Chariton courier. (Keytesville, Chariton County, Mo.) 1878-current, 1891-02-26
The Man and the Issues.

1
with questions, all pertinent and al
to be answered in time, but so mum
erous that many of them cannot bC
: reached for months unless the whole
paper Is to be devoted to a discus.
= sion of the coinage and nothing else.
Without going into details now,
the Republic wishes to reiterate thst
II considers the reform of the tariff
An issue of primary and paramount
Importance to the country, and that
second to it and only to 1t is free
coinage. And here we wish to state,
as covering the ground embraced in
many questions asked US concerning
details, what as a Democratic news
paper the Republic understands
free coinage to mean and why it is
just and desirable
1t means 4 natural and uncontroll-
ed currency. When the currency
consists of or is based on gold and
silver coin, coined without restrIc-
ton at the mints, coinage is free and
the currency Is free, just as this
market would be free with a tariff
for revenue only.
Such currency is the only one
that Is either just or stable-that can
not be manipulated for contraction
on the one hand or expansion on the
other.
We believe that the government
of the United States should coin
every ounce of gold and silver pre-
sented at Its mints, and that having
done so it should take no other part
in controlling the volume of money,
though it might for convenience is
sue coin certificates dollar for dol
lar on coin deposited in the treasury.
This is free coinage as Democrats
believe in 1t and as the Republic ad-
vocates it.
Mr.. Cleveland's letter has not
changed our view in the least. He
Is honestly and courageoIslY wrong.
He would rather he right than be
president, but he would not rather
be wrong than serve the Democratic
party in the great reforms it has to
accomplish. As the Democratic
party in its platforms has not yet
spoken for free coinage he is not
yet bound as a Democrat to
hold for free coinage, and he must
not be "read out" of the party
for expressing private opinion. He
must come TO his party on this ques
tion, and that he may have the op
portunltv he must have his party
support where he is rlght-as he is
on Its paramount issue of the reform
of the tariff.
We have not undertaken to say
that he must be the nominee of the
party IN 1892. At no time has the
Republic made such a declaration.
What VIC have said is that he is the
only pemaesat in the East who Is in
any wdy available, and that If he is
thrust aside by Northeastern antag
oaism to tariff reform the West must
see to it that no tool of the North
eastern commune of capital is
thrust on the PeMqeEatlo party.
MFR. cleveland is honest, candid,
courageous and capable of learning.
The people always know where to
find bin, and whAn ~ .liey call on him
to do their work they kaog iAat he
will .aoriuce himself unhesltatIngly
in keeping his promises. Such
man is too valuable to the Democrat
ic party and to the country to be
thrown away recklessly. 1t is not
question of bis using the Democratic
party. He has never tried to do
that. 1t is 4 question of the Demo
cratic party using him, and they are
blind and rash indeed who hasten to
declare that the Democratic party
can have no further use for Grover
Gleyelapd-the man who has done
such stalwart work In its service.
This does not mean that he must
be the Democratic nominee. There
are fifty Democrats at the very least
in the Central West, and any one Of
whom would stand q better chance
for election 10 the presidency in
1892 than any Democratic candidate
seemed to stand at the opening Of
any presidential campaign since
1860.
When the convention meets it will
have the issue and the men before
it. Let it determine. In the mean
time there must be no split in the
Democratic party.-Republic.
AMONG the most important rivers