Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-05-02
A Sham Fight.
IN. Y. Tribune.)

Real battles have not been witnessed in
this country for thirty years. Hence it is
supposed that the new generation may
take "a profound interest in sham fights.
Two Democratic wings are blazing away
at each other with all the fury of blank
cartridges, and as some recruit may care
lessly load with bali, it is possible that
somebody may be undesignedly killed.
But what is the object of all this fuss and
firing?
Ex-Speaker Crisp demands that the
Democratic party declare for free coinage
of silver, not in equivocal and tricky
phrases, but in words SO plain that they
cannot be misunderstood. His declara-
ton bears on its face the belief that this
is the only chance his party has of sue
cess; by making this the controlling issue
he expects to cause many people to make
new party alignments. Senator Vest of
Missouri, has just sent out eight hundred
letters to prominent Democrats of, that
state urging the call of a free-silver con-
vcntion. The son of Senator Palmer of
Illinois, himself opposed to silver coinage,
declares that the silver craze has taken
complete possession of the Democrats of
Illinois outside of Cook county" that the
free silver convention in June Will I'M
qucstionably control the party, and the
effect will be 'the reorganization of both
parties on new lines. The Iowa Demo
Gratis have gone to pieces on the same is
sue Meanwhile the President at the
other extreme, demands vigorous agitation
against tree coinage and for gold mono
metallism and Secretary Morton has
made a most emphatic declaration in ia
vor of the gold basis only, while Secretary
Carlisle is to make two speeches in Ken
lucky, and one Of especial Importance at
Memphis in June before the sound
money convention" to be held there.
These are all Democrats. They are all
fighting most desperately to get control
| of the Democratic party, its organization
and convention, in order to forcs upon
the country the naked issue of free silver
coinage. What they all want is "a reor
ganization of both parties, in the words
of hard money Palmer, or 81 to cause people
to make new party alignments, in the
words of soft money Vest. Behind the
smoke and the thunder of the firing they
both want the same tbing-to get the
people away from the issue on which the
Democratic party fought in the last cleo
ton, and dishonored itself in the last
Congress; away from its pledges and per-
fidies on the tariff question; away from
its coWardicc and corruption, its shame
less barter and its bill of sale to monopo-
lists. Both hostile factions in this sham
fight agree that on the tariff issue the
Democratic party is dead and doomed by
the people to extinction, and its only
chance of success is to abandon past prin-
ciplcs and pledges, and force another issue
and reorganization of parties on the
chance that it will "cause many Republi
cans to make now party alignmcnts.
In certain sense, it is real fight
Each of the factions seeks to control the
Democratic party organization, so that it
can hold the sharp sword of party dis
cipline over the other. Each wants to
seize the leadership, the control Of the or
ganization, and the offices wherever and
whenever The party can get any. Thus
the battle is desperately earnest as be
tween the two factions, but everybody
will observe that neither one nor the
other proposes to step out and fight for
its ideas in another or new organization
if beaten in the Democratic convention
President Cleveland and his free trade
friends Of the reform club do not propose
to help the Republicans in order to
save the country from Populism and free
silver. Speaker Crisp and Senator Vest,
also free traders, do not propose to help
the Republicans in order to save the coun-
try from gold monometallists What they
both want with all the despairing energy
OF drowning men is to get rid of the issue
On which they won in 1892 and covered
themselves with disgrace 10 1894.
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