National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-11-09
Tho IrrcprcssIhle Conflict.


The Irroprcssible Conflict.
While the state campaigns were pending,
and especially during the three or four
weeks Immediately preceding the Novem-
her elections, there was q suspension Of
hostiities on the part Of various Demo-
cratic factions. Under the pressure of a
great emergency the noisy advocates OF con-
llicting theories and antagonistc policies
tacitly agreed to oxpend on their common
enemy, the Republican party, the energy
they were wasting upon each other.
AS the various members OF bclligerent
family, when engaged in settling domes-
tic difference by the arbitration Of fist or
club, will suddenly suspend their family
fight and combine TO repel an invasion
from any Of their neighbors, so these furi-
Gus factions, when their party had been
badly beaten In Ohio aud seemed likely TO
meet a worse fate In New York, suddenly
ceased their intestine strife, showed a solid
front, and moved on as II they had never
known any other than fraternal relations.
Among the most troublesome of the
various exasperating matters that were
thus temporarily dropped was the silver
Qucstion--a live issue of the hour, an issue
that was brought into the very bosom OF the
Democratic party by Mr.. Cleveland before
he was inaugurated, and which will be
pressed upon the attention Of Congress as
soon as that body meets. IL cannot be
lodged or otherwise cvaded but must be
considered. We do not undertake TO say
that there will be any legislation upon this
subject during the approaching session of
Congress. In fact, the chances are that no
silver bill will pass the Democratic House.
But the question will have to be taken up,
the floodgates Of talk will be opened, and
the hopeless disagreement between the
President and majority of his party will
be exposed.
The ablest Democratic newspaper In the
United States, and the one which con-
tributed most to the Democratic victory in
New York, is the Sun. That paper was up
to its armpits in silver until the political
situation demanded a cessation Of fractional
strife, when 1t laid the great issue aside aud
fought only for Hill and Jones. But as
soon as the battle was ended, and while
others were engaged in speculating on what
might have been II this, that, or the other
had not been, the editor of the Sun plunged
into silver with double-leaded war whoop
in favor of an argentiferous basis for the
national currency.
The President favors suspension Of silver
coinage with a view to some arrangement
by which gold and silver may be prevented
from parting company and induced to
travel together in the future as they did in
other days.
The Sun proposes to make silver the
standard, the only standard; TO coin four
million instead Of two million of the
standard dollars month, and to get "grad-
ually but surely to a silver basis"
Mr.. Dana thinks sit is not worth while to
discuss in detail the silver certificate scheme
devised by the Hon. A. j. Warner, and
which he purposes to present to Congress at
its next session." His argument in this
connection is precisely like that of the sin
glc-standard advocates on the other flank
the gold men. lie says:
II would be as absurd to make storage receipts
for silver bullion into legal tender money as 1t
would be TO make such money out of receipts tos
copper, iron, lead wheat cora, pork. or any
other commodity. 1fsllver Is to be treated like
merchandise and itsvalue computed like other
merchandise in terms Of gold, as Mr.. Warner
proposes, 1t cannot be a standard OF value, and
is practically demonetized.
Mr.. Dana reasons very cogently that
Mr.. Warner makes a mistake when she
assumes gold as his standard Of value,
measures silver by It, and then offers to
make the silver at this gold value into
money. Gold is and would remain, under
the provisions of his BILL the money mon
arch, and all the evils of gold monometal-
lism, from which the countries subject to 1t
are now suffering, would be perDetuated."
Mr.. Dana assures Mr.. Warner that
He aims to demonetize silver quite ns effect
| ually rs the most bigotcd gold monometallist
could desire, and to thrust 1t forth to keep
company with other articles bought and sold
| in the market for gold. The fall in prices
which, under the gold standard, has paralyzed
business during the past five years, would con.
tlnue, and the oppression OF debtors, by max
ing them pay as much more In liquidation of
their debts as the nominal value OF their prop
erty has diminished, would be as severe as
ever. The proper measure for the emergency
is to execute fully the provisions Of the Bland
Allison act just as they stand Instead of coin
600 of them. This, with the s2OOO0OOOO al.
ready coined, will bring us gradually but
surely to a silver basis aud make the prices of
commodities conform nearly to what they were
five years ago. The gold now in the country
will remain as a reserve for the liquidation OF
! foreign debts In case II should be wanted; aud
ifin the course OF events silver advances in
1 value or gold declines, we shall remain ready
| to take advantage OF the change.
! We have reproduced the SUMS article,
not to indorse or condemn, not to point to
the strong or the weak places in the line Of
argument, but because 1t is frank avowal
Of the policy which the majority wing OF
the Democratic party will adopt in the
pending controversy. AS such 1t is inter
esting.
/ But this will not be the administration
policy, nor is there any good reason to be-
lieve that the President or his financial
secretary will recommend anything out of
line or harmony with the Presidents we'll
remembered silver letter-the letter which
caused his denunciation by Democratic
leader on the floor OF the House as "a Re
publlcan-Democrati President-elect."
"The war that for space did fiil,
Now trebly thund'ring swells the gale"
And the roar OF the battle will swell
louder and louder for many noisy month
to come.
The recent declarations Of the Republican
and Democratic parties Of the state OF New
York are equally in direct opposition to the
views Of the Sun on the silver question.
| Tho NJ RTpIfRIIrAN nnnnnI te
columns some weeks ago for discussion of