St. Paul daily globe., 1892-06-17
A FREE SILVER MAN
Who Wants Gray and Flower for
Candidates

To the Editor of the Globe. .
The opportunity for victory for the
Democratic party is at hand. Will the
convention embrace the chance? Per-
NIT few suggestions by one of the COM
mon people. Mr.. Hill is eliminated from
the contest. There is not voter west
of Pennsylvania who believes he could
be elected. However strong Mr. Cleve-
land may be with the people for what
he has been. he cannot now be elected.
He stands before the nation the pro-
nounced enemy Of silver. That seals
his defeat. The Democrat who is elect
ed must carry Western states. The
Democratic party has always been the
champion of silver money. 1t must con-
tinue to be. Free coinage of the product
of American silver mines must come
sooner or later, or we must cease to use
silver as money. One or the other Is in
evitable. If the Democratic party
shall declare against the use of
silver aS money, as was done
by a state convention recently,
t will be overwhelmingly defeated.
We are coming 72-cent dollars right
along under a certain law. Why not
coin them freely of the product of
American mines, with prohibition as
laration on the silver question Is weak
and meaningless. but it is constructed
to catch votes. Many will understand
it to favor silver somewhat. Let the
Democracy speak with certainty in
favor OF silver, and the Pacific states
will respond. New York will be lost,
but what of that? The Democracy have
lost it steadily for thirty years in na-
tlonai elections. except on Two occasions.
The platform should denounce and de-
'lnand the repeal Of the Mckinley bill.
Beyond that there is no tariff issue in
this campaign. The Republicans have
completely abandoned their position OH
that question. They now favor tariff
which shall make up the difference be-
tween American and foreign wages. A
large majority Of the Democratic party
favor such tariff. Adjusted on that
line faithfully, Il tariff would be the
lowest ever known in this country 1t
would be almost, if not quite, revenue
tariff.
Returning to the silver question. it
can be said that no statesman in the
country has yet been found bold enough
to favor the diSuSe OF silver as money.
All agree that it must be used. Some
crying for an honest dollar demand an
increase in its size. TINS cannot be
done. Speaking OH this question the
late Secretary Window, in his last re-
port, said: ''AS the price Of silver
varies almost daily the amount of silver
to he put into silver dollar to make it
equal with gold would have to, be
changed constantly. While the diverg
ence between the dollar of gold and
dollar of silver would not be SO great,
the relative value of the two dollars
would in reality lie as fluctuating and
uncertain as it is now. The present sill
yer dollar is incOnveniently large and
heavy for actual Use as money, and TO
increase its weight from 4l215 to $50
grains would make it simply intoleraDle.
1t would lave tendency TO prevent
any rise in the value of silver. SeiZing
it at its present low price, the law would
in effect declare that it must remain
there forever, so far as its uses for coin
age are concerned" OF course the 900
delegates assembled at Chicago will
possess wisdom in excess of any single
individual. They will doubtless make
good platform and name the best men,
but ask the privilege of suggesting to
that great aggregation OF knowledge
ticket that l, as one of the common peO
pie, believe will WIN and harmoniZe all
conflicting elements. would name tor
president, Isaac p. Gray, of Indiana;
for vice president, Roswell p. Flower,
of New York. | would also suggest
that the platform makers leave out that
little tail-end plank opposing ''sumptu-
ary" laws. 1t has become q chestnut.
Truly yours, JAMES WELLS.
BrittOn, S, D.. June IA, 1892