Los Angeles herald., 1891-02-15
SUNDAY. FEBRUARv 15. 1891.
MR. cLHvELAND's BOOMERANG LETTER

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 10. 1901
Mn. CLEvELAND's BOOMERANG LITTER.
The letter written by Mr.. Cleveland
to the New York Reform club, against
the free coinage OF silver, has fallen like
3 thunderbolt amongst his Democratic
friends, especially in. the west and
south. Many of them reluctantly ad-
init that it is out of the question now to
give him the Democratic nomination,
whilst the eastern Democrats who coin
eide with him insist that his letter,
being an open and manly expression OF
his views, will add to his strength.
There is no doubt, however, that the
next Democratic national convention
will have plank in favor OF free coin.
age, and if that is the case it would be
impossible, as we'll as impolitic, to give
the nomination to man whose princi-
pies are actively at war with the plat
form. But if the inconceivable possibil-
ity of his nomination become realized
fact, what would be the result? His
election, it will be conceded by any
reasonable man, could not be effected.
It would be utterly impossible to
elect candidate who could not carry
q single western state, and who would
lose, in all probability, several south
western states. His candidacy, there
fore, while it would divide the party.
would also tend to build up third
party to formidable proportions at once.
The Farmers Alliance, under such cir
cumstances, would become a factor in
national politics OF very large proper
tions.
Amongst the many prominent Demo
Gratis interviewed on the subject of this
extraordinary letter, Mr.. Bland, the au-
thor of the silver bill and the leader in
the lower house OF congress OF the free
coinage element, has perhaps summed
mp in his own views those of the major
ity of the party. He says:
''Every one must see that Mr.. Cleve-
land has made mistake. This is the
first time we have heard from this pa
triotic reform club. We have been un-
der the shadow of threatened despotism
controlling the elections OF the country
during all this congress, and this club
was dumb. It was not the east that
rescued the country from Capitalization
and despotism, it was the alliance of the
west and south that fought the battle of
freedom. They received no encourage
ment from the Reform Club of New
York.
"Only when the money bags of Wall
street were threatened, patriotic indig-
nation seems to have seized hold upon
them. The tree coinage of silver is the
west and south measure in the interest
of freedom from the thraldom of Wall
street.
Free elections and free coinage go
hand in hand, and no man can be elect
ed on Democratic platform who is not
in sympathy with the movement. The
farmers of the west, north and south
are solidly banded together on these
pr0positions--th freedom OF states, the
constitutional money of our fathers, free
silver and free gold, and they propose
fighting ON that line. Even the state of
Kansas denounced the election bill as
a sectional measure, while the money
bags of Wall street were silent on that
question. Mr.. Cleveland's letter makes
his candidacy for the presidency ridicu-
lous. He will have no following west OF
the Allegheny mountains"
Democrats cannot forget that Mr..
near the end Of his term, and
when he was likely to be the standard
bearer of the party for second term,
in his famous message precipitated upon
the party the tariff discussion, and there
by gave the Republicans the vantage
ground of making canvass against ''free
trade" before the people had time to be-
come enlightened upon subject which
required time and special
education for them to fully comprehend
the fallacy OF Republican protection
in its encouragement of monopolies and
antagonism to the interests of the farmers
and industrial classes. This premature
gave the vantage ground to
OF placing the Democracy
ON the defensive. Such message, preg-
nant with the fate of the party in the
just about to be entered upon,
should not have been precipitated upon
the country without an exhaustive con-
sultation with the leaders OF the party.
This Mr.. Cleveland failed to do; but
proceeded upon his own judg-
snent. 1t would have been the
part OF policy and wisdom on his part
to have postponed the tariff discussion
till after the election of 1883, when the
success of the party-which was NOR
ally certain before his message was pro-
Inulgated-would have given him the
to open the tariff discussion
at the beginning of his next term, when
there would have been ample time to
have shown the people the soundness of
the Democratic tariff policy before an
other presidential campaign would have
come on.
This anti-free-coinage letter Of Mr..
Cleveland is Of piece with his prema-
lure tariff message, with the difference
that he correctly set forth the doctrines
Of his party in that message, but does not
in this letter; but on the contrary at |