Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-08-08
wh.,, the slams Rests and is likely to-

The folly Of attempting 10 attribute the
present hsanciaI condition to the attitude of
the Republican party On ths silver question
when the sherman bill was passed - we'll
exposed in the foIlowing from an editorial
in the Philadelphia Times lDcmj
THE sherman bill vas passed TO defeat
the free coinage If silver, in dsbased dol
lars, which ~ould have been utterly
destructive OF public credit anil business
prosperity. majority of Democrats sup
ported the free coinage of SILVER. along
with large minority of Republicans
anil the Sherman Law was Wis" measure
considering the circumstance under which
IL vas enacted 1t WA. not senator sher
mans measure that Is. II was not what he
desired. but he wisely adopted the best
possible escape from the calamity of un-
limited silver coinage. Thus while the
sherman bill stands ~ "A Republican meas
IRE it IL due to the truth Of history to ssy
that it was the wiscsi enactment that was OF
possible attainment AT the lime OF ts pas
sage and so far from accusing the Rrpub-
iican party OF htins wholly responsible for
the silver tronbie of to-day, IL Is entitled tn
credit for having defeated an evil of vast
2 " greater proportions that seriously threat
.neti the country At the time.
Even the Boston Herald is evincing signs
Of encouragement vt the attitude of the
Democratic parry on the silver question
Judging from the following
The Democratic party has already gone To
tie farthest limit of safety in committing
the control Of the financial legislation 10
men with very bad records on the
af free coinage has been made chairman
pro tempore of the Senate. another hss
received the chsirmsuship of the Senate
finance committee, a third is designated for
the spcakership of the House. Now. II
this third man he permitted to name fourth
siiverite OF the EXTREMIST type for the chat
OF the House coinage committee. the bns
ness public will be forced to the conclusion
that the Democratic party. ss represented
ia the Fifty third Congress, is an organizs-
ton which sends all its sound members to
the rear"
Mr.. Crisp must have smiled ~ himself
when on being renouinated speaker he
: Id his Democratic friends that ia 80 far
the extraordinary condition Of affair
ecessitsting special session Of Congress
!, attributable ts existing laws We (ihe
y. mocrs,ic party are nowise responsible
therefor" The Philadelphia Times sppears
TO scarcely agree with Speaker Crisp on
this point Perhaps the Boston Herald
would attempt to in case the speaker should
refuse to appoint Bland chairman of the
eliusge committee but the tone Of the
article above quoted from the Herald hard
~ would indicate ii.
The silver men. however, know who their
friends are. and in that Chicago convention
+ of siiverites. there was no one TO diseredlt
the statement of Ex-Congressman Pierce
when he said: II say here without fear of
contradiction, because | speak from the
record, that the Democratic representative.
from the South and West, constituting the
overwhelming majority of the Democrats
upon the floor of Congress, have, every
time that free silver has been presented,
last their vote. In the interest of the people
,ver~ helminely for the free and unlimited
coinage Of silver.
IL cay today A. a Democrat. that Grover
Cleveland, the man from the East, who
claims today to represent the Democratic
party. does not represent 1t. but misrepre-
;. n,s it, position upon this question,
I, certainly is tn he hoped tina, the Dem
.sra,ie party viii go back on" its free
silver faith. The COED of the country lies
L. Democratic rscsntation.