fatally debauch both parties
in the West and undermine the integrity of
Presidential candidates in the East. In that
event the whole country will be on the ragged
edge.


Tur Aprn TRANsrT CoN6MTssIoN waa aoain