Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-10-15
SOUND CURRENCY.

SOONO CORRENCY.
Striking Contrast Between Democratic
and Republican Principles.
Two political conventions, one re-
publican and one democratic, met the
other day in two states-the former in
Massachusetts,, the latter in New York
and made a formal declaration of the
principles of their respective parties in
regard to the currency. 1t is profound
ly significant that these two declara-
tions were, in almost identical Ian
guage, in favor of honest money and
against every form of depreciation. 1t
is still more significant that the Ian
guage in which the republicans of
Massachusetts and the democrats Of
New York made their declaration was
substantially the language of the pres
ident of the United States upon the
same subject The most obvious effect
of this striking agreement between the
two great parties is that it is sure-so
far as anything in politics can be sure
to take the question of the currency
out of the field of political struggle In
the national elections of next year.
Since both republicans and democrats
have resolved that every dollar issued
by the government shall be as good as
every other dollar, there is nothing in
the direction OF further currency lcgis-
lation for them to dispute about.
The position of the republicans in
every state in the east where they still
have any leaders of probity and COM
mon sense was already fixed for them.
Mr.. Harrison, with great courage and
firmness, and with admirable precision
and completeness of statement, had laid
down the doctrine which they were
bound by every consideration of party
expediency and by honor to adopt.
Anything different, and certainly any
teing less, would have been on the one
hand an open or covert declaration of
hostility toward the administration,
and on the other hand would have
riven the party in two. The deliberate
and grave words of Mr.. Harrison at AL
bany were the official leader of the
republican party to the mischievous
and senseless utterances of the repub-
lean conventions in Ohio and Pennsyl.
wanna. Until they were spoken no one
could say what would be the course of
the party on this question. Men were
found saying that the next congress
would pass a free-coinage bill and
President Harrison would sign it. But
when Mr.. Harrison had once declared
with all the weight of his authority in
the party and in the government that
''every dollar issued by the govern
ment, whether paper or coin, should be
rs good as every other dollar" the pol
icy of his party was irrevocably set
tied.
Very different was the situation of
t.. democrats of New York. The great
body of the representatives of that
party in the last congress. and most OF
its senators. had voted for free coin
age bill The democratic convention
of Ohio and that of kentucky had de-
clarcd in favor of free coinage. These
acts were sound evidence of a strong
sentiment in the party. Against them
were to be set the firm and simple dec
laration of the late democratic presi-
dent, Mr.. Cleveland, and the known
sentiment of the business men of the
state of New York. It is not surpris-
ing that policy of evasion and COM
promise should have suggested itself
or that it should have found an advo-
cate in such leader as Gov. Hill 1t is
to the credit of the sagacity of the
leaders of the New York democracy
that IN a situation of this sort they saw
at once the duty and the advantage of
policy absolutely beyond misunder-
standing. Referring to the past, they
say, .'We now, as then, steadfastly adj
here to principles of sound finance
We are against the coinage of any dol
lar which is not of the INTRINSIC
value of every other dollar of
the United States" And. as if they
were resolved that there should be no
chance for any such trickery as that Of
the Fifty-frst congress, they proceed
TO denounce the Sherman silver law,
s'under which one-tenth of our gold
stock has been exported and all our sill
yer output is damned up at home
1t is impossible to exaggerate the eff
feet of this declaration. 1t banishes
the free coinage issue, not only from
the campaign in this state this year,
but practically from the presidential
campaign of next year. 1t leaves the
field clear for an honest fight on the
question of tariff reform and remove:
the most serious obstacle to the tri
umph of that reform. And. above all
it gives assurance to the business men
and the workingmen of the country
that the harvest of prosperity now ap
parently awaiting them shall not b'
blighte,i by financial folly.-N. Y
Times.
a SENSATIONAL ISSUE.
Mr.. Harrison's Scheme to Head on TIN
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