The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-03-10
THE SOUTH MADE A CATS PAW.

In pursuing the ignis fatuus Of free sill
yer the southern States are allowing the
silver-producing States to lead them by
the nose 10 their own destruction. The
southern states undoubtedly need fnan-
cial facilities, but the last thing in the
world that they need is dollar which
Is worth less than a doll2s,eOf al things
is- the world. the's'',ns eoNnd money,
and the best money. If the coinage OF
silver were free and the silver dollar had
not deprecated in value, the people of
the South could no more get silver dol
lars than they can now get such money
as we have. The country has the greatest
abundance of money, the banks are over
flowing with idle money But the southern
people can get none of It. Why? Because
the national bank act confines banking 10
the commercial centres, and there are
not enough banks throughout the country,
and the managers of the national banks
do not know the country people or the
value of their property, and they will,
therefore. grant them no accommoda-
ton. II the coinage of silver were free
tho silver dollar would 90 into the vaults
Of the national banks. just as the pres
ent money does. and the managers of
these banks would no more allow 1t 10
20 out amongst the southern people than
they will allow the money now In exist
ence to go out amongst them. What the
southern people want, therefore, Is tree-
l. L. a,,i-u ono al
themselves, that may issue their notes
for the accommodation of the neighbor-
hood. These would furnish the southern
people with the money facilities that they
now so sadly need, and being payable on
demand in gold, the money Of the coun-
try would be kept perfectly sound, while
the people had all the currency that
their necessities called for
This. then. is the great desdera:um in
the South. The South wants a repeal OF
the tax Of ten per cent. on the issues of
State banks
Now. when the bill TO repeal the tax of
ten per cent. on the issues Of state banks
was before the House Of Representatives
last June. how did the members from the
silver producing States vote? If We except
California, which is hardly TO be cassed
as one OF the silver States. every repre-
sentative from the silver States that
voted on the proposition. except one,
voted against the repeal Here they are:
Pence and Bell OF Colorado; Doolittle and
Wilson. Of Washington; Ellis and Her
man, OF Oregon Hartman. of Montana
Lucas and Picker. OF South Dakota. and
Sweet. of Idaho. The only representative
OF a silver State who voted for the re-
peal was Turpin, OF Washington, and he.
being IA Democrat, was no doubt con-
strained TO give his vote this way by the
plank in the national Democratic plat
form
What is the natural inference from
this? The silver States know that sill
ver's strength is in the southern States,
whose clamor for free silver is really
nothing but piteous cry for those money
accommodations that she is entitled TO-
but which are denied 10 her. They reason
that II she is given free banking her
needsvwill be satisfied. and she will be
lost 10 the cause of free silver. They,
therefore, selnshly take the ground that
they will deny her free banking as a
means to coeree her 10 remain in the
free silver column. And thus the South
allows the silver States TO pull the wool
over her eyes and convert her into a cats
paw 20 drag the ehestnuts out OF the
fire for the silver States
And the FREQ silver men all over the
country pursued the same course. Sibley.
OF Pennsylvania. who has been nomi-
mated by the free silver party as its can