Year: 1876

the necessary result of Democratic
Administration. Somewhere in the
State of Indiana is a distinguished
Senator denouncing tho Republican
party in that it fixed day for the
resumption of specie-payments. He
says if that policy is carried out there
will be such a contraction of the
greenback that it will be quadrupled
in its value, and that, therefore, every
debt which every citizen owes will
be practically quadrupled in amount.
Isn't it terrible calamity to think
of! Let us stop and consider it. Has
it ever occurred to you whether it is
very probable that any time within
our prospects Of living a greenback
will be worth very much more than
gold? Suppose some enterprising
citizen of 10 Davies County con-
cludes he will start dairy. He gets
his COWS, and his machinery for run
ming the business. He issues his
milk tickets, and he finds by and by,
so many tickets has he issued, that
he has a great many more TICKETS
than milk. What is he going to do?
Can he contract his tickets so as to
resume? Suppose he began contract
ing,-ihat he calls in his tickets,-the
time will never come when the milk
ticket will be worth more than the
milk. What is the policy of the Re-
publican party? If you cannot con-
tract your ticket,-if> you cannot call
those in, initiate your dairy,-get
more COWS; get no more tickets, but
for Gods sake get more cows
Laughter


WHAT is THE POLICY OF THE DEMO-


CRATIC PARTY?


1t is to initiate your tickets, and to in
fate your milk at the same time.
Instead of ofhaving a tendency toward
honest resumption Of your tickets
instead of enlarging your dairy, they
have immediate recourse to the pump.
When it is inflated by that process,
have they got any more milk
[Laughter] [ am asked by Demo-
cratic orators, ado you pretend to
claim that Congress cannot make
money; that the inscription which it
puts upon a piece of paper doesn't
confer upon it actual value? Do
you," they say, "deny the power of
Congress to do that?" Yes. l have
the utmost reverence for the power
of Congress, but there are many
things that Congress cannot do. Con-
gress cannot make horse. Laugh
teri Congress cannot make POO acres
out of one. Congress cannot make
actual value by saying that it is act
ual value. Take $40 gold piece
fresh from the mint, with the lnscrip-
ton clear and bright upon it. Oblit-
crate every letter and every figure;
leave it an absolutely smooth surface;
twist it into any shape you please;
make q round ball of it, and it is then
worth 500. Take a $40 greenback.
Obliterate the inscription from it;
make it a blank piece of paper; roll it
up into q wad, and it isn't worth a.
Democratic curse. Laughter 1t
is absolutely good for nothing. There
is no inherent value in it; and the only
worth it possesses is the belief of the
holder of the paper in two things:
First, in the ability ofthe nation to
make the promise good; and second,
in the willingness of the nation to
make the promise good. You cannot
enforce liability against a nation by
an attachment proceeding. 1t is to
certain extent idle talk to say that eve
ry GLADE of grass and grain of wheat is
pledged to the payment of the green
back and of bonds. So long as the
Republican party is in power, that is
true; but with the Democratic party
in power it is false. The credit Of
either the greenback or the bond de-
pends upon the integrity of the party
in power, and just management of
national affairs. Place to-day-if
the Almighty in His wrath should
see fit to do it-this Democratic party
at the head and in custody of our ma
tional interests, with its


LONG BLACK RECORD OF REPUTATION
behind it, and where, SO far as the ma
tional credit is concerned, would the
national credit be2 Let there come Hp
from the South, from every Confeder-
ate cross-road, a bearer Of a Confeder-
ate heart full of the belief that the
lost cause is won; let the Government
be made up in that way, and where
would our national credit be2 Do you
gather grapes from thorns, and figs
from thistles? Is this Democratic par
ty characterized to-day by being
solid South-is that party, which for
years and years has waged relentless
war against the national life, to be
trusted ith its old doctrine still fresh
upon its lips, and its old bitternesses
still lingering in its hearts? sit to be
intrusted with the care and protection
of the national credit? Let the wires
carry the intelligence abroad that the
old Rebel Democratic party has tri-
umphed, that it has charge of the
national debt, that it has charge of
the national credit, knowing that that


party has always sought and desired


the ruin of both, where wouid our ma


tonal credit be? Where would be the


pledge of your blades of grass, your


gold and your silver In your mines,
your coal in your eoal-felds, your


grain on your prairies--where would


the pledge Of these be with the. Demo
cratic party in power? There is no


thing in this world more sensitive


than national credit to the slightest


outside interference. Place in charge


of it party punctured all through


with the name of reputation, and


this national credit which we all hold
so dearly to our heart would perish


in a night. l am told that we cannot


interfere with the national debt. l
| may overstate it. / ana assured,


however, that in the last session OF


this Confederate Congress more thar
1000 bills for -~ .t- =


PRIVATE CLAIMS FROM THE SOUTH


were presented, ara smuSSiea IN py


that moro astute Northern Demo


cratic gentleman having charge Of
| those affairs in Committee. Imagine


the condition of those if they should


triumph Cords and cords, scores and


scores, of claims of that character


would come into Congress, and mil


lions, countless millions, of additional


Indebtedness be saddled upon the


people, which would render the time


of resumption of specie payment


not only an indefinite postponement


but an everlasting impossibility.


| Our Democrats hardly know


whether to laugh or cry. Indians


threw overheard the best man in hei