The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-05-24
A REPUBLICAN EDITORS SCARE.

The editor OF the Kansas Chief; Mr.
| Sol Miller, expresses the opinion that
| the SILVER craze" is going to work the
Republican party far more harm than
all the kicking now INDUCED in against
| the state administration by malcon-
tents. and in such connection cites the
effect of the fight on the Mckinley biz
and the subsequent victory of the Pops.
For one we think the apprehension
groundlesS. Neither the craze or
kick" will hurt the administration
or the party. However no party can
ignore majority sentiment of the
people and succeed. The Mckinley
bill. as introduced and as it passed the
house, was glaringly unequal in its pro-
tective provisions so far as the home
interests of the west were concerned.
The Eagle, for one paper, said so and
pretty emphatically. OF course the
senate amendments, including the
Blaine reciprocity feature, helped it
out. 4 protective policy, even though
one-sided in its sectionalism, is far
better than the beggary ever entailed
by free trade, yet under the Mckinley
bin it didn't pay to skin Kansas dead
steer for his hide. The Republican
party of Kansas would have proved
no less truly the parent of the National
party had it in convention emphaticaliy
protested against the inequalities of the
Mckinley bill, while in doing so it
would have saved 10 itself the balance
of power which put the state into the
hands of the outfit which we are now
vainly endeavoring to rid ourselves OF
through courts and investigating COM
mittees. The same proposition is true
as to resubmiSSion. The trouble is
that the Republican party Of Kansas
has been loaded down, too much, and
cursed, too often, by the hypocrisy of
its demagogues. The pIanks of a
party platform must be something
more than platitudes and pretences.
Another thing is equally true. and
that is the party press cannot afford
to be dishonest with the people, in
even SO far as attempting to cover up
the unexplainable nor yet TO deny to
them that which they have concluded
to be true.
AS for the silver question in Kansas,
Mr.. Harvey, the author of the Coin"
literature, is in no way responsible for
the sentiment or conviction which has
grown to be a majority demand. Be
cause the papers and politicians do the
most talking they do not necessarily
therefore do the most thinking The
great body of the voters of the Repub-
lican party are for bimetallism. We
don't have to explain to Nr. Miller
what that is. Both parties in national
convention pledged just that TO the
people. The Democratic party in its
stronger proteStationS won, but in Win
ming violated its platform pledge.
What the Republican party would have
done had Harrison been elected prob
ably can only be guessed by the record
made by the congressional minority.
But coming back to Kansas, had the
Republican party which nominated
Morrill, refused or failed to indorse
silver in the emphatic manner it did
the free coinage of the American pro-
duct-the subsequent fun of inyestigat-
ing Pops would have been denied us.
If silver is not n political issue it is
a party question in so far as no politi-
cal party in Kansas can ignore it and
succeed. Why Mr.. Miller should find
danger in the Republican dvocacy of
q thing which the great majority favor
we can't figure out. 1t surely will not
be asserted that q man can't favor
bimetallism or the free coinage of the
American product, or the worlds entire
store, for that matter, and still be q
good, honest, earnest and sound Re
publican at the same time. OF course
we concede that in a sense silver is
epidemic" Epidemics are danger
Gus, however, in more ways than one.
1t is not wise or safe to brave them.
An epidemic of protection" coming
on after prostrating season of free
trade swept the Democratic party
from the house last fall. 1t would
have swept the other house, and the
White House too, had they been in it.
The Republican counties of Doniphan
and Sedgwick are not going to be
kicked out Of the state Republican
column because the people of these
counties are convinced that far-reach-
ing conspiracy has squeezed half the
monetary value out of everything they
possess. Neither will the Republican
party of Kansas in demanding sure
enough bimetallism be kicked out of
the National Republican column. as
Mr.. Miller seems to apprehend. no more
than will the Eagle. or other paper, be
kicked out Of the party for advocating
just what the National Republican
party declared for, save that eliminated
word parity