The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-07

sibIey Their Candidate.
Il Is clearly the purpose OF the siIverites
10 have a presidential candidate Of their
own IN 1896. In an Interview at Washing
ton published in the Morning News yes
tcrlay, Senator Stewart OF Nevada, one
OF the most n-ominent leaders Of the silver
forces. is quoted as saying that 1t IS
not the purpose of the silver men TO make
the mistake Of former campaigns. They
viii nominate and support candidates Of
their own. The senator says that Mr.. Sib-
ley Of Pennsylvania will be their candi-
date for President He describes Mr.. Sib-
ley as the greatest man who has "'aspired
TO The presidency since Abraham Lincoln"
To IS sincerely 10 be hoped that Senator
Stewart is rsht about this. II they s.ould
nominate their own candidates for Presi-
dent. vice president and congress they
would ind out just how much strength
they have IL Is pretty safe to predict that
they would be greatly disappointed with
the result OF the campaign.
Tho sound money sentiment Of the coun-
try has not yet made itself felt 10 any
great extent. but If the issue should be
squarcly made by the nomination Of sill
ver ticket the silver men would be sur
prised to ind how greatly they are in The
minority.
The csuse cf the s.lver.tes has been
aided greatly by the hard times. The
great majority Of those who are now fav-
oring the free coinage Of silver are led 20
believe that Il would bring about a pc
Rod Of prosperity. They have no good
reaec1 for that belief and they don't give
any satisfactory reason for II. They are
willing to try free silver coinage as an ex-
pertinent. but they have not considered
how costly that experiment might be.
They would have 10 consider that ques-
ticn. however, if the silverites should I'M
dortake a campaign of their own. Many
Of them would doubtless hesitate when
confronted with arguments. drawn from
past dishonest money crazes. showing that
the cost might be a disaster OF such pro-
portions as to overwhelm the whole coun-
try i'm financial ruin.
Strange as 1t may seem, the impression
seems 90 prevail quite extensively among
the sllver.tes that the governments stamp
on silver dollar makes 1t as good as a
gold dollar and that the silver standard
can be made the equivalent Of the gold
standard by an act of congress. They
would get rid Of that impression IL the
issue should be squarely made by the sI-
vlrites. The governments credit will
keep a silver dollar IN circulation on an
equality with a gold dollar at home as long
as IL IS believed the government can pay
gold for silver on demand. and no longer.
Away from home our silver dollar is ac-
copied a; only its bullion value, except per-
haps in Mexico. from whence it can be
quickly returned.
If our mints should be opened TO the free
coinage Of silver we should soon have a
silver standard, ard Notwithstanding any
thing that congress might do we should
have to sell our surplus products and set
tie our balances abroad by the gold stan
dard. We should have to pay our national
debts by the gold standard or suffer a loss
Of credit All of the countries which have
the silver standard. Mexico the Central
and South American republics, China, ia
pan and India, have to conduct their for
elgn commerce and pay their obligations
by the gold standard, and We should have
to do the same.
And what should we gain by having de-
based currency? When we had a cheap
currency after the c.vl war why did We
incur heavy burden of debt in order to
get back to sound money and the gold stan
dard? We found out cheap money wasn't
conducive to prosperity. Let the silver
ties put up a presidential ticket. Nothing
else would help so much to kill the dis
honest money craze.