The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-10-21
ONIENS OF TROUBLE.
SENATOR sRlCE SAYS WE ARE ON
THE EVE OF A GREAT BATTLE


Are tho Old Parties Breaking Up?-A
Dark Outlook.
WASHINGTON, DC, Oct. lS.-[Special.l-
Senator Brice OF Ohio was asked by your
correspondent for his views on the political
and financial outlook. I'm my opinion"
replied Senator Brice, ave are upon the eve
of an era of financial agitation in this
country. / believe the tariff and oil other
Issues will be overshadowed by the currency
question. How long it will take to reach q
settlement of this problem do not pretend
to say, but should not be surprised if foi
O 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 1915 for and against fiat money
and an inflated currency must now, with
some variations, be fought over again
1.-The 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 or
Populist party is already formidable fac
tor in those sections of the country, and it
will soon become positive force in our
government The silver fight which we
nave JuSI udu III Tue Scilute is only Tue pre-
Gminary skirmish. said Il week ago that
it was Il pity to waste so much time aud
strength in settling our little battle in the
senate chamber because it was at best only
an exchange of shots between pickets, and
that the great armies would not come to-
gether for some time yet. I see 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 ia
strike it down is blow Mt them and
their prosperity. These people, who are
as honest and sincere a people as there
are in the country, think Wall street a
den of robbers, every bank an enemy to
mankind and every corporation or indus
trial concern a menace to popular liberty
1t does no good for us who believe other
wise to denounce these people or to ridicule
them. They and their belief exist, and
they are making their power manifest in
numerous ways. We must face the coudi-
tions MS we find them.
ut Is 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.
l expect to see stocks selling much lower
than they were on the goth day of last July,
when they reached their lowest point dur.
ing the panic l expect to see real estate in
New York and other great cities fairly q
drug in the market. Men who need money
will offer real estate for sale, and no one
will want to buy it even at sacrifice figures
for few people will have the ready money
with which to purchase or the moral cour
age necessary to go out and borrow it from
their friends.
Even in Chicago, after the Worlds fai,
is over and the numerous hotels and the
other enterprises that have been in oper
alton there on account of the exposition are
closed, expect to see great suffering and
commercial prostration. These condition.
will prevail more or less through the coun.
try, in my Judgment, for many months tc
come. The panic is over, but liquidation
will go on. Men are hard run for money
credit is Mt u low ebb: new industries nrt
scarce; old ones are retrenching expenses
contracts for the future are limited in mum
Der and importance
Only the Skirmish.
Having all these things in mind, hayt
urged upon my colleagues in the senate
that perhaps it was not necessary for us t.
break our backs in order to effect uncondi.
tional repeal of the Sherman act. We wert
at best only the skirmishers of the comns
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 repea.
as Democratic measure, could see both
advantage and disadvantage that might
accrue from it. If we were to leave the
Sherman law undisturbed and these hare
times followed responsibility therefore
would have been put upon our shoulder
because we had failed to effect repeal, bu
if we did pass repeal and the hard timc
still went on, as they would be sure to do
our responsibility perhaps would not he Sc
great, and we would have lost the oppor
tunity to have done something further thar
mere repeal for the relief of the country.
confess that for one, while have always
favored unconditional repeal, my mind has
been more or less troubled by doubts as tc
whether or not that was all we should DE-
III the present emergency"
Are Parties to Break UP?
1t is a matter of common gossip in til,
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 Rcpub
licans who think the new states which they
brought into the Union in the fur west arr
about to drift from their allegiance to tin
Republican party and give aid and confor
to the Populists in the coming presidential
and congressional contests. In the south
and southwest leading Democrats think
their party is to suffer similarly. If thes,
predictions all prove to be we'll founded
the Populist party, which now has repre-
sentation in congress of seven members o,
the lower house and three or four in the
upper, may congratulate itself upon it.
rapidly improving prospects,
Populists May Hold the Balance of Power
1t is not at all improbable ii these proph