The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-08-31
THE REAL RESPONSIBILITY.

Wfen they talk about ssthe treachery OF
tie Democratic President towards sill
ver'' and nthe reputation by Democrats
of their platform, - they provoke exam
ination of the Republican record on sill
yer.
1t must be remembered first that the
verBally decided among silver men
to have been the original cause of all the
financial troubles of the country, was a
Republican measure from beginning to
end. Also that the trick by which the
Htreachery" to the silver dollar was
worked into the body of the bill was a
Republican trick, and therefore the act
was Republican sttreachery.'
Second, it must not be forgotten that
the SHERMAN makeshift of 1890, which is
believed by multitudes of people in all
circles and parties to be an additional
source of financial disorder and disaster,
was q Republican conceit, invented by a
Republican, voted for entirely by Repub-
licans, and signed and approved by Re
publican President. 1t was confessediy
concocted to prevent HARRIsoN's be-
ing put into hole by his known deter
nination to veto a free coinage bill. Not
Representative voted for the now obuox-
ious SHERMAN law.
President HARRIsoN's movement for
an international bimetallic conference
was recognized, at the time he appointed
the commissioners to go to Brussels, as an
evasion of the free coinage question, an
intentional shuttle between the free silveR
men and the ultra goldites, designed to
postpone an issue on the question which
would have compelled him to stand where
he belonged-on the single gold standard
basis, which is the ground of his convic-
tions.
The difference between CLEVELAND and
HARRISON on the financial question is
simply that the former has the courage Of
his convictions and has no use Tor the
shifts and expedients of his Republican
predecessor. He stands today where he
has always stood on the coinage problem,
and there is not a faint of treachery in
his language or conduct.
On the question of the relative positions
of the two parties in Congress when the
vote was taken in the House, we will here
insert letter from a resident OF this city,
which makes critical and correct COM
parison, He says:
The Republicans of the west have re-
peatedly intimated that if Harrison had
been elected there would have been a
much better chance for silver than there
is with Cleveland at the head of the adj
n iCf 1ai c n in
and set in his way that he would intimi
date and coerce timid congressman into
voting his views, which are Numerically
opposed to free coinage, or of even giving
silver any recognition whatever ~ An
analysis OF the vote will show how much
force there is in that argument.
There was no goldbug Republican pres
ident, yice-president, cabinet or even Sen
ate to influence the vote of the Repub-
would have kept just as close
in touch with the platform of
their party and much nearer in accord
with their constituents by voting for free
coinage, as to vote for a single gold
standard, and a little closer, If there was
any truth in the charges just referred to.
Again were there any grounds for the
insinuation, that had the Democrats been
as free TO cast their votes, as If the I'M
exchanged for the Grandson of His
Grandfather" the vote would have been
much more Democratic? Lets see.
The Republicans out of total OF 125
cast IA votes for free coinage on a ratio Of
Is to or Zip per cent. The Democrats
out of total of 215 cast 100 votes for free
coinage. or 1853 per cent. Now if the
and the Republicans 1853 per cent. there
might have been some excuse for their
clubbing Cleveland Gear of Buzzard' s
Bay,' and some reason in their asser-
tions that had the Republicans been vic
torious we conld and would have given
the country free coinage.
But again, had the Republicans cast 46
per cent. of their votes for free coinage,
their vote would have stood So for and So
against it, and this with the Democratic
vote would have given 158 for and 178
against, and with the 10 Populist votes
would have scored 1863 for and 178 against,
which would have lacked but 10 votes of a
tie. On the contrary had the Democrats
cast but 11S of their votes for demonetiz-
alton their vote would have stood "a for
silver and 191 against it. and with the Re
publican votes would have footed up 3O2
in favor of single gold standard and only
80 against il, without counting the 10 Pop
ulist votes which would have still
left an overwhelming majority of 254
for the goldolitious plutocrats of Wall
and Lombard streets.
How would these figures do for the
foundation of campaign document Tor
the Republicans to 90 before the country
in the next great political contest?
AS to the financial plank OF the Demo
cratic platform, it is no more pronounced
on bimetallism than the Republican
plank. If there is any departure from it
in the votes of members of one party
there is the same kind of departure in the
votes of the other party, the chief differ
ence in the documents being that the
Democratic is the more pointed and en-
phatic, the principle in both, however,
being the same.
IJ is folly for the Republicans to try to
attack the Democratic party on the silver
question. There are friends and enemies
TO free coinage in both parties. But the
responsibility Tor the ills that have
arisen from the debasement of silver and
the need for any fight for its restoration
are chargeable to the Repu blican party
and its organs ought to keep discreetly
still as to the responsibility both past and
present.
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