The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1892-05-20
FREE COINAGE.
The Bill Is Dead, but the Issue Is Alive
and Kicking.

ana h1ckIllSs
We are told that the free coinage
bill is dead and it is likely that those
who give us the information know
what they are talking about But the
bill was not even the shadow of the
issue. However dead the bill may be,
or more pressing than it is to-day.
1t is the peoples issue.
In fact the suppression OF the bill
is in the nature of an illumination. 1t
confirms suspicion and idle report. It
shows beyond all question that there
is a contingent protesting to be Dem
ocratic. which betrays more anxiety
to submit to the dictations of Wall
street than it does to carry out the
wishes of the people. To this extent
the party is hampered. To this ex-
tent the organization is endangered.
When the Wall street Democrats in
the house defeated the free coinage
BILL says the Atlanta Constitution.
they undertook more serious enter
prise than they had any idea Of
They gave a new purpose and
keener edge to the clamor of the peo-
pie. They have made it necessary
for the party in convention assembled
to make clear. bold and vigorous
utterance on the silver question. A
failure to do this will naturally be re-
garded by the Democrats who are in
favor of free coinage as something
more than an intimation that the
party cannot afford to antagonize
Wall street and the money power
This necessity will grow more and
more pressing as the day of the con-
vention draws nearer. The Wall
street contingent will find that they
have not only succeeded in suppress
ing the issue, but have made 1t more
important than it has ever been.
This is only another way of saying
that while Wall street is able to buy
up few congressman. and to give
others an exaggerated idea of it's
power and influence it can make no
such impression on the masses of the
people who have serious grievances
and who are seeking sensible RENE
dies for them. Wall street has played
its game too boldly. Its assault on
the free coinage bill was premature;
it's method of attack was crude and
impolitic.
We are told by those who depend
on Wall street for their argument that
it was necessary to suppress the free
coinage bill at this time for the reason
that its adoption by the house would
make it Democratic ISSUE This ar
gument is used in the face of the fact
that every intelligent voter in the
country, literate or illiterate. knows
that an overwhelming majority of the
Democratic party is in favor of free
coinage. Nobody could be de-
ceived by the suppression OF the
bill. but great many worthy
Democrats have been irritated and
disguised. Their disgust and their ir-
ritation are SO profound that the Dem
ocratic party in the South is for the
first time in thirty years facing the
danger of disruption.
The anliable politicians at Wash
ington either do not appreciate the
scope and extent of the threatened
detection. Or they care nothing for it.
They evidently propose to trim their
sails to suit the winds of Wall street
and permit the party in the states
that furnish the electoral votes to 60
whirling to limbo. We are told that
the restoration of silver to its old
place in the currency would seriously
offend certain sensitive Democrats in
Massachusetts and other eastern
states which have never given the
party an electoral vote since the war.
What is there SO beautiful and precious
in the influence of these inocuous and
ornamental Democrats that their
wishes should be so carefully consult.
ed, while the wishes of the Demo-
cratic farmers of the South should be
flouted and treated with disdain?
1t is a very interesting question.
Why are the desires of an Easteen plu-
tOcrat so much more important than
the wishes of a Southern Democrat.
The plutocrat may have more money
than Southern farmer but in what
way is his vote more valuable? The
plutOcrats of Massachusetts have never
been able, with all their. money and
influence. to turn the electoral vote
OF their state over to the Democrats,
whereas, on the other hand the Dem
ocratic farmers of Georgia have never
failed in twenty years to give the cleo
toral vote of their state to the Demo-
cratic party. We should think the
Democratic leaders would find it more
profitable to run a straight Democratic
schedule and take the risk If there
is any trimming to be done it will
pay them better to trim to suit the
views of the voters who furnish the
bulk of the Democratic vote.
Ii the able leaders in congress who
have permitted fifty-one Democrats to
dictate the suppression of the free
coinage bill TO the largest majority
the party has ever had will visit
Georgia and other southern states,
and go out into the country places. we
think that they will discover that the
situation is not by any means what
it ought to be. In surrendering to
Wall street and in trying to bend the
party to the financial views of the
East they will find on investigation.
that they have stirred up a storm