New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-08-07
THE SILVER CONVENTIONS.

With the most conservative desire not to under
rate the strength of silver fanaticism II must
| bp soid that the Democratic silver conventions
which are now being held in Western States.
really disclose nothing as respects the increase
| or decrease. of desire for free coinage. Ihey are
fairly well or fully attended, but that was new
| table for they are delegate conventions anu
| men can be found in every county VINO are VIII
| ing to purchase notorety on the side most popu-
| lar with their political associates at the COST oi
| attending a convention. There have peen I'D at
tendance the usual small army of chrome agi-
| tators or cranks, and the usual larger army Oh
| vermont demagogues the discarded re1use Oh
all political parties But all this casts no hShi
| whatever on the growth or the decrease OF the
| silver sentiment
| The reason is obvious when Ii is considered
| that ONLY Democrats, and only frce-coinage Dem
| ocrats. are invited TO attend these conventions
| Nobody else can participate. except as an IN
truder, and by violation Of the decencies OF pub
| lie life The Democrats who believe free silver
coinage necessity, and those who pretend that
they so believe, claim and unquestionapiy nave
| the right TO assemble and pass resolutions ex-
| pressing their wishes, If they see fit ana at the
meetings thus convened for a declared purpose
Accordingly, the other Democrats who do not
believe in free coinage or do not pretend that
they so believe have as if by concert chosen to
stav away from the conventions and TO make no
attempt to send TO them delegates who, on the
face of the calls issued could expect nothing Dut
exclusion. If different course has been pllr-
sued in some instances. this has still been the
general policy N the opponents of free coinage
throughout the West.
One consequence is that the conventions are
as futile and empty as such gatherings ever can
be. They furnish no indication whatever of the
strength of the silver sentiment and no evil
dence whether it Is increasing or diminishing
from month TO month. For II Is well known that
q large majority Of the Democratic voters in
nearly all the Western States were within short
time intensely in favor Of the free coinage Of
silver. That spirit was manifested many sue
cessve years in all the conventions held and in
the subsequent elections. There has been no
clear evidence that any general change of opn-
ion has resulted although ii is the common belief
that there has been distinct tendency toward
a weakening of the free-sver sentiment
Whether there has or has not been some change
in that direction, or even If tho demand lor Tree
coinage had grown stronger, contrary 10 the
common impression, the conventions might he
held Just the same. and attended by just the
same speakers and by quite as many and per-
haps as influential delegates from the different
counties in each State What the convention
sees iii to assert about the growth Of free-con-
age opinion has properly no weight with any
body, because just the same 2 'sertions would
| be made by the same men whether the facts were
SO or not.
1t is therefore evident that the free-colnage
people made a serious mistake in calling such
conventions at this time because they can do no
good but in the ordinary course of events VIII
do some harm They cannot help the cause they
are designed to help because they follow declara-
tions Of opinion on behalf of the Democratic
party as a whole. which have been quite as en-
phatic and explicit in favor Of free coinage as 1t
was possible to make them. The whole party
having been committed 70 that idea in these
| Western States 1t was not possible to elicit any
stronger o. more impressive expression OF us
| opinion by assembling a convention OF those
| who adhered TO the old belief. On the other
| hand the very call for such convention neces-
| sarily brings out some expressions OF opposition
| among Democrats. and each of these is readily
seized upon and widely heralded. because 1t i'm
| plies a change Of opinion on the part OF some
| Democrats who assented to the action OF the
party as a whole in years past. The silver men
have merely devised a way TO show that even
| In the Western States they are actually weaker
to-day than they supposed themselves some years
| ago. And although the conventions really dis
| close nothing Of the actual change within the
last few months or within the last year in public
opinion, 1t is probable that the supposed neces-
sity for holding them and the absence OF some
who were expected to attend them will, on the
| whole have an unfavorable influence on the
| interests they are meant to support