The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1891-08-01
THE WEEKLY TRIBUNE.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 1. 1891.
CLEVELAND AND SILVER.

The announcement that ex-President
Cleveland will speak a few times in Ohio
in the interest of Governor Campbell
and the democratic party has produced
"A very uneasy feeling upon the part OF
the republicans of that state and else
where. This uneasiness manifests itself
in gibes. coarse tests and ill-natured com
ments. Now and then a republican
journal which calls to mind the cam
paign in that state when Blaine was APP
pealed TO for help and responded in a
number of speeches, look upon the mat
ter as a purely political proposition and
content themselves with criticisms of
Cleveland's supposed attitude towards
silver, and wonder how he will reconcile
it with that plank in the democratic
platform which favors free coinage of
the metal. To those of our state con
temporaries who seem to take delight in
haunting the democratic press with the
apparent inconsistency of the ex-presi-
dent speaking for a man and a party
that take the popular view Of the silver
question, the TRIBUNE will simply state
that Mr.. Clcveland's acceptance of the
invitation to speak in Ohio carries with
it his endorsement Of the Ohio silver
plank in its entirety. 1t would further
remind these carping critics that when
OK Speaker Tom Reed responded to the
NT.,,,lan;.r ,r,, f,r l,l,, ,ttnrnl lao thn
republican leaders of Montana last fall
to come 10 their rescue, that pronounced
gold bug uttered not Il word for silver in
his speech at Butte. But all the same
he was embraced and laudcd to the skies
by the republicans Of the state as a true
representative of the republican party
and the Moses who would lead them
from the wilderness of defeat.
The Ohio fight says "a republican cX-
change. lis "A fight for sound money and
sound political economy, against free
whole country is interested in the re-
suit While at no time in its history
has the democratic party advocated
absolute free trade, still the Ohio demo-
Gratis have accepted the gauge of battle
thrown down by the McKinleyitcs and
will meet them upon their own chosen
ground. If a most atrociously wicked
tariff may be called sound political
economy" it cannot be expected that its
advocates will refer to that plank in the
Ohio platform which declares for a tariff
for a revenue that will meet the expenses
Of the government economically admin
istcred, by any other name than a Stree
trade" plank. So let the name go. Elk
President Cleveland will make it mighty
lively for the head center of high protec-
ton on that issue. If he prove a some
what weak brother on the silver question
his position upon it is much nearer to
the line of the interests of the people of
Ohio than that occupied by gold bug
Mckinley. Ohio republicans will gain
nothing by comparing the records of the
two men upon that vital issue.
1t may be stated in advance that Mr..
Cleveland will not compromise free silver
coinage in his Ohio speeches. 1t must
be taken for granted until otherwise
proven, that his references to the metal,
if h. refer to it at all, will bein harmony
with the sentiment of the democratic
party Of Ohio as expressed in its plat
form. To contend otherwise would be a
contention that Mr.. Cleveland didn't
what he is about. Indeed the as
sumption is not "a violent one that the
eX-president has experienced a radical
of sentiment concerning the true
offices OF the white metal, and it would
not be surprising if he took a positive
stand in favor of it. Cleveland is all
right,