Mexico weekly ledger., 1895-07-25
CONGRESSMAN PATTERSON, OF
TENNESSEE, THINKS DEMO
GRATIS WILL ADOPT 1T.
He Thinks the Democratic Campaign
Will Be Made on a Tariff-Re-
form-Gold Standard
Platform.
From the st. Louis Post Dispatch ,

h+SAAt ihuAi ~ cNty AislL- I1S % GIIO
father of the Memphis sound money
convention, and has been speaking al
over the South.
Mr.. Patterson is large and portly,
with a complexion tending to the
florid, and sanguine temperament,
especially when he talks on sound
money. His views on the future OF
the gold standard are roseate. He
expects to see the Democratic party
in its national platform come out
squarely for it, while the Republicans,
he thinks, will evade it. On a gold
standard and tariff reform platform
he expects the Democrats to win. He
frankly admits that by sound money
he means a gold standard, and to this
end he insists that the Democracy will
come at last.
81 have been speaking in a good
many States of the South during the
last sixty days." said Mr.. Patterson to
n Post Dispatch reporter, ''and in al
of them the sound money sentiment
is growing. spoke in Atlanta, Ga,
July 4, Augusta the Sth and Savannah
the 9th. Since then I have been home,
but before that | spoke in Mississippi
eleven times, in Alabama three times,
in Kentucky four, in Texas once, once
in Louisiana and five or six times in
Tennessee
"There has been a very great change
in all of these States" continued Mr.,
Patterson confidently. "Now, take
Mississippi. Two months ago public
opinion was practically unanimous in
favor of the proposition of Is to 1.
Since hat time there have been very
marked changes. When | went to
Jackson | was told that there were
not half a dozen sound money men in
the town. Now there is a sound
money club of over 800 members. 1t
is the same everywhere. l do not
believe the sound money men, how
ever, will carry Mississippi, and the
convention which will be held August
7 will declare for free silver. But
there has been a big change"
"The convention in Georgia will
not amount to anything. The Pop
uIists will control it. The three big
cities in the State, Atlanta, Savannah
and Augusta, are all for sound
money"
"But have you been in the rural dis
tricts? How about the feeling there?
The cities are generally supposed to
be the strongholds of the sound money
men,"
"No, | have not been in the coun-
try, but Congressman Lawson, OF
Georgia, who has not a big city in his
district, declared for sound money
while l was in the State"
"If you had only visited the cities.
upon what then do you base your
opinion of the change in sentiment?'
"Upon the fact that while / have
made % or % speeches in the last &C
days | do not know of a single sound
money man who have changed, while
| know of hundreds, | may say thous'
ands, of free silver men who have.'
"What do you think, of the situation
in Missouri"
Mr.. Patterson laughed. ~ don't
know much about it, but, frankly, ]
think the conditions are worse here
from my point of view, than any
place else. | believe that the free
silver sentiment is stronger in Mis-
souri,, Arkansas and South Carolina
than in any States in the Union, ant
/ imagine it is stronger in Missouri
than in any of the three"
Mr.. Patterson was then asked what
effect he thought the silver agitation
would have upon national politics
and the two old parties. He said:
"My judgment is this: The Demo
cratic party has always been the
sound money party, and it will g
back to its old moorings. I expect tt
see it become as distinctively the
sound money party as it is the party
of tariff reform. Sound money ant
tariff reform go together. They are
inseparable. What is the use of talk
ing tariff reform and enlarged com
merce of the world unless we use the
money Of commerce? / am a rock
ribbed Democrat and we are fighting
this matter out in our party. I an
glad the Democrats have the courage
to discuss the question openly among
themselves. Through it we will ar
rive at the correct conclusions. l an
not mad at anybody and there shoul'
be no bitterness in the discussion
But the party must be purged of Pop
ulism, and it will be. The next Dem
ocratic National Convention vii
adopt a straight sound money plat
form.n
"You speak of the Democrat
party always having been the part.
of sound money, and the convention
adopting a sound money platform
Now just what do you mean by SCUM
HiOIitS
"When l speak of sound money
mean a gold standard, not the exclus
i've use of gold, but a standard tina
measures the value of all other none
and all commodities by gold"
"If both parties adopt a SCUM
money platform, what will be the is
sue in the next campaign"
"Well, on this question the Demo
Gratis are in better shape than tn
Republicans. The Democrats will b
for sound money, and the RepubI
cans will temporise on the silver aues
tion."
The late j. P. Wood, of New Lor
don, had a life insurance of 1900 j
the Bankers Association, a check fc
which was forwarded to his wido'
yesterday by John Cherry, distri,
agent.
GREATNESS carries with it no rewar
that is an adequate balm for the pal
that comes from the loss of one hour
trnnann ~ 1871