The herald., 1894-03-03
THE BX-PRBSIDBNT's SUDDEN CON-
VERSION.

| Ouk obtoomoU COutcmpOkhkyi bno u n
prees, takes exception to the HRRALD's S
good humored raillery on ex- -Presi-
dent Hsrrison's attempt to ingratiate
himself with the friends of silver.
Well, if this ex-publio functionary has
been friend OF silver nobody ever
found it out until the other day, when
he happened to address q lot of hot
Colorado silverites. With reservation
in which We avow q respect for the
character of Mr.. Harrison, as respects
thorough paced demSgogus our expires
ident is that individual. The most
ineldious enemies of silver are those
who are perpetuslly harping on the idea
that the United States has no initiative
of its own, but must be continually at
the beck and call of Europe, or. rather,
Of that limited portion of Europe which
is represented by the creditor classes.
In the opinion of the most sagacious
inanciers of this country that is, those
OF them not affiliated with Wall and
Lombard streets--a decisive attitude on
the part OF this country in the interest
of silver would have had, and would
now have, the almost immediate effect
OF remonetizing the white metal. 1t
might have taken six months, year or
perhaps two years; but, in connection
with the attitude of the nations of the
Latin union, the result would have been
inevitable. All Mr.. Harrison, while
president, would have had to do would
have been to summon his secretary OF
the treasury and to have told him to
carry out the spirit of the law, and to
have treated silver as really on parity
with gold. Instead of so instructing
him, the treasury WAS administered al
together in the interest OF the goldpugs.
When silver certificates or treasury
notes were issued, New York brokers
we're allowed to corral them, to present
them at the sub-treasury and re-
ceive gold for them as fast ss they
were presented. On the other hand,
silver was allowed to pile up in
the government vaults in immense
quantities, and when it had attained a
volume sufficiently large to attract at
tention the fact was pointed out that
the people did not want the white
metal. A government in sympathy with
this great national industry and with
the cause of bimetallism would have
acted honestly on the idea of the parity
of these two twin money metals of the
H. A.
circulate silver instead of boarding it.
The true policy of a government in sym
pathy with the double standard would
have been to pay out gold and silver
irrespectively, and with the knowledge
that no hogging game OF thimblerig was
being played in the interest of Wall
street, silver would have stesdily aOpre-
ciated. The truth is that the New York
goldbugs. under the administration of
Mr.. Harrison, had absolute control OF the
treasury department, as they have had
to quite as pronounced degree under
that of Mr.. Cleveland. The parade of
the appointment OF delegates to the
monetary convention which met at
Brussels ss q defense of President Har-
rison's silver record is ell mere leather
and prunella. Every one knew at the
time and knows more fully now that
that was skillful trick to tide the ad-
ministration, seeking its own perpetua-
ton, over the approaching national cleo
ton.
There ia probably only one of our
presidents who, since the issue has
arisen, has ever been outright and
manly on this question, and that was
Grant. That great soldier often de-
clared that if he had ever known the
real purport of the bill demonetizing
silver in 1878 he never would have
signed it. 1t is a noteworthy circum-
stance that those Republican leaders,
like Senators Jones and Stewart, who
have been most conspicuous in their
advocacy OF silver, have always placed
President Harrison in the ranks OF the
enemies OF the white metal.
Our Republican friends are very fond
tongues. In his Colorado uttersnces on
bimetallism the ex president is approx.
ing himself to be the most accomplished
cuckoo OF the age. His attitude is
really of little Importance, because he is
political back number, and he d.
ceives no one. The people have at last
become sufficiently instructed ON this
question to look beneath the surface,
and to demand deeds, not words. They
say to the willy ex-president, as did the
patriarch of old when a memorable
scriptural deception was prsctised,
''The hand is the hand of Esau, but
the voice is the voice OF Jacob" Hav-
ing earned the title of goldbug OF the
goldbugs by his actions in the pres
idential Chair, no trimming will now
avail to fool the masses
| THB HANDWRITING ON THK WALL.