The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-08-31
NO CHANCE OF SUCCESS.


A Denver paper, which seems to be
whistling to keep its courage up, thus
tries to cheer its readers on the silver
question:
1.-THE struggle in the House is but the
skirmish of battle, the brunt of which
is to be borne in the Senate. The result
of today should not dismay the friends of
silver. They have yet an even chance for
success
If there is any chance whatever for sue
cess, that cannot be the success which the
majority of the people of the west have
been hoping for. What they want is the
restoration of silver to the position itheld
as money previous to the act OF 1878. No
matter what the Senate may do or not do,
it is clear from the vote in the House
that this is an impossibility with the
composition of the present Congress.
ii by success is meant the mere reten-
ton OF the SHERMAN law, that is a pos
sibility, though not probability, as the
matter now presents itself. There may
be bare majority in the upper House in
favor of holding on to the SHERMAN law
az hostage, till something better is con-
ceded. But free coinage measure at any
satisfactory ratio is evidently out of the
question, when the great majority against
it in the House is considered.
The strongest silverites admit the weak
ness, error and wrong policy of the SHEER
MAN law. II is doubtful if its retention
would be really beneficial to the silver
cause, now that nothing betteris in sight.
1t is vicious in principle. IL is Republican
in its spirit. 1t is protection in seductive
form. It ought to be put out OF the way.
And the only reason why Democratic adj
vocates of free coinage oppose its destruc-
ton at present, is the hold it gives them
upon the opponents of silver restoration.
That the SHERMAN law is not what the
west desires is plain, from the fact that
under its operations silver has gone down
to the lowest notch in the market that it
has ever descended to. 1t was blunder
from the beginning, and no one perceives
its bad effects more keenly than JOHN
SHERMAN himself. But its repeal alone
is not likely to materially help silver, nor
would its retention be silver success.
We do not believe that the silver cam
paign has been conducted with the wisdom
that was necessary to make success posi-
BILE. There are too many conflicting
views among the silver men themselves.
The strong bimetallists of both Houses
ought to have been organized on ground
which they could all occupy in unison.
In every cause there are usually some
advocates OF extreme measures who will
press their ultra views and submit to no
concessions. On the silver questions
which is open yet to so much discussion,
there should have been a concentration of
forces upon conciliatory basis. That
falling, free coinage has been beaten and
there is no use in trying to disguise the
fact.
1t is possible that some measure in aid
of silver may be devised which will be
successful during the regular session of
Congress. But at the extra session we
may look for nothing more than the re-
peal of the purchasing clause, accom-
panied by a pledge that both gold and
silver shall be the money of the United
States. How much silver coin that may
prove to mean. cannot now be figured,
but it might as well he understood first as
last that for the real thing wanted-the
complete rehabilitation OF silver as
money, there is not any immediate
sschance ofsuccess.