St. Paul daily globe., 1895-06-02
SENATOR HILLS DECLARATION.

Senator David B. Hill has made a
declaration of his position on the sill
yer issue which is the chief political
sensation of the day Mr.. Hill has not
in the past made his belief perfectly
clear He has stated that he was in
favor Of free bimetallic coinage;;"
but exactly in what that would con-
sist, and how it should be brought
about were not explained. In the
meantime the free coinage debate
waXed hot and furious, and Demo-
Gratis were more or less drawn into it.
Senator Hill kept his own counsel.
There were not wanting those who
suggested that he was glad not to
be compelled to declare himself; that
he was waiting and watching the prog
ress Of events, and that he would
not place himself on record at a time
when it might affect the ambition
E5hich he is known to cherish of sue
Seeding to the highest office in the
5ft of the people.
Senator Hill has given the lie to
Zese aspersions. He has given to
9le press a statement Of his
Vscws which is explicit enough to
satisfy the most curious More than
that, it is comprehensive enough to
cover pretty much the whole ground
of financial controversy. More than
that. it is so carefully maturad and
SO sound in its position that even Re
publicans Of Independent judgment
and honest conviction are compelled
to admit that he has put Senator Sher-
man to the blush, if he. has not thrown
him into actual rout. Senator Hill
is man of resources and of surprises.
Again and again he has discounted
his enemies just at the moment when
they were rejoicing in his defeat. In
the last congress he achieved a vic
tory that was almost unique. And
now he has made another unexpected
move that will at least cause him to
be the most prominent man in the
public eye for some time to come.
There are not many men who care
to attack John Sherman on his own
ground. Senator Hill has done this
has found the weak point in his posi-
ton, and has carried his works by
assault. Mr.. Sherman has a tender
side for the greenback. He has op-
posed measures looking toward a uni
form currency; all resting on the same
foundation, . and all passing current
everywhere at its full face value,
When he says that, with the Repub-
ican party in power, we had gold,
silver and paper money all passing
current in every part of the COM
mercial world, he made a blunder of
which Mr.. Hill is quick to take ad-
vantage. He asks if our silver dollars
and our greenbackS were eXportable,
like our gold dollars; and the sup
porters Of Mr.. Sherman are COM
PEELED to reply in the negative He
clinches the point and makes the ex-
pOsure of Mr. Sherman as finan-
cier complete by characterizing as it
deserves the bastard bimetallism" of
the act of 1890 which bore Mr.. Sher-
mans name. Then, to relieve himself
of the reproach Of criticising others
without having a policy of his own,
he gives this positive statement of
his principles and platform:
"If L could have my wish, 1 would
not have the treasury purchase an
other ounce of silver, or coin an
other silver dollar under existing con-
ditions, till the possibility of inter
national bimetallism on ratio of .151a
Ito 1 has been fairly tested by the
whole power of the United States,
eXerted earnestly and in good faith
by their congress, their president and
cabinet, their secretary of state, their
diplomatic and consular agents else
where"
This places Senator Hill squarely
on the platform of international BIZ
metallism; the platform of the Clio b e,
the platform on which good Demo
Gratis everywhere can stand without
equivocation. We do not want any
more tinkering with the finances. We
want no more halfway measures and
compromises, such as mark the Re
publican record. For as the act OF
1890 bears the name of Sherman, so
that of 1878 should bear not the name
OF Bland, but that of Allison, who
was its real framer. What this coun-