The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-03-28
HILLS CHANCES,

The practical defeat of the Bland silver
bill will not improve David B. Hills
chances for the presidential nomination.
Democratic Congressman Harter addressed
Hill a letter in which he asked him
whether he favored the free and unlimited
coinage of silver at the present ratio,
which would give our legal-tender dollar
an inflated market value of 70 cents, or
whether he was opposed to free coinage
and in line with the platform of the DEM
ocratic party in New York, which declared
for dollar worth 100 cents in gold, de-
manding that every dollar should be of
equal intrinsic value with every other dol
lar. Harter further said:
ask you whether you favor or oppose the
outrageous measure of class legislation usually
called the Bland billy which is now pending in
the House and which has the hearty support OF
oil the Republican bonanza senators, of the sill
yer ring, the lobby and Of Mr. Bland, of Mis-
souri,, and 1t is said of a number OF other Demo-
Gratis.
Hill made no reply, and in his Southern
speeches he has left his audiences in COM
plete DOUBT whether he is for or against
free silver. This silence on his part in
contrast with Cleveland's flat-footed op-
position to ''free silver" will be quoted eff
fectually against his candidacy in New
York state, where both parties are against
free silver coinage. There is conviction
gaining ground that Hill does not wish
The nomination, believing that he would
be defeated but that he desires to dictate
the nomination SO that if the candidate is
taken from New York or the West it will
be man who will owe his nomination to
Hills support and thus leave Hill the po-
tential figure in Democratic politics in the
Empire state for 1896.
Hill goes booming about the South
bowling about ''strict construction of the
constitution" and "the principles of
Thomas Jefferson" Every reader of
American history knows that the best
thing that Jefferson ever did-the Louisi-
ana purchase-was in defiance of the strict
construction of the constitution and in de-
tiance of his own principles, as Jefferson
himself confessed. When he talks about
the tariff he does not declare frankly for
free trade or protection; he says what
every man admits, that we "need to
raise no more revenue than will be suffi-
cient for the wants of the government,
economically administered" This is
what Mr. Holman, of Indiana, says. and
Yet he always votes for an appropriation
for his district in the river and harbor bill,
and is tender of the "robber tariff when
il protects the industries of his district
Tom Reed, of Maine, correctly describes
Hill as typical Democrat, the ideal presi-
dental candidate for party of negation,
and the Democratic Birmingham Gala.
Age thinks Hill Is the kind of man the
Democratic party wants to lead it in the
coming presidential campaign; it de-
scrihes him as the peerless Democratic
leader" whose only "sins are political
sins" who refuses TO "cousort with Mug
wumps and Independents" and who can
hold his own in the Democratic party"
And that" it claims, "is the kind of
man we want"
Tom Reed and the Age are both right.
Hill was the obsequious tool of Boss
Tweed. During Hills seven years occn-
nancy of the governorship of New York
he was the notorious friend of the Honor
interest; and vetoed every bill to regulate
and restrict traffic in intoxicants. He pre-
vented the adoption of a secret ballot law
and gave his countenance to corruption
and bribery at the polls. He is in league
with Tammany Hall. the most corrupt
political organization in existence. and
the closing act of Hills guberuatorial ser
vice was to contrive and execute the most
shameful steal of state legislature that
has taken place in q Northern state for a
generation.
He is of course the ideal Democrat at the
South, where the Democracy has en-
trenched itself in power by systematic
violence and fraud. by shooting down mer
nv the wholesale who revolt against tbs
Democratic ticket, by terrorizing the poll:
with shotguns. by stutfng ballot boxes
by forging tally sheets and by false swear
ing over election returns. The enthusiasm