Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1890-07-08
SILVER and Presidential Candidates.

The Birmingham Age Herald, un'
der this heading, some days age
made the following remarks:
cit is fact worth noting that all
of the leading Republican candidates
for the presidency have placed them.
selves on that side of the silver ques-
ton most unpopular in the West. :
"Messrs. Reed and Mckinley have
both taken a decided stand against
free coinage, and Mr.. Harrison is
reported to have said that he would
veto the bill if it should be laid
before him, and is on record as favor
ing the obnoxious Window bill.
"Senator Ingalls, is hardly a pres
idential possibility, though he has
sometimes been spoken of in con-
nection with the nomination. He
voted for free coinage in the Senate,
but destroyed the effect of his vote
by lobbying against the bill in the
House.
Given the willy Blaine, who Is in
opposition to his party in several
essential particulars, is on the wrong
side of silver.
"The party line has been very
closely drawn in Congress on the
silver question. In the Senate the
Democrats were practically a unit
for free coinage and only few Eas-
tern members of the party voted
against it in the House.
"This was the correct position, but
the Democrats assumed it with some
degree of ostentation and for party
advantage. The question is, how
will they avail themselves of such a
position with Mr.. Cleveland for a
candidate?'
The Age Herald puts a very sig.
nificant question at the close. The
LEAF-UHRoNICLE some months ago
in fact, before Congress met--took
the position that silver would come
to the front as the leading issue, and
the Democracy would have to look
to the West for presidential candi-
date. 1t has been the first paper in
the State to agitate the silver ques-
ton, urging that it was the one thing
most needed, and the main issue to
break the backbone of the Repub-
lican party. Mr.. Cleveland is a great
statesman, with strong following
a man whom we admire but the
situation is very fast developing that
he is not the man to lead the
Democratic party to victory in the
next contest. A great revolution in
political sentiment, and especially
on the silver question, has set in
since his retirement. This question
was ripe for the last campaign
it was Democratic sentiment then as
ii is now,.. and has ever been the
true theory and Democratic idea of
free goVernment-one kind of money
for all classes. Had Mr.. Cleveland
been as vigorous in uttering this pol
icy as he was in his great message on
the tariff question, he would have
been elected by the West in spite of
Dudley and Quay's Doodle and the
New York dissensions. But he sided
with Wall street on that question
and estopped his party from making
the issue. Now the Democratic par
ty is in the lead of Mr.. Cleveland
and cannot go back on its Congress
men who have made such a gallant
fight for the people against the
"money deNil'' and all other mo-
nopolies. Mr.. Cleveland's position
on the silver question has been
great drawback to our Congressman
in fighting the gold bugs. For these
reasons he cannot be thought of as
Il successful leader on the tariff issue
alone. Moreover, the Democratic
party cannot afford to take the fac
tional fight in New York on its
hands. The party in that State has
proven its treachery. The factions
are always ready to sell out for
Doodle. Besides these objections, it
is n true maxim that old tricks never
win the second time.
Congress may be forced by IVES.
tern and Southern pressure to give
the country silver legislation that
will increase the currency and do
much good, but the gold sharks will
manage to keep it under their own
control and it would never bring that
prosperity which free coinage would
insure. Mr.. Cleveland is not with |
the West and South on this question;
he Is with the East. Mr.. Walcott
struck the keynote to the next cam
paign when he said the West and
South would unite against the East
ON free coinage aud low taxes. De-
mocracy will look TO the West for a
leader and winner. ]