Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-09-29
TUESDAY. SEPTEMBER %. 1891,
The Issues Next Year.

The Issues Next Year.
II il not At all probable that the Demo-
ersts Of the United States will 60 into the
presidential battle of 1892 as they went
into that of isss-armcd with single
weapon. Or If they do. the ono weapon
viii hardly lc the dull and battered onewith
which they so unsuccessfully defended
themselves three Years ago. Inc cam
paign OF education has educated them
beyond that point. The world moves ana
IA must move with il. Old notions, or old
focy notions. must give way TO the ideas
of TO-DAY. Let the dead bury their dead"
Let the battle be joined upon all the issues
which mark the differences between the
marty that respects the Fedora! Constitu-
fion and its guarantees. and the party that
regards and treats that instrument as
dead letter and lie guarantees as things to
be Knocked At.
One of these issues is n law providing for
the free coinage Of silver. II would TO
useless. If they were disposed so to do, for
the Democrats to attempt to order TO the
rear an issue which has been ordered to
the front by the Alliances and the Alliance
men, by the Third party, by the Peoples
party, and. most significant OF oil. by the
Democrats Of more than half the States IN
the Union. In Virginia. for example.
eighty thousand Alliance mcn-farmers
and planters-trust the Democrats as real
friends Of the people and decline to make
war upon them as q party. II these farm
ers and planters come across Democratic
candidate foI the Senate or House OF Dele
gates who still bows the knee to the gold
Baal they simply let him severely alone.
They do not hold the Democratic party re-
sponsible for the sins OF its individual
members. We for our part are disposed to
be exceedingly liberal towards all the fac
tons Of the Democratic party. whether in
New York or in Virginia; but at the same
fine we do not concede for one moment
that we can gain either votes or power, or
popularity, by trying TO masquerade in one
of the garments discarded ayear ago by
the Republicans. and which they seem to
be about to resume at the diotation of
BLAINE and HARRISON.
Small bodies gravtate towards large
ones. Small parties gravitate towards large
ones. Nearly oil the small parties We have
inst mentioned will probably gravitate to-
wards the Democratic party rather than
towards the Republican party. The latter
has 80 thoroughly identified itself with
monopolists and monometallists and the
oppressors of the masses that 1t seems
really 20 have abandoned the hope OF
turning the Democratic flank by aid of the
silver question. and to be rather willing
than otherwise TO come ont INTO the open
field and stand in 1892 for the antiquated
cause which the Republicans have cham
pioped for so many years that they find II
difficult 10 recognize any other tle-fiags
than the old ones Of the days of THAD.
STEVENS. XACE. CHANDLER. CHARLES SUM-
NER, DC.
Shall the Democratic party allow the
Republican party thus to make all the
issues upon which the next presidential
battle ~ 20 be fought. or shall we. as we
did in St. Louis in 1876. boldly proceed
70 erect our own platforms
We make these remarks and put these
,pterrogat cries 10 our readers because not
only has Mr.. BLAINE expressed his willing
ness TO fight for honest money" and
against "corrupting the currency" but
the President of the United States has
done likewise. Mr. SHERMAN has done like
wise. Mr.. McKINLEV has done likewise,
and the Republicans as party now show
n much holder manner in advocating mo-
nometallism than they did six or twelve
months ago.
Even the Republicans Of the Northwest
and the West and the Pacific States are
irving 10 say Shibboloth." The follow
ing is the silver resolution adopted last
week by the Republican State Conven-
ton OF Nebraska;
1--WE approve tho silver coinage act OF the
present Administration. by which the entire pro-
duc, OF the siiver-m,nes 81 the United States is
added 70 the currency Of the people, but We de-
nounce the Democrats doctrine OF free and I'M
limited coinage OF silver as financial policy liza.
bio 10 precipitato the people Of every city and
every state In the Union into prolonged and die
astrous depression and delay the revival OF bust
ness enterprise and prosperity 80 ardcntly de-
sired and now apparently non. The free and
unlimited coinage Of silver would tend TO the
boarding Of gold, and 70 force the use OF cheap
money 10 the payment OF wages in every work.
shop, mill, factory. store, and farm, and tend
10 tho scaling down OF wages OF the
toilsrs and weakening Of tho purchasing
power Of the dollar which would be used 10 pur'
chase the products Of the farmers. We are Ia
favor Of having every dollar as good as any othci
dollar"
Here is most ridiculous nonsense. Az
We have often shown, "the silyer-coinage
net OF the present Administration does
itself discredit silver and reduce 1t to the
condition Of commodity. To tell the
eecretsry Of the Treasury 10 buy silver
with gold is to make gold the sole standard
of values. II Is 20 declare TO all the WORLD
that silver Is not the equal Of gold. MOI
can Il ever be the cqua! Of gold whilst tina
"silvsr.coinsge act" remains upon oul
statute-book.
A still more absurd utterance of the Ne
braskA Republicans. made in attempting
20 follow the lead of the Administration
10 the declaration that the free coinage Of
eilver would weaken the purchasing
power Of the dollar which would be usec
70 purchase the products Of the farmers.
II the purchasing power Of the dollar wat
weakened the dollar would buy less wheat
This 10 clear case. So the Nebraska Re
puhlicsns declare in effect for dollar thai
viii buy more Of their wheat. They nigh
% we'll declare for dollar that will buy
one hundred pounds Of wheat rather thar
sdollsr that will buy only seventy pounds
II the Democrats Of Nebrssks DO not max,
the Republicans Of that State sick Of tina
declaration before the Sd Of Noyembe
next. then they are poor electioneerers
Dare the Blainsitss or the HaIrisonites o
Virginia " come out IN favor of dolls
that will have power TO purchase more
the fsrmeys' wheatS
4 0nstal Raform Which 10 Necdeh.