The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-12-01
The Democrats ano the Silver oues-
ton,

1t looks as If the silver question would
not be RELOCATED to the rear with such ease
as the Hon. Roger @. Mills and the Hon.
j. q. Carlisle appear to have expected. Mr..
Carlisle's letter in support of Mr.. Mills's
candidacy for the Speakership, in which he
declared that "the first duty of the Demo-
cratic party and all who sympathize with
1t. is to change the laws under which the
earnings OF the people are to be taken
away from them by unjust taxation for
private purposes, and whoever proposes to
postpone the performance of this duty in
order to inaugurate war among ourselves
over the silver question or any other oues-
ton Is not wise counsellor and would not
make safe leader" bias walked up the
Hon. James l.. Pugh, who proceeds to give
the adherents of Mr.. Cleveland, who wish
to hight the Presidential campaign solely
on the tariff question and to ignore silver.
some cold facts. Mr.. Pngh reminds the
tafiH smashers that about four years ago
Mr.. Cleveland was induced by gentlemen
ofthe way of thinking of Mr. Mills and Mr..
Carlisle ito challenge the Republican party
70 pattle on the single, paramount and all
absorbing issue Of tariff reform on the for
mula furnished In Mr.. Cleveland's mes
sage and the Mills BILL" and the honorable
senator wants to know il it Is not a good
plan to learn from experience, and If it is
good thing fora child who has been burned
by fire to 60 back into the same fire. Hay
Ing delivered this sidewinder to his free
trade lbrethren Mr.. Pugh proceeds to dis
cuss the question Of silver, alleging that all
the friends OF silver demand is only what
the Democratic party in every.national
convention, without sinPl exception. has
done-keep taxation aud currency toeeth.
er as coordinate and coequal subjects of
remedial legislation. Mr.. Pugh closes his
letter with this spirited rebuke of the at
tempt OF what he calls "corporals guard
OF gold representatives" to dictate the
policy of the party:
Ii the friends of silver are to he classad 90
unWlse councillors and unsafe leaders b. cause
tney insist that the silver issue shall moi he
con.ans OF lgn0red' In The Presidential
SHontssI OF Io91, but that 1t shall go hand in
nand and receive the same treatment with ali
ntner Is ues made In the Democratic platform.
Ssp%ona wnen Ihey are $, classed ana con-
uenne1 AT the instance aud in The Interest ~
snose democrats who throttled the Free Coin.
aRe plii IN the last House of Representatives
are accustomed TO such classi1cations and s eey
~ pe aDie 10 tersevere In the yIndicafion ~
oneI . CONVICTIONS and INTEGRITY. AS Democrafs
ha;n ; OF Tree coinage they protest against
peing rttlreu from The councils of the n.mo
cTatic party because they are unwilling to alino
tne corporaPs guard of gold represenIatiyss ~
dictate 10 the frlenos OF silver, and silence and
veto power can be put 10 the hauds of a n.y. me-
cr.tfor four years to be exercised against any
adjustment OF the silver question, exerpf on ihsa
and ssta 6eianrnished by the wise counsrllors
nelgnDorhood of Wall street.
Mr., Pugh's letter has brought great sor-
row to the Mugwump ranks. The New
fork~Post calls it schismatic because it
tends 20 divide the Democratic party into
TWO factions, and because it proposes to
introduce new plank into the Democratic
platform in advance of the national con.
venuon' Pugh of course is soundly wal.
ioped Tor daring TO intimate that there can
De any question Ia the next canvass lint
mat question dear to the heart of everu
Mugwump-free trade and an income tar
But as the Democrats have of late mani.
rested strong indisoosition to allowin,
the Mugwumps to directstheir camnaions
we are inclined to think that the POSI-
protest against introducing the silver ones.
uon VIII not make any stronger jmnree-
sion IMAM It's onslaughts on Tammanv
The Democratic masses are with pnab
and they will not allow free silver sent 80
the rearlat the demand of Mugwumps and
MugWump organs.