St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-08-12

Crisp and other leading Democrats
of Georgia committed themselves to
the free silver movement at the
time when it appeared likely to have
everything its own way. 1t is now
matter of life and death to them
to keep their people in line, if they
do not wish to be retired from public
life. They are making this desper
ate fight for free silver in Georgia,
not for the sake of free silver, but
for the sake of using the free silver
sentiment to keep the political or
ganization of the state in their power.
Senator Jones, of Arkansas, has
been one of the most outSpoken
leaders on the silver side. The same
is true of Senator Harris, of Tennes-
see. Neither of these gentlemen
could now retrace his steps. 1t is
evident, then, that each of them
must hold his party in his state to
that platform or prepare for coming
defeat This is the explanation Of
South. 1t comes, not from a popu-
lar demand, but from personal in
terest on the part of leading party
men to keep it alive or prepare them
selves for private life. Locally, the
issue is not of great Importance. 1t
cuts no figure whether a conven-
ton in Missouri or Mississippi or
Louisiana declares for free coinage,
or the reverse, as long as such con-
vention is dealing with state affairs
and state offices only. But it will
make a great deal of difference when
national questions come into the field
of action. 1t may be laid down as an
absolute fact that no party which adj
vocates the unlimited coinage of sill
yer by the United States alone at
the ratio of 16 to THAT is, the estab-
lishment of silver recommendation in
this country-can by any possibility
elect a president or a majority Of
congress.
We are looking at the matter now
solely from the point of the future
of party eXpediency. Whether free
coinage is right or wrong, the great
states of the North will array them
selves soidly against it. They have
done so already. What we referred
to at the beginning of this article in
the case of Indiana is equally true Of
every state north of Mason and
DiXon's line and the Ohio river. No
party with free silver plank in it's
platform can carry one of these
states east of Colorado in 1896. The
practical question for Democrats to
consider is whether they are willing
to resign in advance all chances of
success in a contest where the out
is Frightening every day. Shall the
home political interests of Senators
Cockrell and Vest and Harris and
Jones, shall the political ambition of
Democratic politicians in other states
be permitted to intrude itself in the
larger field, and to lead the party to
defeat? In other words, is it worth
while that the Democratic party
should give up all hope of carrying
the country next year in order that
one set of Democrats rather than an
other set of Democrats should con-
troll the local politics of Missouri or
Georgia or Mississippi or any other
state?
This is the question which the
party is to consider without delay.
The logic of the position Of the
Southern Democrats, who are forti-
| flying themselves in local favor by
advocating free coinage, will compel
them to be equally strenuous in urg-
| ing that policy upon the party in the
nation as in their states. All that
we have to say about it is that the
national Democracy will go into this
matter, if it goes into it at all, with
| its eyes open. To represent the
| cause Of free coinage in this country,
with conditions what they are today,
means to suffer such a defeat as
was experienced in 1872. Every Dem
| ocrat who cares for his party and
for the principles which it repre-
| sented before the silver question was
| heard of, and must continue to rep
resent after that shall have passed
into forgotten history, ought to con-
slider the larger aspects of the stu
| alton, and to take his stand with ref
| erence to the fate of his party in
| the nation, which hangs upon the
wisdom or the folly of it's action in
| this crisis.
UTILIZE THE WASTE FEED,
D,.of g