Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1895-11-21
Vol. XVII.
MIR. CRISP'S ADDRESS
Georgia's Distinguished Son Addresses
the General Assembly. Declared
Himself in Favor of Free Coin
age of Silver.

the General Assembly. Declared
Himself in Favor of Free Coin
age of Silver,
The address of ex- Speaker
Crisp before the two houses O.
the General Assembly last even
ing was notable event and at
Uracted, as it deserved, large
audience. Mr.. Crisp is a dis
tiaguished son of Georgia and
the high position he has held in
the councils Of the nation en-
tltling him to the respectful anC
appreciative hearing which was
accorded his words, even by
those who were compelled tt
differ with his conclusions. The
eX>Speaker'S remarks were il
good temper, as beitted the dis
cuSslon OF question which de
mands only the coolest logic and
which should exclude the heat OF
political debate.
Mr.. Crisp declared himself in
favor of the free and unlimited
coinage of silver at the ratio Of 16
to 1 by this country alone, indie
pendent Of international agree
ment. 1t is to the credit OF his
reputation for fairness that he
practically admitted that in so
doing he exceeded the demands S
of the National Democratic pIat~
form. Mr.. Crisp knows that
there is no such demand in the
platform and, alike other advo>
Gates of the cause with which he
has allied himself. he does not
claim that it is here. 1t does
not speak SO we'll for his politi-
cal discernment, however, when
he held out the hope chat the
next National Democratic CON
Ventlon is certain TO repudlat e
free silver at 16 to l as 1t is to
meet. When that is done and
many Of the leaders in the silver
agitation, like MIR. Vest, of Mis-
souri,, admit that it is inevitable,
every Democrat will be bound to
abide by the decision. II
In the same breath that he de>
clared himself for unlimited and
independent free coinage, Mr..
Crisp pronounced himself a
bin etallist. The ex-speaker ut
terly failed to show how the pur-
snance of the policy which he
announced himself as favoring
could result in bimetaIlism. Only
a modicum Of thought is needed
tC convince that the logic of the
eX-speaker's address IS that he
favors silver monometallism No
juggling of words or laws can
produce bimetallism, with the
free and unlimited coinage of
both gold and silver at the pres
ent ratio.
The Journal believes that
Speaker Crisp has allied himself
with minority Of the Demo
cratic party, that he has given
his aid to a plan to commit the
party Of the people to an un-
sound and unsafe doctrine, and it
regrets to see him in that atti
tude. We feel sure that Mr..
Crisp will find that he is on this
question in line neither with the
majority of his fellow Democrats
of Georgia or Of the country at
large.
1t was possibly an uninten-
tional omission on the part of
Mr.. Crisp that in his tribute to
those who had led the fight for
tariff reform he failed to mention
the name of that distinguished
Democrat, Grover Cleveland, who
is believed to have had an impor-
tant share in that grand work.
The ex-speaker compared the
fight for tariff reform to the cur
rency contest. He might have
gone farther and shown that,
just as the opposition to tariff
reform inside the party was
gradually overcome, just so
the oppositian 10 sound
and safe currency basis is being
rapidly eliminated and the best
thought of the party is being ar
rayed against the silver mono
metallism, which would be the
inevitable result of free and un-
limited coinage. .-Atlanta Jour-
nal.