The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-08-01

| The indications are that there will be a
vigorous and prolonged fight in Congress
over silver. There will be little or no
opposition to the repeal OF the purchas-
ing clause of the SHERMAN law, if the
foremost advocates of its abolition prove
willing to accept some measure which
will secure the recognition of silver as
money Of the United States.
Nearly all members OF both Houses are
agreed that the purchasing clause is
wrong in principle and largely failure
In practice. But there are enough dis
ciples OF bi-metallism in the House as
well as in the Senate TO resist
Tor some time the sweeping away
of the only barrier TO the complete de-
basement of the white metal. The Senate
has. in all probability, a fair majority OF
free silver coinage men. II the House
should agree to the repeal of the SHEER
MAN law Internationally, the Senate will
no doubt stand in the way and insist on
some legislation favorable to silver to ac-
company or form part of the repeating
bill.
ton that the SHERMAN law should go and
that its removal would have good effect
on the financial world, especially in Eng
land and on its transactions with this
country. But at the same time we
believe that the unconditional repeal
of that law would be dangerous to
the silver interest. 1t stands now
SIS barrier in the way of the goldites,
and if it were renewed there would be q
most powerful combination to ''let well
alone, as they would term it, and the
difficulties in the way of direct legisla-
ton 10 rehabilitate silver would be we'll
nigh insurmountable. In the growing
disposition 10 get rid of the obnoxious
provision, the evil of which has been
greatly magnified, we see signs of danger
to the main cause, and we hope the
friends of the white metal viii stand firm
for silver legislation coincident with the
repeal. On this subject we are in line
with the views of Senator Vance, to be
found in our Geographic columns and to
which we direct special attention.
We regard the utterances OF the party
at the Chicago convention as virtually
pledging it to maintain both metals as
the money of the country. The Spirit OF
the pledge is that not only shall the
SHERMAN act be repealed but that legis-
larion shall be had to place silver IN its
place on parity with gold, in such way
that all the coin and paper of the United
States shall be equally interchangeable.
We of the west understand that to mean
free coinage of both metals on some ratio
that shall establish and perpetuate their
parity. If men of the east understand it
differently, they must have some new
meaning Tor language or some soPhistical
lsignification for words that does not ap-
Ypear on their face.
While this is not really a party ques-
ton, both the great parties being divided
upon it, the friends of silver have always
been greater in the Democratic than in
the Republican party. And if the latter
is not pretty nearly solid against legis-
Iation &c restore silver to its legitimate
place, it is reasonably sure that there will
be sufficient number of silver Democrats
in Congress to secure to the country the
relief that is needed. They will repeal the
wrong law and enact right law, and
settle this important question in the in
terest of the whole people, and not for
the special benefit of any class or COM
hipatiou