The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-06-23
THE SILVER CONVENTION
It Does Not Meet With
General Approval!
DEMOCRATS GIVE THEIR REASONS
A Republican Trap to Ensnare
the Feet of Democracy
A CAMPAIGN OF EDUCATION
Is 10 Progress and the Masses Are
Learning
Two Sides to Every Question, This One Not
Excepted
Tile Rising Flood Of Prosperity Bids Fair to
Bury the Silver Question Out OF
Sight-Let the Principle Un-
DERIVING the Wilson Tariff
Bill Have Its Full
Effect


The proposition of ]. W. Mitchell, mad
to Chairman Gould, to hold a state DEM
ocratic silver convention does not meet
with general approval. Indeed, but very
few Democrats are to be found who favor
the plan. More than one Democrat seen
has pronounced it Republican trap to
ensnare the feet of the unwaiy Democ-
racy. Following are the views as ex-
pressed by rev stalwarts of the party:
Frank q. FinIayson
In my opinion the holding of conven-
ton of the Democratic party of the state
at the present would be i'll advised. In
the first place, speaking for myself, am
opposed to the free coinage of silver. L
am, if you please, a detested "gold bug"
Ii my position needed any argument to
support it, | need but refer to the able
editorials of The Heard under its present
management In the second place, in
my opinion. the Democratic party should
not puunce unequvocally upon the
money question until 1T has been more
maturely considered by the voters OF he
land at present the opinion of many
uron this question is but half baked.
There are two sides to this as to all 9th er
questions, ybe cam paign OF education
has only Just begun, and it is morally |
cer.an that many who now favor one
side of the question today will be on the |
other side by the time the national con-
venton meets.
la the next place, 1t would be bad party
tactics. The last Republican state con-
vention of this state committed the very |
tactical error that Is now being attempted |
within the Democratic party. That con- |
vention declared unequivocally for the |
free and independent coinage OF silver at |
the ratio of Is to l. The next Republi- |
can national convention will certainly |
not declare IN favor of the free and inde-
pendent coinage OF silver. How then
will the orators of the q. y. I. reconcile !
toe state and national declaration of their |
iartv upon this question? This IS too !
good a party advantage to be leopardized
by any basty action on the part OF Demo-
Gratis Taxation is far more potent |
factor in producing an equality or inc
quality in theSdistribution of wealth than |
lnoney-the mere tool of exchange--and |
the Democratic party, as the champion |
OF equality of taxation, cannot afford to |
he diverted from its present line OF at |
tack until the principle underlying the |
Wilson bill has been given tho fullest |
possible effect.
Clarence A. Miller
am opposed to the unlimited coinage |
Of silver at the ratio OF Is to OF gold, be- |
cause | am opposed to any change by |
law in the value of dollar, whether such d
change be to make that value more or
less and thus affect existing debts. To
make existing debts greater by law is dis |
honest to thesdebtor; to make them less
is dishonest to the creditor. If the de-
monetzation of silver in 1873 was dis
honest because it made debts greater, the
reconciliation in 1896 would be dishonest
as making existing debts, the great ma
GRITTY of which were contracted on a gold |
basis, less. Thousands of people who
were young men and debtors in 1873 are
elderly men and creditors now, and if
they were injured in 1873 it is poor rec
ompense to iniure them over again in
1896.
The silver question is o ''hard times"
question, and the free silver men who |
know what they are doing are either |
men with little silver to sell or men with |
debts to pay. The minimizing silver men
are men who realize that times are hard
and are ready to follow in the lead OF any
thing that plausibly promises change.
The question is to some extent a Sec |
tiopal one. Mer with fortunes are apt to
remove from the east. Capital flows from
the old settled east to the new west to de-
velop it, and hence the new west is al |
ways debtor to the old east. The west is.
Therefore, apt to favor that which will
scale those debts.
The signs point to returning prosperity |
and the rising flood of prosperity bids fair
to bury the silver question out OF sight.
When a man IS making money he is not |
SO apt to think of scaling his debts. !
believe the issue in the next presidential
campaign will be the tariff.
&. r. A. Last
Mr.. G. F. A. Last did not hesitate to |
announce himself as bimetallist, and in
favor of state convention. 'If l were
banker" said Mr.. Last "or owned a
gold mine-that is, good gold mine, l
might be a gold Imam hut as it is in
my business every day I have to send to
the bankers for change. J. get so much
gold, and the commercial interests de.
mand both kinds of metal, for we can
take care OF much more silver than we
have
Ex-Deputy District Attorney M. W.
Conkliing was brief and pointed. He
said II am against calling any special
convention of the Democratic party to
consider the silver question. l am op-
posed to such conventions. believe in
discussing the financial issue freely and
fully between now and the time for the
regular convention to select delegates to
the next national convention. When the
latter period comes people will know
more about the subject than at present. |
If tne silver men have faith in the |
strength of their cause they will not in
sst on any precipitate action intended to |
tie up the party. The opponents of free |
ventions; they are not afraid OF discus |
sion: why should the silver men be?"
Telfair Creighton
Mr.. Telfair Creighton asid:
4 II consider it decidedly inadvisable to |
call any Democratic convention at this |
time or in the near future to deal with |
the money question. The country is rap
idly recovering from the late depression |
and by the time the regular convention |
for the nomination of delegates to the ma !
tonal convention meets, business condi- |
tions. ! believe, will be changed for the |
better, prosperity will have returned.
and he opinions that many now hold |
regarding silver and golG will be altered. |
1t is we'll for the Democrats to discuss the |