The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-09-30
MILLS SEES LIGHT.

Mills, of Texas, is the ablest as he is the
boldest Democrat in congress, where the
death of Cox and Randall and the transfer
of Carlisle to the Senate have left the De-
mocracy very weak against such men as
Lodge, Henderson, Dingley, Milliken,
Boutelle, Burrows and Tom Reed. Mills
has been denounced as responsible for
Cleveland's defeat by persuading him to
endorse the Mills tariff bill, but from the
Southern standpoint Mills showed himself
an astute champion of his section. The
South desires to continue an economical
system'that was built on slavery and to
retain, as far as may be possible, the con-
ditions political, industrial and social of
the old slave civilization. While it is
true that slavery is abolished the indus
trial condition of the South is little differ
ent from what it was under the slave sys-
TEN. General Lew Wallace in the national
campaign of 1885, made a strong point
when he said that the working class of the
South is the colored race and that for these
seven millions of people the Southern De-
mocracy do not want protective tariff
pendent laborers.
Without negro labor the South would be
for protection, because the white labor
could not be robbed of their votes, and
would demand it, but with cheap colored
labor. powerless to use his ballot to secure
protection and lift his wages, of course the
South voted for the Mills bill six to one
AID h. nk1I a
From the Southern industrial standpoint,
which is to grind colored labor down to
the lowest conditions, to make it cheap
and keep it cheap by holding the negro
under political disability to help himself.
| the Mills bill was an astute measure and
creditable to the sagacity and shrewdness
of its author.
Mills shows the same keenness and
shrewdness in Ohio in his plausible efforts
| to dismiss free silver as a thing of small
| practical consequence and confine the de-
| bate entirely to the tariff. Mills, when he
reached Ohio, saw that the "silver plank"
was the weakness of the Democratic plat
form; that its adoption was opposed by a
very large and able minority in the state
|
his opening speech, really rejected the
silver plank Of the Ohio platform when he
denied that the Ohio Democracy desired
"to restore the free and unlimited coinage
of silver in any manner except that which
will make every silver dollar as good in
| purchasing power as any other dollar, and
worth 100 cents, as it is today, wherever
the American flag may cover It,"
The Ohio platform, however, contains no
such saving clause, but is outspoken for
free silver, although Governor Campbell is
not. Under these circumstances Mills
astutely tries TO side-track the silver ques-
ton. He says that he voted for "free
silver" and still believes "the United
States can open their minis to the free
coinage of silver at fifteen and one-half
ounces, equal to one of gold, and can keep
the two metals at par" and then says:
"But what good would it do us2''
He said that if our monetary circula-
ton were double what it is and it was all
in the pockets of 10000 people, our
condition would not only not be bettered
but would be worse than it is. 1t is not
|
tribution which plaques US. Free silver
coinage could not give US a yearly increase
of circulation greater by more than S1O.-
10000 or $4,000, 600 than the present sill
| yer law, he said, and if all the silver and
| gold coined in recent years and all the
paper issued have not relieved Us, can sl0,-
100000 q year more do it?
1 10 4hok
the circulation 81, 49S,0 or. 700 divided by
the whole number of people in the country
showed but SO per capita Of our currency
aioat, it did not show that each man,
woman and child has s33 on hand. "Some
have millions, some have thousands, some
have hundreds, but a great body have not
$l0in cash. Surprising the currency were in
creased by free coinage or otherwise to $50
| per capita, would this increase the amount
in possession per pocket2 Not in the least.
| 1t would be divided as before in about the
same proportions. The milHonaires would
| get the largest share; the tho usand-dollar
men would get the next largest, and SO on
| down"
| The conclusion OF Mr.. Mills was that the
4
| good because it would not transfer the in
| creased coinage TO those who were short
of money, but would so to the men who
owned the silver coined by the mint. and
no matter how much currency We have
| per capita none of it can get into the
farmers pockets except in exchange for
| labor or goods. Your relief. said Mills, in
substance. does not lie in free silver" but
in free trade" This prompt decision OF
Mills, who has been leading free coinage
agitator, to belittle and drop the silver
issue for the tariff, is significant proof that
able Democrats are beginning to see that
''free silver" coinage is too heavy load
for the party to carry. The only wonder
is that SO bright q man as Mills had not