The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-04-26
THE BATTLE OF IDEAS.

| Washington Letter Chicago Herald.
During the next year. said a member
| of the cabinet yesterday, 1--WE are going
| to witness q remarkable campaign In this
| country. 1t will be neither sectional nor
| political. Two economic IDEAS are to struS-
| gle for the mastery in the minds or the
| people. 1t will be n campaign of the
printing press. Millions upon millions of
books and pamphlets bearing upon the sill
yer question will be circulated. Moreover
clubs will be formed for and against the
| free coinage of silver in every state, every
| county, almost every township and school
district in the country. In my opinion 1t
will be the most remarkable intellectual
struggle ever seen in the world. 1t is
simply that and nothing more. If anyone
| imagines 1t to be an array of the debtor
against the creditor class he is very much
mistaken. 1t Is not question of selfish
ness on the one side or the other You
can't stir up the American people in that
way over a matter of dollars and cents.
No. the great campaign must be regarded
as an evidence of the wonderful intellect
ual activity of our people, of their desire
to study these questions, of pride of
opinion, when once formed, of the spirit
of proselyting in a cause which chances
to enlist ones interest. No other period
| could produce such agitation on such a
question.
"Let me give you an example of the
| manner in which this campaign Is to be
carried on" continued the secretary. at
has come to our knowledge that in the
state of Pennsylvania alone Senator Cam
eron and eX-Congressman Sibley have
made arrangements to distribute 100000
copies of the Coin book. They are ship
ping in those little books by the car load.
OF course, they will produce a tremendous
effect. Cameron and Sibley believe they
will turn the whole state of Pennsylvania
over to free silver. But our side will not
be idle. We are going to have printing
presses at work, too. We will distribute
1,0O0, 900 copies of sound money pamphlets
in Pennsylvania. 1t is n game two can
play at. What Is done in Pennsylvania
will be done by both sides in many other
states. In addition to the literature there
will be clubs, speeches, meetings without
number.
"Al this Is a good sign,' continued Mr..
Clevelands adviser, "it all speaks for the
intellectual activity, for the intelligence,
the curiosity of the people. You can't fool
people like that; they are too smart, too
inqulsitve; they think too much for them
selves If Coin Is right the people will see
it and they will honestly say so But If
Coin teaches false doctrine, these Ameri-
can people will quickly detect his sophis-
try. The first wave of opinion. represent
ing the conclusions Of the most impress
sionable, the easiest to be convinced, the
loudest takers, does not settle the matter
by any means. The phrase is hackneyed,
but / firmly believe in the second sober
thought of the American people and in
this have no doubt 1t will be on the right
side.
MEANWHILE" concluded the secretary,
81 want to echo the words used by the
president today. This is not a question
of section, nor of party, nor Of morals,
nor of absolute right and wrong. We
should all be good natured about 1t and
leave passion and prejudice to the cranks.
We should have our little arguments go
on with our great national debating So
ciety and keep our tempers and our heads.
1t will all come out right in the end"