The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-05-23
CaRIISLES BuGLE CALL.

There is not doubt that the people are
deeply in earnest as to the importance
of an early settlement of this question
and a clear and unequivocal statement
of the executive position Will greatly
| facilitate the organization of opposing
forces who are to conduct the OncOmine
| contest A careful reading of the adj
| dress ELECTS favorable comment, in that
| the speaker refrained entirely from in
nuendO, and especially from that
| coarse personal abuse so freely indulg-
ed in by most speakers and writers who
have assumed to conduct the war
| against silver. No one. however dis
| tinguished, has the moral right to be-
little his antagonist by the Use of cpl
| thets, or by imputing dishonest mo-
| tives. 1t is due AIr. Carlisle to say,
| that throughout his lengthy address
| not a line appears III which his man
ner is offensive. But it is the matter
with which we have to deal.
There is an array of figures in the
| outset, no doubt correct, showing that
| on the retirement of Mr.. Cleveland, at
| the close of his first administration,
| there were ample revenue for all pur-
poses" He notes the fact that Cleve-
| land during his four years paid S341,-
| 4fS,4 of the public debt and that on
retiring from office he left the comfort
able balance ofS330, 34S,916 in the treas
ury. including the gold reserve, but he
fails entirely TO call attention to the fact
that those same revenues had been pro-
vided for by Republican legislation,
and that nothing was done or could be
done during Cleyeland'S four years in
office to change the figures he was
bound TO make under the law, and that
in fact, had the showing been differ
ent, there would have been a clear VIC
ltion of the law then in force. It will
be remembered, however, that there
was a wholesale veto Of pension claims
under the only provision whereby he
was able to exercise his discretion as
executive, otherwise this balance
would have been cut down by so much.
He emphasizes that this handsome
balance, turned over to Mr.. Harrison
and his arminiStratiO during the four
years of his occupancy, dwindled to
S162, 40, 557. But, mark you, this
brings it up to March +, 1893. Mr. Car
Isle fOrgetS to give the figures on the
date of Mr.. Cleveland'S election in
November, 1892, and to note the fact
that the threatened warupon the tariff
this being the issue upon which he was
elected-did more to reduce the treas
ury balance than all other influences
combined. From that fatal election
day it is known that confidence and
credit began to wane, and that by rea-
son Of the falling off the duties on i'm
ports the balance in the treasury be-
gan to disappear. 1t is the whole truth
in these matters that makes the best
testimony.
In the speakers treatment of the sill
yer question as 4 whole, he takes no
notice Of the true, conservative friends
Of that metal. There was an evident
purpose to ignore the one oyerwhelm-
ing fact that a large majority of the
people are demanding the restoration
Of silver to its former place in our cur
rency. There are minor differences as
to how it may be accomplished, but on
the main purpose there is no difference
and Mr.. Carlisle and his managers
know it. The prominence of this one
vital purpose in the minds of the people
furnishes his best excuse for failing to
touch upon it. But what does he do?
Evidently with studied caution, if not
by an understanding with his manag
ers, he raises cloud of dust in another
direction. He trains he whole artillery
upon the extremists, and with steady
persistence, consignS everybody not in
sympathy with the single gold stanard,
to the ranks of fanatics and PopuliSts.
Isle that ninety of every one hundred
voters of the whole country are honest
in their desire to secure safe and
proper solution of this question, and
he will add little strength to his cause
by this attempt to ignore their choice.
and place them in the ranks of radical
advocates of either extreme. lie
knows full well that no respectable
body of voters would invite the horri-
bic consequences which he predicts
would follow the free coinage of the
worlds silver" The secretary should
remember that there is yet remnant
Of intelligence and patriotism outside
of the capitol and Wall street and that
in their advocacy of bimetallism the
people are not calling upon their adj
verSarieS TO determine the classified
ton of their views or methods. 1t *,
therefore, not conceded that the battle
is 10 be fought on the merits of the gold
standard and the free and unlimited
coinage of the worlds silver 1t is Il
fact however. that every advocate OF
free coinage would prefer an equitable
provision for the coinage of our own
product rather than that our mines
should remain permanently closed at
the beheSt of the few who seek to con-
troll legislation forbidding the use Of
it. 1t is also true that all conservative
bimetalliStS would form coalition
with the radical silver element rather
than become the slaves Of gold lGonopo-
lists These are matters which will adj
Just themselves, and the adninistra-
ton organs and speakers may as Well
-.
due prejudices so early in the contest
There is a wearisome dissertation on
the decline in value of silver bullion.