Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1893-10-24
OAIENS OF TROUBLE.
SENATOR sRlcs SAYS We ARE ON
THE EVE OF A GREAT BATTLE.

A Rather Lugubrioas Prophecy By One Of
the Kssssst Observer In Public Life.
Are the Old Parties breaking Up'-A
Dark Outlook.
WASHINGTON. DC, Oct. is.-lSpecisl.l-
Senator Brice OF Ohio was asked by your
correspondent for his views ON the political
aid financial outlook. "In my opinion"
replied Senator Brice, I'VE are upon the eve
OF an era Of financial agitation In this
country. believe the tariff and all Other
issues will be overshsd lowed by the currency
question. How long " will take to reach
settlement of this problem do not pretend
TO say, but should not be surprised II for
Q number Of years to come our political
parties and campaigns were to be ranged
and fought upon one or the other side OF
the financial issue. The battle which we
fought In Ohio and other western states
from 1868 TO 1875 for and against fiat money
and an inflated currency must now, with
some variations, be fought over again.
"Ths field OF battle has been transferred
from Ohio and Indiana to the states farther
west and south. Both Of the old political
parties are SURE to suffer heavy losses when
this issue is forced to the front to the ex
clusion OF old questions. The third OF
Populist party II already formidable fac
tor In those sections Of the country, aud It
will soon become positive force In our
government. The silver fight which We
have Just had In the senate Is only the pre-
liminary skirmish. said week ago that
II wGs pity To waste 40 much time and
strength In settling our little battle In the
senate chamber. because II was at best only
an exchange Of shots between pickets, and
that the great armies would not come to-
gether for some time yet. ! sec no reason
to change my opinion.
How the People Are Dividing.
Rightly or wrongly" continued Sen.
ator Brice. millions upon millions Of
poor people believe silver to be the money
OF the masses. and that any attempt to
strike 1t down Is a blow at them aud
their prosperity. These people, who are
a. honest and sincere people as there
are In the country, think Wall street q
den OF robbers, every bank an enemy to
mankind aud every corporation or indus.
trial concern O menace TO popular liberty.
II does no good for us who believe other.
wise to ,lenounce these people or to ridicule
them. They and their belief exist, and
they are making their power manifest In
numerous ways. We must face tho condi.
tions as we find them.
"It IL apparent to me that the coming
winter Is to be one of the severest ever ex.
perienced In the United States. Times are
to be hard, employment scarce, wages low.
I expect to see stocks selling much lowei
than they were on the 9th day Of last July.
when they reached their lowest point dur
Ing the panic. Iexpect to see real estate In
New York and other great cities fairly a
drug In the market. Men who need money
will offer real estate for sale, and no Que
will want to buy II even at sacrifice figures,
with which to purchase or the moral cour'
age necessary to 20 out and borrow II from
their friends.
Even Ia Chicago, after the Worlds faii
Is over and the numerous hotels and the
other enterprises that have been In oper.
alton there on account OF the exposition are
closed, I expect to see great suffering and
commercial prostration. These conditions
will prevail more or less through the coun.
try, In my Judgment, for many months to
come. The panic IL over, but liquidation
will 20 on. Men are harl run for money,
credit Is at a low ebb; new industries are
scarce; old ones are retrenching expenses.
contracts for the future are limited In mum
Der and Importance.
Only the skirmish.
"IIaying oil these things In mind, I hav,
urged upon my colleagues In the senate
that perhaps IL was not necessary for Us u
break our backs In or,ler to effect uncondi
tional repeal Of the Sherman act. We wert
at best only the skirmishers Of the coming
great battle, which Is to stir the country
from center to circumference, recast par
ties, strike down leaders and build up new
men. More than that, considering repeal
as q Democratic measure, could see both
advantage and disadvantage that might
accrue from 1t. II we were to leave the
Sherman law undisturbcd aud these hard
times followed. responsibility therefore
would have been put upon our shoulders
because we had failed to effect repeal, but
II we did pass repeal and the hard times
still went OH, as they would be sure To do.
our responsibility perhaps would not lie 10
great, and we would have lost the oppor
tunity to have done something further than
mere repeal for the relief of the country. ]
confess that for one. while l have always
favored unconditional repeal, my mind has
been more or less troubled by doubts as 10
whether or not that was all We should do
In the present emergency"
Are Parties To Iresk Up?
II is q matter Of common gossip In the
higher political circles Of the capital that
breaking up Of all parties to greater o'
less extent Is inevitable In the near future
There are In Washington eminent Repub
licans who think the new states which they
brought into the Union In the far west are
about to drift from their allegiance to the
Republican party and give aid and comfort
to the Populists In the coming presidential
and congressional contests. In the south
and southwest leading Democrats think
their party Is to suffer similarly. IL these
predictions all prove to be well founded,
the Populist party, which now has repre-.
sehtation In congress Of seven members of
the lower house and three or four In the
upper, may congratulate itself upon Its
rapidly improving prospects.
Popuiists May Hold the balance Of Power.
1t h not at all improbable II these proph'
cts know whereof they speak that In the
next congress the Populists may hold the
balance of power In one or both branches
of congress. When that day comes, legis-
lation will be even more difficult than II IL
at the present time when the senate Of the
United States Is at the mercy Of minorities.
II the Populists obtain the balance OF
power, they will be pretty sure to use II for
the advancement Of their peculiar ideas
concerning finance, currency and banking.
Il Is evident from the remarks OF Senator
Brice quoted above and the similar beliefs
held by other prominent men that the coun-
try Is upon the eve OF q most interesting
and important political era.
Even In the east this question OF the cur
rency is likely TO upset party calculations,
because the party which stands most val.
isntly for what Ii called hard money will be
likely to receive the support OF many men
who have heretofore belonged to the other
party, while another class Of the people will
be driven to change their party from the
opposite motive.