Year: 1875

A0ureSS OI tne DemOcratfc State Zen


trail Committee.


The Pennsylvania Democratic Stat,


Central Committee have agreed upoI


an address to the voters Of Pennsyl


vania, principally upon the financia


question. The address declares that


the time has not come even for fixing


a time for the resumption of speci,


payments, for mo voice has proceeded
from the mills or manufactures, from


the mines or the furnaces, or from the
farmers or workingmen," demanding
either resumption or. fixed time
Governments are established for the


benefit of the governed, and until the


people who represent the industrial


pursuits of the State ask for change,
it is worse than folly to agitate the
question. After brief reference to
our present currency, the address con-
tinues as follows:


Upon the legal-tender basis the
farmer has purchased his land, the
manufacturer put in motion his ma
chinery, and the workingman bought
the lot upon which he erected his
home. To change this basis of values
by the substitution of gold
and silver, would deprcciate the price
of land. and cause alarm and distress
in all the avenues of trade. The
change will be a work of time, and
cannot be effected until the country is
in a better condition to receive it.
Aud however much the politicians of
the country may interfere, the solid
sense and good judgement of the mass
es will prevail and they will, by the
fore. and power of the ballot. prevent
hasty and ill-digested legislation on
the question of specie resumption.
However much we may complain ofthe
want of wisdom that prompted the in
PRODUCTION of the present system, there
can be no doubt Of the folly Of at
now to destroyit Whatever
evils belong to It have already been
realized ; the business of whole de-
cade and more has been based upon it.
and only those who desire to speculate
upon a breaking up of all values,
whether of labor or property, are now
contraction of the cur
reney; and it may not be inappropriate
to add here that Ia nothing has the
of the people in their
been so strikingly illus
trated as in the universal acceptance
and use of. the money issued by it, not
withstanding the bad.management of
the Administration. We claim that
the Democratic party has always been
and is now in favor of sound aud
staple currency, and we have uniform
lily opposed the mercepary ii fations
that have so often disturbed and de-
stroyed the business of the country
Composed as the Democratic party is


in large part Of the labor of the nation,
it is essential to its best interests that
al needless fluctuations of the cur
rency should be avoided, and it is en-
tirely safe to say that with the govern
ment in their hands lies the only hope
Of reaching the specie standard as the
basis of our currency. 1t is no part of
its mission or its destiny to abandon
this idea. 1t will not. But that same
party must be governed by reason as
10 the time, the mode, and the manner


"a which the point is to be reached.
Il cannot afford, even if it bad the
power, to march on to the objective
soiat over a desolate country and
midst the ruin of its industries. 1t
1oes not propose to commit any such
tollys therefore, when in council at
Erie, the party determined to put itself


IN a conservative position and act with
leliberatios and discretion. When
hey passed aresolve demanding that
he volume OF money be made and
Kept equal to the wants of trade, leav-


ng the restoration of legal tenders to
par in gold to be brought by promo
ing the industries of the people and
not destroying them, they but evinced
sound Judgment. and made no sacrifice
,f principle. The effect of this is to
make one common currency, save
where Congress has made special pro-
visions to the contrary, in the national
oan. There is no imitation in this part
If the Erie platform; it is but supply


ug the people with the amount of
currency Withdrawn by the National
Legislature from circulation.


"The platform adopted at Erie takes
The position that bankers and brokers
nay not have the control of the cur
rency. that the industries of the State
ind the great question Of labor have,
rs they should have, a voice in the
currency question. and we fear less by
that this is correct. The
men who represent these interests are
entitled to voice in the common
council of the State. To their efforts
we owe its prosperity. and their advice
is not to be discarded. The coal and
iron trade to-day in this State is pros
trate it is paralyzed. Tens of thous-
ands of men who are employed in these
industries will be discharged if the
doctrine Of immediate resumption is
successful nor will they be in much
better condition if the currency as con-
tracted by government, with a view of
fixing a day for resumption. is main
tained. Fellow citizens of Pennsylva-
MIA, these are important issues, and
they claim your serious consideration
in the approaching canvass. The
pressure is upon US. II we cannot
avoid its evil consequences absolutely,
we must mitigate them as far as is in
our power. 1t has not been the work
of the Democratic party. Thou canst
not say we did it. Therefore, in de-
at Erie that We would not per-
NIT a contraction of the currency, we
deserted no Democratic landmark.
Our policy, as a party, has ever been
to protect and guard the industries of
the country. We demand that the le-
gal tender issues be c,ado receivable
for all dues to the Government
a policy that will speedily bring them
to par with gold aud interchangeable



The national bank system was de-
nounced, the address says, because
the Government pays the banks $40.
DOO. 900 year in coin, although it is
for the redemption of the
bank notes. 1t would be better. it is
urged. to issue legal tenders in their
place, "and appropriate the $40. 600, 600
Of coin annually paid as interest upon
banking bonds toward the relief of
AZ ,Doonla in faxation