Year: 1875

tsDid you really believe that Alien would carry ONO
by so 900 majority ?" asked leading Western demo-
crat the other day and he replied "Certanly, had
not a doubt OF it,"


''But what made you think so and how were you des
ceived, you, who ought to be shrewd calcuator2"
asked


His reply was very instructive. 81 take 1t for
granted in all political calculations he SAID hat tho
mass OF the people rogues who will vote for any
scheme which promises either punder the leave TO
cheat each other So believing 1 was persuaded that
Ohio would be swept by Allen tho imitation platform.
am hard money man; but am q democrat, and
believed that the imitation movement would be
cess for party still believe it was good stroke
in politics, and, before you laugh, see how small
Hayes majority is"


replied, ''You democrats have been too generally
acting upon your theory that the people set OF
scoundrels, and notice you have not carried de-
csive election for many years.


s'rrue" he replied ''but there other reasons for
that Look at the vote in Ohio, and remember that
ton which bror2At out almost every man"


THE CURRENCY QUESTION.


s1s the rag baby dead2" | asked a prominent hard
money republican here He replied:-'No it is not
dead; it is IKE the struck by locomotive. The
man, who he had sent 70 examine her, is she deadp
No. replied the brakeman but she is good deal dis
couraged' That Is about the condition OF the rag
babyn


/ hoped TO have attended hard money convention
here, but It's meeting was indefinitely postponed at the
request OF the New York delegates 1--WE were not
sorry y l told hcre ut was not good time for
IT. there would have been but a small meeting. From
St Louis, we learned, we could not have got q
respectable delegation and II the convention had been
held 1t would not have been representative body.
Boston and New England generally would have sent
many good men; but from the West and South there
would have been but small show. With US here hard
money just now dead not because we do not believe
in it, but because the campaign has tired everybody
out Ii was better not to meet


''Did you not make an impression on the public by
thn VII I


eyes, very decided impresson,n the reply
"In the cities we brought public opinion to the point
where / think merchants and business
ashamed to own themselves inhationists and to-day
business man would lose credit, and probably alarm
is STILL in all the country districts less impression
was made; and there is no doubt that great many
on their lands dealers who owe notes. debtors Of all
kinds have been affected badly by the hope which tho
innationsts held this class being able pay
their debts in deprecated currency"


The hard money democrats Of whom there are a
Pennsylvania and New York elections They would
like to see Pennsylvana go republican, and the best
informed men Of both parties here at present. believe
u VIII be carried by that party The hard money
democrats naturally wish TO see tho democratic ticket
carry New York by large majority but their expecta
tions are moderate. "Ten thousand majority would
satisfy me- said of the most eminent OF this
number to me night or two ago. Another remarked,
sIf Tilden carries New York 1t will disable the rag
money mon in party here. 1t is not impossible
that Mclean and Pendleton may carry an imitation
delegation to the National Convention They are
shrewd managers and have good deal of power In the
party here but II the New York democrats carry this
election by handsome majority Ohio will have but
little influence In the National Convention The claws
of the imitation leaders In our party here Will be ELECT
ually pared"


What strikes me as odd is that both parties 8
little discouraged If the democratic hard money
would be content with only TO, 900 majority in New
York the republicans on the other hand seem to be by
no means overheated with their victory. Many
of the most intelligent OF them think the school bill
which the Catholic question-heped them and
apparently not unwilling to the Pope made
issue even IN the national campaign When remarked
upon the absurdy and incongruty Of such an issue
national politics tho reply that tho danger ofa
democratic victory great that the party had made
narrow escape in the election just passed. and
in short, ''any port in a storm" as the sailors
say. ''fn the cities all the State made inla-
tion odious said such republican TO me- sbut in the
country districts the Pope played important part
Mr.. SchurZ does not see it but IL So neverthe
lessD remark upon this however that / think INV
friend overstated his There is very good evil
dence that the currency question became the abb
sorbing question almost everywhere in the campaign.
What prominent republicans say the contrary i'm
portant mainly as showing that they not unwilling
to use the religious question as stalking horse
in the next years campaign and that the President
shrewdy the possible keynote of that campaign
in his Des Mones speech IL one objects that such
issue would be great public calamity that 1t would
serve admirably to prevent necessary reforms and that
would inevitably be used by corrupt protect
themselves and further their schemes the reply of the
men of whom | speak is that tho greatest possible
calamity would be democratic success next year


conclude, from what hear that there republi-
cans and mon Of influence in the party who contem-
plate making the religious question issue next year,
and If you question them closely you find that some
sincerely alarmed believing that the democratic
leaders capable OF making bargain with the Roman
Catholics and keeping 1t, while others simply
frightened at the prospect of democratic success.
They say that the federal administration is weak and
hateful TO the people that IL is killing the republican
party; that has lost its hold on the people and so
Indeed, 1t would startle the President, / think
could he know in what light he Is regarded here by
men who are republicans and mean to be nothing else
men to whom as 1t seems TO me when | hear them
speak, the republican party has got to be kind of
ligon. II would be disrespectful TO the President
Il IN of thn wIrn e.,nL
have made TO me of him. but the fact that few OF
them gravey regard II among the possibilities that
General Grant will be offered and will accept democratic
nomination next year shows what their opinion OF
him When laughed at this the FIRST time heard it,
was told that the President known, during the
past summer to have had Mr. Wash Mclean to dinner
and was more or less intimate with him and of Mr..
Mclean anything is thought possible out here. In
deed, if he really able and strong a man as
some Of his opponents think him, he would be very
formidable person. In his own party there people
who have very poor opinion of him, find but they
acknowledge that he Is very adroit in the management
Of conventions l asked republican what part Gem
eral Grants name played In the canvass He replied
sharply, "It was never mentioned To have brought
him up would have defeated Tho truth Is that IL
the democrats had adopted sound hard money plat
form and made the administration from such q
standpoint they might have carried the State by 10000
or 30 000n


Altogether party politics are in very unsettled con.
dton in Ohio; and the most people hero
are the independent voters. They have but little anxiety
about the future; they have just beaten imitation here
and know IL; they have particular about
the future OF the republican party, because General
Grant, as they say, has toerably succeeded In weanng
them from IL; they have great and unconcealed con-
tempt for Mclean Allen and their set in the demo-
cratic party, being only bad men, but blunder
heads and they believe that somewhere next year
there will be tcke. and platform 1T to vote for What
Is delightful in them s that they DO not believe the
country going ruin, that II lies In the power OF
any set Of either side TO carry II there They
say tho Syracuse platform is SO good that either one
party the other Is TO adopt II next year;
and they, these independents are prepared TO
follow their principles For the rest the
election had one good result 1t has laid aside forever
good many politicians OF tho Allen and Carey kind,
who spoken of hero by everybody and by nobody
moro than the democrats as happily dead and buried
out of the way | was little surprised TO find how
generally Mr. Thurman Is counted by the democrats
as among deiunct IL pity for he certainly
deserved a better fate.


rHB FUTURE or CURRENCY QUESTION.


What strikes me here most orcibly Is the absolute
necessity Of coming to some conclusion soon about the