But the issues involved are far more important than the candidates.
John Sherman
The Public Record
John Sherman was an American politician from Ohio who served in federal office throughout the Civil War and into the late nineteenth century. A member of the Republican Party, he served in both houses of the U.S. Congress. He also served as Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary of State. Sherman sought the Republican presidential nomination three times, coming closest in 1888, but was never chosen by the party. Between 1861 and 1897, John Sherman served in the U.S. Senate for nearly 32 years and holds the record for longest serving senator from the state of Ohio.
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I assure you that upon the election in Ohio depend questions of public policy which touch upon the framework of our government and affect the interests of every citizen of the United States.
The Republican party proposed, maintained, and executed the resumption act as the best remedy for the evils that followed the panic of 1873.
It now declares its purpose to hold fast to what it has done, to keep and maintain every dollar of paper money in circulation as of equal value to the best coin issued from the mint, and as soon as possible to complete the work of reducing…
The Greenback party not only denounces all we have done, but proposes to reverse it by the issue of an almost unlimited amount of irredeemable paper money, to destroy the system of free national banks, and to call in and pay off all the…
The Democratic party of Ohio, both in its platform and by its candidates, supports more or less all of these dogmas; but it does so not as a matter of principle, but for political power.
Its main object is, by any sort of alliance on any real or pretended popular issue, to gain strength enough to unite with the solid south, so that it may restore to power, in all departments of the national government, the very same…
Our contest with them is not only on financial questions, but upon the old and broad question of the power and duty of the national government to enforce the constitution and laws of the United States in every state and territory, whether…
If they could only hear both sides fairly stated, there would be less heat and bitterness in political contests, and more independent voting.
This order was made, not at the request of the banks, for they were entirely prepared to pay the money, but at the urgent demand of business men, that the currency should not be withdrawn from the banks where it was employed in active…
All I want, and that is what we all want, is honest money.
A dollar in paper is now worth a dollar in gold or silver anywhere in this country, and we want affairs so shaped that the paper money issued may be exchanged anywhere or under any circumstances for gold or silver.
I regarded this as a piece of demagogism, for he knew the difference between the greenbacks then and the greenbacks before resumption.
Not a year rolled around until this resumption came, and these Wall street desperadoes and these money kings of Europe, instead of coming and demanding our gold in exchange for greenbacks, now bring their gold to us and want greenbacks for…
The same old questions about the rights of states to nullify the laws of the United States--the same old policy to belittle and degrade our national government into a mere confederacy of states--are now thrust forward into prominence.
We must carry New York next year, or see all the results of the war overthrown and the constitutional amendments absolutely nullified.
We cannot do this if our friends defeat a Republican candidate for governor fairly nominated, and against whom, there are no substantial charges affecting his integrity.
In this speech I expressed my opinions upon the subject of fraudulent elections, especially in the south, and, while the government has not been able at any time to completely protect the ballot box in several states, the opinions I then…
I believe the right of each lawful voter to vote in national elections should be enforced by the power of the national government in every state and territory of the Union.
Now I want to serve notice on the Democratic party, that the Republican party has resolved upon two things, and it never makes up its mind upon anything until it is determined to put it through.
We are going to see that every lawful voter in this country has a right to vote one honest ballot at every national election, and no more.
If the Democratic party stands in the way, so much the worse for the Democratic party.
If the south, rebellious as it is, stands in the way again, we will protect every voter in his right to vote wherever the constitution gives the right to vote.
With the help of Almighty God, we intend to right that wrong.
I worked hard that winter, for hard work, I thought, was the way to fortune.
Politicians like John Sherman
