Year: 1876




| two questions is the selected battle ground
of the republican party, the other of the
democratic party. If the republican leaders
could have their way they would make the
canvass turn on the protection OF negro
rights in the South, and accordingly this
topic is persistently put in the foreground
in their campaign speeches and newspaper
organs. On the other hand, the democratic
leaders are industriously trying to make the
reform question the predominant issue, and
to dwarf all others in comparison. Each of
the two parties evinces political sagacity IN
its selection of the main issue, for there is
little reason to doubt that on the Southern
question alone the republicans, nor that on
the reform question alone the democrats
would elect the next President. All other
issues are subordinate to these two and can
only serve as unimportant makeweights in
the political balance.


The currency question is not an eXcep-
ton, important as that question is Very
few votes will be gained or lost by currency
discussions in this canvass, because the
country will be equally safe against the in
fation heresy whether the election shall re-
suit in tho success of Hayes or of Tilden.
The financial policy of the government de-
| pends OH Congress, and it is already certain
! that, let the Presidential election 60 as it
may, there will be a large majority of hard
money men in the next Congress- The re-
| publican members, with few exceptions. will
be unalterably committed TO hard money
views, and majority of the democratic
members will stand in the same category.
This is an inevitable result Of the egregious
blunder Of the Ohio democrats in their State
canvass last year. They ''builded wiser
than they knew" Their memorable attempt
to carry the State on rag money issue had
the unintended effect of uniting the whole
republican party in favor of sound monetary
views. In the spring of 1874 the re-
publican party was as badly infected with
the soft money heresy as the democratic
party Morton, Logan and Ferry were then
strenuous champions of initiation. The in
hation bill, passed by republican Con-
gress, was defeated only by the courageous
veto of President Grnt-an Executive pill
which the republican infationists found it
|
Gratis, last year, were foolish enough to cater
for the votes of the republican infationists,
and thereby unwittingly rendered signal
service to the hard money cause by making
it political necessity for the republican
party to take the opposite ground. Party
spirit did what argument had failed to ac-
complish; and even Senator Morton, the
| IF ho ,Aof
ists went to Ohio and made vigorous
speeches against Allen and rag money The
effect of that Ohio canvass was to make the
republican party unit in favor of hard
money. The democratic party has been
forced to take substantially the same ground;
and the Ohio inflationists, instead of
boiling, have acquiesced. The republi-
can doubts of their sincerity will strengthen
the hard money sentiment of the country
The attempts of the republican orators to
fasten the charge Of initiation on the demo-
cratic party will consolidate the republican
conversion from the Norton Logan views of
1874, and the democratic attempts to parry
and refute the charge will take the life out
Of the inhationists of that party. The con-





lican and a majority of the democrats elected
to the next Congress will be pronounced ad-
vocates of hard money. Whether Hayes is
elected or Tilden is elected we are certain
to have a vigorous hard money Congress as
the successor Of the present, and certain in
either case to have o President who will
favor and not obstruct sound legislation on
cf1bi bo hpc Gil int ctc
of the country will be equally safe in either
event, and neither party has any political
capital to make by agitating the currency
question. The country may repose in the
certainty that the next Congress will have a
large majority of hard money members,
and that neither Hayes as President
nor Tiiden as President will have any
temptation to thwart that majority The
currency question, important it is, will
therefore have little effect on the canvass,
and the other minor questions still less
The democrats may gain few votes in CAL
iforna by the strong declaration in their
platform against the Cinnamon, but else
where the question has no interest The re-
publicans will derive little did from the
school question. because their opponents
have shown no disposition to contest their
views


We ere therefore justified in assuming
that this Presidential contest will turn
mainly on the two questions which we have
singled out as paramount = namely the
Southern question and the reform question,
the former being the favorite issue of the re-
Ia. Of Il
If the question of negro rights could be
made the sole issue. the republicans would
carry the day if the reform question. the
democrats would have the better chance.
Each nartY is manmuyrino to make its "a