The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-06-24

WASHINGTON. June % The Star this
evening has "a long interview with Secre-
tary..Morton on the subjects of The populist
sgitation and the financial question. The
secretary, expresses the opinion that the po-
pulist party is in process Of disinte9ration,
and that the Democratic party, being COM
mi;teed to policies not in accord with the
teachings of the populists, cannot have an
alliance with them.
,'By the nomination of Mr.. Cleveland, -
sad he, "and by the wording of the plat
form, the Democratic party repudiated
all their heresies, and took the position to
which it belongs-on the side of sound
money and sound principles. The party
Is pledged to this, and the election of
President Cleveland is an Endorsement of
This position by majority of the people
His election meant among other things, a
condemnation of the laws placing artificial
prices upon commodities, whether of wool
or metal, tin or silver; that the govern
nent' should not be:forced TO be buyer or a
free coiner of silver, and that "A sound
financial policy should be enforced. All
that the plain, honest people of the coun-
Try want IS "A sound, reliable currency, suf-
1icient for the purposes OF trade and COM
1neTce. You can never get a majority OF the
people OF this country to favor Il currency
based on artificial values, and consequent
j. unstable and liable to serious deprecia-
ton. The great trouble in settling this
question comes from the fact that many
OF our statesmen of both parties in con-
gress are demagogues, and are influenced
by the consideration OF what may be the
immediate effect of their action upon their
political prospects, rather than by their
own Judgment as to what Is the right
thing TO DO. They deceive themselves as
10 what the people want, and then some
times deceive their constituents into want
ing what is not the best thing for them
The secretary said that he did not know
whether or not the advocates of the
repeal of the Sherman law would
have TO accept compromise He hoped
Tor the repeal of the law, and saw no OBJ
lection to the repeal of the TO per cent tax
on state banks as Il compromise with those
VINO want more currency. Under ore
condition. he said, the absolute free coin
age of gold and silver alike might be
agreed to as a compromise; that is, if both
IRE deprived OF their legal tender quality.
The stamp of the government would then
signify no more than merely that the coin
was of certain weight and fineness, and
the people would take which coin they
pleased, andfefuse either il they did not
like it. The two sorts of coin would then
be placed on their merits, and the people
would soon ascertain which they wanted.
Without its legal tender quality" con-
tinued Mr.. Morton. deprived of tue fiat
element, silver would have to depend on
the proper measure of supply and demand
Tor its value, and it is not difficult TO Judge
which metal the people would want so
long as the difference between the denom-
-inaUion value and the bullion value of the
coin is so great. / think that the farmers
are beginning to realize that they are be-
ing required TO exchange their products,
produced at cost OF great labor, for pro.
duct costing much less labor, and possess
ing. therefore less intrinsic value, at the
ratio OF their exchange, than their wheat
and corn