The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-06-25
SILVER AS AN ISSUE.

AS the smoke clears away-and there
seems to have been good deal of smoke
from the Republican League Convention
ut Cleveland we are able to get very
clear idea of just how far the silver ques-
ton Is national issue with the Repub-
lican party.
Undoubtedly the Democratic party
considers silver very seriously. Far outside
the borders of the silver states the Democ-
racy is In turmoil over the silver question.
Not only in the West, over a larger area
than is covered by the silver states, all
over the South and even in the North,
Central and the Eastern the proposition
for the free and unlimited coinage of sill
yer finds warm advocates. SO strong in
deed is this silver sentiment throughout
the Democracy that the Democratic ad-
ministration has seen fit to enter the
arena and make fight for sound money
in the party's interest, offering a repeal
of the State Bank tax as a sop.
This silver agitation throughout the
Democracy is in line with the party's his
tory, its record for all sorts OF crazy fin
anciaI ideas, and fiat money advocacy
We may believe that much Of this senti-
ment Is due to seemingly prevailing
opinion of the need and value of the silver
proposition, while some of it Is undoubt-
edly based on partisan desire to turn
the Republican vote of the silver states to
the Democratic cause. At all events, it
seems unquestionable that, with the
Democratic party, the silver question is
taken seriously as political issue.
With the Republican party, we now
know how the silver question is regarded.
The convention at Cleveland demon
strated what this newspaper has always
maintained, that the silver question as
an issue, while 1t made good deal ef
noise, need not be viewed with alarm,
nor even given any more serious con-
sideration than must be accorded to the
local interests or opinions OF the Repub-
licans, and Of the people In any section
OF this big country. In other words, the
silver issue is local, not a national
issue. 1t is only OF the consequence Of
schedule in tariff act designed to con-
serve the interests OF some part of the
country, where such schedule applies,
and TO be considered only with view to
the interests of the country at large. As
parallel we may compare the silver
issue TO the wool schedule, the iron in
terests, or any other, which figures in n
general consideration of the tariff In
certain states OF the Union are silver
mines, the interests of which demand
politico-economic consideration, as does
the coal and iron OF Pennsylvania and
West Virginia, the sheep OF Ohio, the
H'Ao ~ aASNN AoAahig VI AHt lhIiiltI y
eggs. And that this is the view the Re-
publicans at large are disposed to take,
was pretty well demonstrated by the
proceedings at Cleveland.
About all the convention did at Cleye-
land was 20 talk silver. A good many
Republicans were disposed to consider
that the League "wastedp its time over
this silver business, instead of giving ia
attention TO League work, 10 methods
and plans for making this practical party
organization useful factor In the advance
ment OF Republicanism. Our Democratic,
and especially our Mugwump friends,
have been quick N charge the conven.