The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1891-07-18
THE ENEMIES OF SILVER.

po6Sc VIII lSNVul u ~
and yielding upon the part of a few who
were counted as the staunch friends OF
silver as surprising as it Was unexpected,
The Kansas City commercial congress
) had declared unequivocally in favor OF
the free and unlimited coinage of the
white metal. After the adjournment of
that body it was charged by the enemies
of silver that the congress was a demo-
expressions upon the tariff and silver
coinage were directed and shaped by
democrats and were not a true reflection
of the sentiment of the people of the
states represented upon those questions.
1t was furthermore intimated that when
the trans-M Mississippi congress met at
Denver the true opinion of the people at
large would be recorded.
The congress met, but it was soon as
certaincd that a majority of the mem
bers were in favor of the free and I'M
limited coinage of the white metal. 1t
was determined, however. by the gold
bugs, that this sentiment should not
find expression in the resolutions of that
body. They dared not advise the ignor-
ing of the question. nor did they think it
polite that the congress should declare
itself in favor of or opposed to free coin
age. A middle course was therefore de-
cided upon. 1t was represented that
| TJ,rieA,, ,rl, e+o,l e., Wall @,oo% $780,.
opposed to the free and unlimited coin
age of silver, and that he would veto any
bill passed by the incoming congress
which provided for it. 1t was still fur
thermore represented that such a veto
would endanger the success of the repub-
lican party at the next presidential cleo
ton if it did not work its defeat. There
fore a division must be created among
the advocates of silver, and this is the
way it was done.
Ex-senator y. P. Hill of Denver, not
withstanding his defeat for reelection to
the United States senate, has nursed his
political aspirations with c~ommendable
care and foresight. He had always
trained among the most ardent
advocates of unlimited coinage
and has always been regarded as sound
rs a dollar upon that question. He is
the owner and editor of a leading repub-
lican newspaper in Denver. Judge G. C.
Goodwin of the Salt Lake Tribune was
another red hot silver partisan. and has
done more stalwart kicking against the
gold bugs Of his party than all the re-
publican editors in the union put to-
gethcr. These men were members of
the congress and these men were among
those the gold bugs went after. How they
finally gathered them in, the TRIBUNE
is not prepared to say, but they got them
and with their and and influence a reso-
luton asformulatcd and forced through
the congress by a bare majority favoring
the free coinage only of the silver mined
in the Uaited States. This was the mid
die course decided upon by the gold
bugs to save Harrison and his party from
certain defeat and further to create a di-
vision in the ranks of the friends of the
metal. Both Hill and Goodwin who had
vehemently protested against the gold
bug policy of degrading the white metal
are now found lending their pen and
voice in favor of the coinage of the
American product only.
This departure, however, does not go
down with such stalwart friends of the
white metal as Senators Teller and Stew
art. The former does not hesitate to
say: THE demand for free coinage of the
American product only is the demand of
the enemies and not the friends of sill
YER" He can see as others can see that
o true friennd of the metal would make
the demand. 1t has already done great
damage to the silver interests and the
end is not yet, for, as the senator ex-
presses it, IF the producers of silver de-
mand the coinage of their product alone
and desert the friends of unlimited coin
age they will neither get unlimited coin
age nor the coinage of the American
product" The bait is thrown out to the
producers, but if they bite they get
nothing. No bill providing for the free
coinage of American mined silver alone
can ever pass both houses of congress.
But a bill providing for free and unlim-
tied coinage of the metal can pass both
houses, and we believe by such an over
whelming majority that Harrison dare
not veto it. The only hope for silver lies
in the passage of the latter measure.
The enemies Of the metal are those who
oppose it.
The TRIBUNE has repeatedly asked
the Leader to name a single establish
ment in the United States which it
knows is manufacturing tin plate. 1t
does not know of one. 1t does not saw