Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1892-07-09
HARRISON'S STATUS ON SILVER
Facts That Will Enable Intelligent Ne,
to Ascertain II.

no pIesont statOe OF tho silver
question and the attitude of the Re-
publican party toward the problem,
were very succinctly stated by Judge
Hepburn in his Saturday evening
speech. There is disposition among
hot heads in some of the states to put
Harrison down alongside Of Gle veland
as an out-and-out enemy Of silver. 1t
has been manifest for long time that
this is not true. The attitude of Har-
rison and his party is shown, on the
one hand by the record of the present
administration, and on tho other by
the declaration of the party platform
o the subject. These features of tho
matter were very ably presented by
Judge Hepburn, and, for the bene fit
of those who did not hear him, we
quote from his speech as follows:
| have taken little memorandum
OF the things that are pledged in the
REPUBLICAN platform and when l have
called your attention to them, l shall
conclude my remarks. These are not
ambiguous, uncertain pledges that
need to be explained; but they are
expressed in plain English and they
need no explanation. The platform
adopted at Minneapolis pledges the
party to the policy of protection in
plain, unequivocal terms. 1t pledges
the party to the doctrine of reoi.
procity. which is we'll expressed in
one of the banners here to night, "fair
trade" as distinguished from "free
trade" 1t pledges the party to
hlmetallism; and right there l pause
for q minute because | want to saw
something on behal: Of the silver
plank that is in the Republican plat
form.
A few months ago, the president of
tho United States, acting with tho
Senate of the United States. invited
the nations Of Europe to an inter.
national conference for the purpose of
adjusting this question OF the coinage
of silver. At the time that invitation
was sent out, it was scoffed at by the
Democracy of the country. 1t was
ridiculed in the papers and they
prophesicd it would come to naupht
and We would not succeed in having
conference with any respectable
nation. So far from that being true.
every nation on the continent of
Europe of any financial retensions
whatever, including England, has 40.
cepted the invitation to the bimetallio
conference; and see BY the dispatches
to-day that England has selected a
bimetallic delegate to that conference.
France has selected one Of the most
pronounced blmetallio men in that
republic as delegate to that con-
ference.
II the opinion of men who study
this question is worth anything, men
whose lives have teen spent in study.
ing and dealing with the financial
questions OF nations, then the opinion
of Mr.. Lsech, the director OF the
United States mint, must be some
authority upon this subject. On the
night before | left Minneapolis, Mr..
Leech called at my room for the pur.
pose OF talking about this matter, and
he stated at that time that nine OF the
nations Of Europe had accepted this
invitation, and, from his knowledge Of
the men that had been selected and
their sentiments bearing upon these
matters, that the probabilities were
almost certainty that it would result
N opening the minis Of the Latin
Union to the free coinage Of silver.
Further, he thought that, within ninety
lays from that time, that conference
would meet, and within thirty DAYS
hey would have finished their labors
md made their reports to their various
governments, subject to their action.
That is the policy OF the Republican
party that Is condemned by the Dem.
'cratic party; and at tho Same time,
md in their next plank, they admit
hat the international confereG ce is
he only hope of securing bime tallism.
rney admit that the proposition is =
wise one and will probably result in
ecuring this great good to this peo.
lie. and at the same time they con-
lemn the financial policy of the Re.
party.
No one who understands the ques.
ion. for moment doubts that bimet.
llism brought about in that wav is
'referable to bimetallism brought
bout by an arbitrary act of Cong ress,
because It would be relieved Of tina
bJ1ctions urged against it that it
'ould make . monetary war be.
ween this country snd the European
ations.
And, furthermore, in the opinion of