Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1892-02-17
The Banners Dependency.

Aho ohhhOi 0OopchNChSS'
The Nashville Banner, copying
from this paper, makes the following
reply:
"If the LEAF-CHRoNICLE is right
in assuming that the Democratic
Representatives in Congress were
elected to secure the free coinage of
silver, then those representative
will tie cowardly if they fail to do
their utmost to carry out the party
program. If the Democratic party
is free coinage party, favoring the
unlimited coinage of already depre-
ciated silver dollars, then its leaders
should unhesitatingly declare the
whole mind of Democracy and throw
the silver issue fearlessly into the
campaign.
"The Banner insists that the true
Democracy demands an honest dol
lar, and that the free coinage theory
as at present advocated is undemo-
cratic and unwisc. The Banner does
not believe that the solid common
sense of the Democracy of the c0un-
try will endorse the ruinous policy
insisted upon by the Alliance politi-
clans and silver mining interests of
the country. 1t therefore holds that
it would be inimical to the best in
terests of the party to force the silver
issue in Congress, for in doing this
the issue will be forced into the cam
paign and be made serious obstacle
in the way of Democratic success.
''If the Banner is wrong, if the
Democratic party is pledged to free
coinage and intends to force the free
coinage Of 4l24 grains silver dollar
when it gets in power, then, we are
frank to say, it should not seek to
hide its purpose by the subterluge of
suppressing the silver question in
Congress. 1t should speak out
squarely not only through its repre-.
sentatives at Washington, but also in
its convention platform, and boldly
invite the defeat which such course
will insure.
"But, while there are many Dem
ocrats, and Republicans, too, who
have been led to believe that free
coinage will bring plenty of money
to every pody and inaugurate sort
of financial millennium, the best
thought of the party is opposed to
policy which would be ruinous in
its results. For this reason we insist
that the party should not be COM
mitted to such policy, however
great the clamor may be for free
coinage in certain congressional dis
tricts that have been wrongly in
structed upon economic questions or
that have been brought under the in
fiuence of the Alliance ORDER
The esteemed Banner seems to be
as badly instructed Oh the silver
question as those misguided districts
who sent 50 large majority of Dem
ocrats to Congress.
The Banner fails to make the dis.
tinction between silver as commod
ity, dishonored by the government as
money, and silver as the measure of
values the same as gold, on a parity |
with the yellow metal-a difference
which affords England an income of
$50, 100000 at the expense of the
producers of this country.
The Banner fails to show wherein
the measure is undemocratic and I'M
wise. If undemocratic, then An.
drew Jackson was undemocratc and |
the whole country was undemo"ratic
up to the time silver was demone-
tized in 1878.
The Banner knows that it was an
Issue in this State and every Demo-
cratic Congressman was elected
pledged to that policy, as was the
case in other States, and the party
was united on it until Mr.. Cleveland
wrote his silver letler.
The Banner knows that every
Southern aud Western State adopted
a free coinage plank, and New York
Democracy led the Republicans by
$4,000 on a bi-metal plank. Gov.
Russell, of Massachusetts, says that
IL was a popular feature in his cam
paigu. and Campbell lost 10000 votes
and his election in Ohio by trying to
obscure the issue. 1t was popular
issue in Indiana and Illinois. These
facts do not Justify the Banners APP
prehensions.
The Banner is also mistaken in its
being strictly an Alliance issue.
That organization has naturally
adopted it, but the question was up I
.,,s.ra tha Alliance was organized