Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1895-07-05
THE SILVER QUESTION AND THE
TEST VOTE.

AhA DAL v In QubDl4ON AMI u
TEST VOTE.
There has been considerable inter
est in tha voting contest carried on !
Chicago, which has been reported &
the Liberal regularly, the vote stand
ing, when the contest closed, as fol
lows: For free coinage 8,O2S; agains
free coinage 4,9Os. The Record hat
the following editorial on the contest
the day after it closed;
There are certain points about thl
silver question which have beet
brought out very clearly by the Rec
ord's test vote, which closed last even
ing at o'clock.
In the 1rst place the silver issue /.
not sectional issue. IL is not ques
tion OF the east against the west or oil
the cities against the country. The
advocates ard the opponents OF free
silver coinage arc found wherever men
dwell within the boundaries of the
United States. The silver question is
a national issue: or, more properly, an
international issue.
In the second place, the issue is not
between different classes OF society.
The demand for free silver coinage
docs not come entirely from the farm.
ers, the miners and the mine owners.
Farmers aud miners have not voted
in the Records test vote, for it has
been restricted to the voters of Chi
cago; but the result IS nevertheless a
large majority for free silver. Nor is
the issue between capitalists on the
one haId and workingmen on the 9th
er. Large number OF workingmen
have voted against free silver. Mem
bers OF some OF the leading business
firms OF the city have expressed the
conviction that the volume Of gold is
insufficient for the nations business,
and have even Noted for free silver
coinage at the ratio OF Is to /, without
regard to other nations. The estab
lishment and maintenance of the best
possible monetary system is something
in which all classes Of society are, or
should be, equally interested; while
this fact is often lost sieht Of in the
heat OF the controversy, there are
many nn both sides who realize it.
In the third place, the silver ques-
tioa is not party que lion. The adj
yocates Of free silver coinage are
found in all the existing parties, aud
so are the champions of the single gold
standard The silver issue is destined
to cut deep into existing party lines
and bring about general readjustmcnt
OF party affiliations. The party which
stands for free silver at the next cleo
ton and Tie party which opposes IL,
10y whatever names they may be called
will both be virtually new parties.
The silver question win be the dom
mating issue of the uext national cam
palgn.
10 the fourth place, the great
strength Of the free silver movement
has been thoroughly demonstrated.
Before the Records test vote was un-
many would have predicted
that the vote for free silver coinage at
the proposed ratio in "A city like Chica-
go would lie very light The result Of
the balloting does not prove that free
silver will win at the polls in Chicago,
but it indicates at least that the move
ment will nakea strong showing.
just how accurately the test vote
the views Of Chicago voters
as Il whole is question on which
there may fairly be difference OF
1t has frequently been said
that the gold standard men were not
voting in proportion to their real num-
bcrs. On the other hand there is evil
1euce that the vote does not show the
full strength OF even the more radical
free silver advocates. And, Of course,
4 great many who felt obliged TO vote
'To' on the proposition as stated
" .uld favor the free coinage of silver
~ some other ratio, or in conjunction
with other nations.
The test vote has at last awakened
D new interest in the silver question,
not only ia Chicago hut in all parts OF
The country. Newspapers aud indi-
yiduals throughout the length and
of the union have commend
ed the Records undertaking and fol-
owed the results from day to day with
great interest. The ballOting con-
Jest, together with the interviews and
)ther. expressions OF opinion it has
called out, has set large numbers OF
persons thinking on the dillicult ques-
lion on which they will soon be called
upon to vote, That is the chief SER
vice it has rendered. Whether il is
regarded as an educational agency or
simply as a preliminary test of public
opinion, it has been a thorough sue
cess.
Common Sense
ShouId he used I'm attemDtinp TO cuTe