The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-11-11

control Of this Government. and retain IT
so long as II is true to itself.
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WILL THE SCUM nELD THE LESSON?
The man who is unable to see I'm last
Tuesdays election the verdict of the
American people that they will not per-
NIT their standard OF value to be tamper-
ed with by injecting into business
false standard worth fifty cents less in
each dollar than what it processes to be
worth, is, intellectually. a blind man
truly. That is .he way to describe the
case. Talk of free coinage OF silver Is
misleading. The thing in the public mind
is the determination that the standard of
value shall not be tempered with, for
everything is referred to that, and when
that is lowered i'm the slightest. degree
the transactions Of life no longer run
along in a fixed groove that enables
every man to know just exactly what ne is
doing, but uncertainty takes the place
OF certainty, confusion enters where or
der reigned, exchanges are imperiled.
business is interfered with, and this
state OF affairs means one Of the great
est calamities that can befall a people.
This is the idea to be kept in mind. 1t is
not free silver or irredeemable paper
currency, per So. that alarm the people.
II is the fact that these must inevitably
degrade the standard of value. and to
interfere with that in the smallest par
ticular starts confusion in making ex-
changes. and that is only another word
for the disasters that follow a financial
panic.
Presenting these views a few days eince
to a very distinguished Virginian. who is
an advocate Of the free coinage of sill
yer, he replied to them that a great ma
jority Of the people Of Virginia and the
South was, nevertheless, in favor of free
silver. This induces us 10 ask these people
If they are still going 10 put that prop
osition forward as one that our Govern
ment should adopt, after last Tuesdays
election They have been cndeavoring to
force it on the country, and the country
made it's response to their efforts on last
Tuesday VIII they persist in the madness
of their course after that result Look at
IT. The South stands now almost alone
IN the Congress of the United States.
She is there standing up manfully, it is
true, for her most vicious and pernicious
propositions But what allies and friends
has she? How has last Tuesday changed
her position ana iufluence? At the cleo
ton i'm 1892 the Northern, Western and
Middle States, never dreaming that the
South had it In mind 10 press her de-
structive free silver ideas on the country,
sent lOi Democrats TO Congress, who,
added to the South's representation, dom
mated Congress as they pleased. What
did last Tuesday do? Those same North
ern. Western and Middle States relegated
every individual of those lOl Democratic
members, except five, to. private life
and of those five only one. Mcguire, of
California. voted against the repeal of
the Sherman silver purchase law, and,
in place of those 10l Democrats that they
elected in 1892. they elected last Tuesday
but eleven Democrats. SO that the Dem
ocratic representation in the next Con-
gress Nill consist of the Democratic
members sent from the country south
OF Mason and DiXon's line, and eleven
from the territory north and west of 1t.
The Scuths influence is absolutely dead
and gone in rational councils, and so
far as influencing national legislation is
concerned. she had just as well be back
in her position of reconstruction days.
What pitiable ending of 90 glorious a
beginning
Confronted with this situation. will
the South have the madness 10 hold on
10 its pernicious proposition, which, at
bottom, is viewed by the rest of the
country thus They say the South was
bankrupted and ruined by the war. and
that II is. therefore, Indifferent TO the
ruin which il may cause in the North.
They think It would rather prefer
general overthrow of things, indeed, since
no change would hurt II much, and
change that ioppled over the fortunes of
the North might bring it something In
the way of wreckage. They say that those
of their own population who cooperate
with the South in its effort TO disturb the
settled order of things are their disor-
DERBY. idle and lazy elements, and that
consequently. on last Tuesday the orderly
elements of their population rose up as
one man and declared that they would
not be ruined by the turbulent elements
of society. whether it consisted Of their
own turbulent elements alone or or
those hitched on 10 a solid South. This
Is the view of the case which IS taken by
nine men out of ten who voted
north of Mason and Dixons line last
Tuesday for Republican candidates for
Congress.
We cannot blame them for holding
these views. They saw the South stand
soiidiy In both branches of Congress
through a whole summer, endeavoring TO
keen In force statute which was bank
rupting them. They saw the South stand
almost solidly In Congress for the in
come tax law. which was a declaration
that rich men were to pass under the
rod ana be forced to surrender whatever