The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1893-04-21
THE PRESIDENT AND SILVER.
As yet the country has not obtained a

satisfactory insight into the PRESIDENT
plans for financial reform, 1t is wei
known that he is determined to do all il
his power to tighten the burdens Of the
people, and that he has begun by abol
ishing s%inecures in all departments, ant
a vigorous cutting down Of public expen
ditures. No dollar is more surely made
than the dollar saved. On this point his
policy is very clearly defined.
We believe most sincerely that the
financial difficulties Of these times car
not be overcome except by the remone'
tization of silver, and for this reason We
rejoice that Mr.. Cleveland has decided
to leave the matter OF reconvening the
Brussels monetary conference to the del
egates named by President Harrison, al
Of whom are men of the right stamp
men who are imbued with the pressing
necessity of bi-metallism. A Washing
ton dispatch referring to Mr.. Cleveland's
attitude on this question says:
He has been bordering for some time
over the instructions to be given dele.
gates, and has about made up his mind
to give them the same instructions
which they had when they went to Brus,
sells ir November to advocate unre
stricted bl-metallism, with the best they
can get as an alternate. The president
again represent the United States, espe-
| ,.,ll,, fba,n ,,h1 ,n,r,cntnl tla ,,l,n,
element, that he may be free of respon-
sibility in the matter and clear Of the
charge OF having chosen men unfriendly
to silver. This course of sending back
the same delegates with the same in
structions, was talked over today by the
president and secretary Carlisle with
Professor David Wells, the eminent econ
omist, who was here by invitation
to discuss this and other economic ques-
tions. He wal closeted for a long time
with the secretary and also had a frank
talk with the president. The president
does not expect any practical results
from the reassembling of the conference
and does not care to commit his admir-
istration to any new programme which
would have little chance of adoption,
Neither he nor Secretary Gresham is
disposed to draw up such q programme
and they will simply refer the delegates
to the old instructions. The president
did not feel that he could absolutely
abandon the conference, after the United
States had invited it, without placing
the government in an awkward position,
but he expects no serious results from
it, and is prep ring to make his serious
fight for sound currency when the spec.
ial session of congress meets in Septem-
Der.
In this, as in everything, the president
shows the true liberal spirit which is
open to instruction. He is not one OF
those cyclists who thinks he knows sc
much that there is nothing more for him
to learn, and 1t is this very fact that
leads the friends of silver to hope and
believe that before the threatened crash
comes Mr.. Cleveland will have been
brought to see the truth about silver 60
that he can use it to stem the tide OF
monetary panic, 1t would seem that he
only need ask himself the one question:
"If we a carry a silver coinage of
S5O0,000,00O with the white metal de-
graded to the worst extremity that the
world has ever seen, what could we not
do if silver were restored to its position
of legal tender money. which it has sus.
tanned since the beginning Of civiliza-
ton, and in which it is distinctly recog-
n zed in the American constitution"
The only answe to this query is a de-
monstration that one of the greatest
crimes ever perpetrated on humanity
was the characterization of silver. For
the fact confronts us that all our silver
and the certificates issued against it
pass dollar for dollar with gold, and
notes with a gold basis, throughout the
land. The fiat of the legislature, and
the plot of the money lender have sue
ceeded in reducing the white metal to
the grade of a mere mercantile commod-
ity, but in spite of all, such is it's inner
emit strength that it maintains its place
as money beside a metal that has been
raised in value nearly 40 per cent by the
degradation of the sister metal.
1t is, indeed, little less than a miracle
and the country will appreciate it when
silver shall become the weapon to savd
it from ruin as it bids fair soon to do.
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