The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-02-12
The Free Coinage BIZ.

The free silver coinage bill that was re-
ported to the House Wednesday by the
coinage committee. and placed on the
calendar, will be taken up soon for discus
sion, and the probabilities are that it will
be passed by that branch Of congress.
Whether or not it will be passed by the
Senate is a question concerning which there
Is considerable doubt. In the House
efforts will be made to defeat it by both
democrats and republicans, and those
opposed to it will throw every possible
obstruction in its way. II it should be
passed by the House and not
by the Senate the Democratic
party would be committed, in a measure,
TO the free coinage Of silver, because the
democrats control the House and the re-
publicans the Senate.
The question which presents itself is this:
Would the chances Of the Democratic party
for success in the presidential election be
lessened if the House should pass a free
coinage bill. They would undoubtedly.
As Senator Vest said, in his letter that was
said at the banquet of the Greystone Club
Of Denver Tuesday night, the Demo-
cratic party is hopeessly divided
on the silver question. The
democrats of the east are almost
unanimously opposed to free silver ooinage,
and there are, IN all probability. thousands
Of them who would not vote the democratic
ticket il by so doing they believed they
would help to bring about the free coinage
of silver. The Democratic party cannot
elect the next President unless it carries
some OF the eastern states. In the letter
above referred TO Senator Vest said: There
are 443 electoral votes under the new appor-
tionment, and of these the democrats can
only rely upon 226, counting New York
and Indiana, with the states that voted for
Cleveland in 1888. The republicans will
have 2l7 electoral votes. conceding them
Montana and Wisconsin. and this would
give the democrats majority. The loss Of
Connecticut and West Virginia with votes
each. or Of either, and one of the southern
states would give the election to our oppo-
nents"
II the Democratic party should be COM
mitted to the free coinage OF silver it would
have very little prospect of carrying any one
OF the eastern states, and If it lost all of those
states 1t would fail to win the presidency.
Do those democrats who insist upon the
passage of free silver coinage bill believe
that the passage Of such bill would give
the democracy western states that it has not
heretofore garfield On what do they base
such a beliefs Doubtless there are re-
publicans and independent voters
who would cast their ballots
for the democratic ticket if that ticket
stood for free silver coinage, but the num-
Der would not be sufficiently large TO change
the political complexion of a single western
state. In the Ohio campaign last fall the
Republican party came out squarely against
the free coinage Of silver aud it carried the
state by large majority, notwithstanding
the fact that the Democratic party carried it
at the previous state election. The result in
Ohio does not justify the hope that
the Democratic party has anything to gain
by putting itself in favor Of the free coiun
age of silver. On the contrary it has a
great deal to lose.
The policy which promises the most for
the Democratic party in the approaching
national campaign is that which makes
tariff reform the great issue and keeps the
silver question ia the background.