Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-08-23
Pennsylvania Silver.

question ia in any given State until It's
popularity has in some way been tested
therein. Take tho case Of Ponn.ylvanis,
FOR instance. That State is generally con-
s.dered hopelessly Republican and the Re-
publicans are considered monometallists.
The general belief is that the Republicans
Of that State are 80 thoroughly devoted TO
sound currency and so much in favor of
what they call IAN honest dollar that in
. State convention Of that party the free
coinage of silver or any measure nkin to Il
would be booted at. PENNSYLVANIA is. in q
word. regarded as standing side Oy side
with New York and Massachusetts IN tho
front rank of nonometalllstic States. BY
The WAY. u will be we'll TO remember that
On this question New York and Massachn-
sets may take the bit between their teeth
aud follow the lead of Pennsylvania.
But what says the Pennsylvania Ecpub-
lican platform on tho silver question? We
quote again tho silver plank. IL is az fol-
lows:
D. We favor b,motail's'n and endorse the A.
Sion Of tho Fif,y-nrst Congress in providing for
che purchn.o and coinage Of all the silver pro
duced from American mines and recon-
mend such tariff duties as will protect our conn-
try and 81. currency from the deba.emcnt which
will surely follow n this nation Is inale the
dumping ground FOR all the silvor Of the world.
There ia not much monometnllism in
that plank. whatever the Republicans Of
Pennsylvania may pretend TO think OF II.
s. far is it from being a clear and candid
declaration in favor Of gold "a the single
standard If values that 1t is apparently all
effort 20 steal the thunder OF the Demo-
cratic party. II is q barcfaced attempt ~
run with the hare and hold with the
hounds. What could be more absurd and
IncOngruous than q declare, as the Penn |
sylvsn.a Republicans do, that they gro Ia |
favor # the protection OF silver as an !
American Industry Why not declare ia |
Favor Of protecting Roldi The worry fact |
that they declare their opposition TO |
making our country the dumping ground !
of the silver of sill the world. but say never
D word n 90 making orr country the
dumpinc-ground Of all tho gold Of the
world, is proof positive that they are enc
ynies Of the white metal and only hyVo-
critical or pretended friends of silver.
il Will be noticed that thcrcsolutiOu above
quoted declares that the last Republican
Congress provided tor the purchase and
coinage Of all the silver produced from
American mines" What regard for the
truth have the men WHO framed that reto-
luton? The last Congress did not pro-
vide for the purchase and coinage of all
Gle silver produced in this country. II
provided for the purchase and coinage of
Afty-four millions If dollars of silver. II
is true the annual production OF silver in
this country has averaged httlo less than
6fty-four millions of dollars. but this
statement makes no allowance for the IN
creased production Of tho American mines
which may DO caused by tho law under
consideration.
The fac; il that but for the Democrats in
lho last Congress tho silver bill now ap-
plauded ard endorsed by the Pennsylva-
pia Republicans would never have become
. law. But for the Democrats Of that
body tho bill would either have been lost
IN committee or defeated IN one or
both houses. This bill was the best the
Democrats could secure. but not an unob-
6ectionable one; for. rs We have often
shown. TO purchase annually any particular
L. to discred;t sllver-is to convert IL ct
once into commodity varying In price
{rom day to day just as cotton, or tobacco,
Or wheat, or -four varies. And then TO
favor the bill on the ground that II is bill
protecting an American industry is TO play |
khe hypocrite with vengeance. The fact
As that the Republicans of Pennsy lvania
found themselves in strait, and did not
know how to Get out Of it otherwise than
BY pretending to have favored the silver
bill o. tariff measure.
But what induced tho Pennsylvania Re
publcans thus to assume 10 be friends Of
Che purchase and coinage of all the silver
produced in this country lent II o clear
case that II was the popularity of silver
amongst the people of Pennsylvania that
caused them thus to blot their own re-
cord I Wasn't il like the tribute that
hypocrisy pays TO VirtueS Wasn't 1t
confession that the people of Iennsylva-
pia were known TO be in favor of the un-
limited coinage of 1.-The dollar OF the dad
6ies"P Was it not an attempt TO mako
Che voters of the old Keystone State be-
oieve that the Republican party as a
party was in favor Of tho free coin
Age OF silver! What else could they
have meant by resolving that the
last Congress had provided tor coming all
She silver mined IN tins country. Plainly
Che silver resolution OF the Republicans IS
. fraud upon the people of that Common
wealth. Ii Is a declaration which, pretend
png TO state q fact, states il so as to convert
u into falsehood
II the Republicans of New York, Massa-
chusetts. New Jersey, ETC., follow the
lead of their Pennsylvania allies, what
Nill the monometallists do who have been
pointing to those States as the bulwarks of
p sound financial systemi How will
Che Democrats of those States feel in the
preserce of the new issue which the Re-
4ublicans will thus have stolen from
thems We need not snswer.
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