, 1891-11-22
FREE SIL E CARRIED.


With an ebullition of enthusiasm such
as has never before been equalled in a
business congress 10 this country, the
mining congress 10 session at Denver pro-
nounced 10 favor of the free, unlimited
and unqualified coinage of silver BY a
vote of 456 to 5. The intellectual com.
bat of the session was between Il. II.
Holden of Aspen and Hon. G. S. Thomas
of Denver. The former has been quite
recently converted to the doctrine of free
coinage of silver limited to the American
product. Mr.. Holden had put himself in
fine fettle by a summer spent in New
York city advocating limited silver coin
age, and it must be confessed that from
his standpoint he handled the question
superbly. Leaving out of consideration
the preponderancc of delegates from Col
orado, the unlimited silver coinage resolu-
ton was still carried by an overwhelming
majority. Many of the Eastern delegates
had CONF to the convention with uncer-
tain and i'll defined ideas on the silver
question. AT bottom a majority of them
had the innate prejudice against silver
which is not only felt but loudly expressed
in the Eastern commercial centers. For
tunately all Of them same with the honest
intention Of sitting the question to its
ultimate sources and then acting as their
judgments dictated. Their unanimous
vote in favor Of the resolution was there
fore due to the force. lucidity and ability
with which the matter was presented by
Senator Stewart, Mr.. Thomas and Others.
The course OF one man in this conven-
ton we have watched with peculiar in
terest. We alluda to Judge Goodwin,
editor Of the Salt Lake Tribune. When
the trans Mississippi congress was held IN
Denver last spring that gentleman headed
the Utah delegation. He had been long
a forcible advocate Of the reconciliation
of silver and when lie came to the con.
Rress it was expected as q matter of course
that he would fight for silver while a
breath remained in his body. But he
didn't He was one of the committee on
resolutions and to him was delegated the
duty of drawing up what afterwards
proved to be the majority report. In a
long preamble was recited a catalogue of
the evils which rave befallen the country
since the characterization of silver, lead
ing inevitably to but one conclusion, which
was that nothing but the restoration to
silver of its complete money function
would ever right the monstrous evil under
which the business of the country was
staggering. But instead of a ringing de-
mand for complete Justice this is what
Judge Goodwin wrote and rapturously
applauded when, through gross
sgement, it was adopted by the conven-
ton.
Resolred. That the only modification
of the above which we will accept is the
limiting of the operations of the law to
the silver products OF the United States.
and this we will accept, believing it will
be but a change of method which will
reach at once the same desired result.
AS TIE LEADER pointed out at the
time this was simply compromising the
evil. The logic Of the situation led inev-
itably to unrestricted coinage and nothing
short OF 1t could give the full measure OF
relief. If compromises were to be made
the United States congress was the place
in which to make them, and nothing
short of what was wanted should be ac-
ceptcd until after a stubborn fight and
then only as a last resort. The party
which suggests compromise on such a
question must inevitably fall short in the
end of even the modified demand en-
braced in the compromise.
In the Denver mining congress, the
session of which has just closed, Goodwin
made an explanation of his present atti-
tude on the question and the reason
for his previous action. Accord
ing to the Denver Ne,cs he said that
American coinage bad been supported by
him and others last spring because many
prominent members OF congress had
promised to pass an American product
bill for year after year, and it was pro
posed to give them a chance. Now, the
time for compromise was past and is was
proposed to 90 for what was right and get
1t. judge Goodwin said that they had
tried to make a compromise with the gold
bugs and had failed. There is, he said,
no use to make a compromise. You offer
these men what they want and they will
call you a thief and want something more.
Now we will call for what is right"
The force OF the argument Is not very
great for what be now alleges in support
of his present attitude was equally true
last spring. The action then was based
upon political expediency aud it had no
reference whatever to the merits of the
question.