The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1895-01-16
Revivlng The Silver Issue.
|he Mao Corrse of Certain South
Aern Democratic congressman
and Senators.

lee and UEliultec coinage OF s'Fei
othing" is the railyicg cry OF the
bcates of the white metal in both
Eses of Congress. The recent
Elara:iou Of Bland and other free
Ferites in the House, aud the action
Senators Blackburn and Harris, IN
renewing their allegiance to free coin
Page in the face of the Administrators
urgent appeal for conservative financial
action, are applauded by other Southern
Democrats of equal prominence. Capt
Shell says great majority Of the peo-
ple dcmsod free silver. and will not be
satisfied until a Law to that effect is
placed upon the statute books.
The Star, in a sensational article oa
this subject. DOES the conservative busl-
ness meu Of the South a great injustice
by stating that the South is not DOW in
the humor for compromise on the silver
question, and will be likely to with
drawn her commission from any man,
no matter how high his reputation or
how loyal his past services. who wavers
at this time on this issue. In support
of this startling assertion the same
paper cites the recent political revolu-
ton in South Carolina as q complete
victory for the friends of free silver and
refutation of tie course Of the
National Democracy on the financial
question. Il is asserted that 1.-The first
rumblings of discomfort are said to have
been occasioned by the failure OF Sena-
tors Hampton ard Butler TO take
decided and advacced stand for silver
Tillman. then au obscure young man.
saw his opportunity in this complaint
against Hampton and Butler, for basis
Of action. ana founded an opposition
party with free coinage as its cry. Mr..
Butler tackled at last, and during the
silver fight at the special session stood
on the free coinage course, but too late
to save himself. He is to give place to
Tillman, whose course as Senator is ez-
pecsed to be governed entirely BY the
programme of the silver men.
The situation in North Carolina is
also cited to illustrate the free silver
contention. t.The Legislature 10 that
State is on the eve OF assembling, aud
one Of It's acts will be the retirement Of
Senators Ransom and Jarvis and the
election Of one Populist and one Re
publican to succeed them Gen. Rat
son has been in tie Senate for nearly a
quarter Of q century, and until recently
was considered invincible at home.
Marion Butler. the Populist leader
slated for his seat. is young enough to
be Gen. Ransom's SOP, aud has been
prominent in the politics Of the State
only a very few years. His rise. the
silsermen claim, has been du e almost
exclusively to his bold championship Of
silver. The fact that Gen. Ransom
also was friend cf silver was lost
sight OF, the silver men assert, iu the
later unsatisfactory record of his party
apd in his own failure to stand out at
the special session in 1898 against the
unconditional repeal of the purchasing
clause of the Sherman Act. Mr..
Marion Butler has pledged himself to
devote his energies as Senator in every
way possible to the rehabilitation of
silver as money metal"
With such desperate feeling ram
pant in the breasts of the free silver
men the outlook for financial reform is
disouraging. The statements above
quoted do not represent the sentiments
Of such men as Judge Turner and
Black. Of Georgia, Catchings, of
Mississippi, McCreary, of Kentucky,
Washington, of Tennessee, and other
gentlemen who voted for Speaker
Crisp's resolution in caucus. who are
sincere in their efforts to give imme-
diate aud practical relief to the
treasury if they have to sacrifice their
- b.;ru ohn,t ouoh q