New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-10-04


decisive victory. The unsatisfying OUTCOME
Of the whole contest was therefore, the aoop-
ton Of a not very outspoken gold standard
nlatform and the nomination upon IL Oh
blatant free coinage demagogue, committed ~
all the teachings financial and otherw'se' "a
the traditional Kentucky school
THE BECK DOCTRINE TENACIOUS
II was easy TO see that the work 1T took James
r Beck twenty odd years to do was not 10 ne u'-
done bv the temporary success at LoulsNHie %
the sound money" campaigners. ana the u"ie-
buked refusal OF Mr. Hardin after his nomiha''o"
to accept the financial platform cranimeu 'o""
the Louisville conventions throat pv 'he io"s
arm of the Administrator at Washington soon
awakened the sound money managers 10 sense
OF the thoroughness with which the Democrac! Vi
Kentucky had been inocuated with Beck : hhan-
ca, theories Mr.. Backburn's reputation OF the
sound money" platform and his Impatient OUT
break of scorn at the State Committees nefec-
tual efforts to ''muzzle his eloquence were equally
significant of the temper with which the Ad-
,n:nistration's warfare on traditional kentach'ah
policies would be received by the free-siiVer group
Hardin and Blackburn felt of course, that the!
were and mad been for years the true lh'erpie-
tors IF recognized Democratic doctrine anu me!
looked with natural indignation on ,he ~ "a -
the President TO drive them 'hiouss .ha al ~
one Of their former associates. Deyohu inc N"e VI
,,oljtical orthodoxy Fortified by former successes
and sustained by ample precedenis. my Ni.
themselves justified in reearoing ,he,. ,erse dme
louisville as merely temporary reverse, que
SOLELY 10 outside political pressure ana IN aIsu
ing that with the removal Of that extIaneous
pressure their pet financial issue Wou'o '"eNi-
tably regain it's pristine popularity
The plan Of campaign which they ADOPTED was
therefore, naturally enough. t. minimize anu *
moro the anti-free coinage declarations Oh the
louisville platform and to let the canvass turn as
far as possible on state or personal iss'es' hopins
to regain in the state convention hTN, Spr,. ,r
which Is 10 choose delegation 10 Inc ,eiio'' gu
National Convention. the ground they had so uh-
expectedy lost in this city last June. III the lacc
of this clever strategy. Administration suPPo't y,
Mr. Hardin's candidacy has become more an"
more difficult and the outspoken irlends ol tne
und-money'' policy of Mr. Cleveland anu MI.
Carlisle are being gradually driven III sen, u.len,
10 open warfare on the Democratic cd1u4uatV an
the whole school % principles which ne represent
The free coinage of silver has indeed long pee"
one OF the most cherished dogma5 OF 'iie Us
j,eun, Kentucky schoo Since the war. II is not
too much to say the suppression 81 me neg" a
been made. tacitlT or aNOwed!N, the ca Ili n
Democratic principle in every southern OF poIue.
State In some States. indeed. this single DOGMA
has suificed for all practical poltical Puippsea,
Here In Kentucky, however under the guludnV
chiefly Of Beck. himself foreigne: ny nrth dh9
thus exempt from many of the passions ana
preiudices of the day the Democratic creeu va d
widened gradually by the adoption 81 Two pu'r.
economic nrjncipIes free trade and cheaper
money According to the leader OF the MODERN
Kentucky school, prosperity for the Sou', anu ~.
gPHeldDN
cheaper prices under free trade ana d iivt
abundant money circulation under lFe-siNes
coinage or some other equally convenient We'i'o"
OF currency expansion.
THE FORMING OF \ School
These ideas were neither startlnely original in
themselves nor wholly novel in American poli'i's'
Yet Beck saw them presently adopted as coi'
prehensve party policy by the southern wing oi
the Democracy. and lived himself to create
isle Knott Blackburn. the Breckenridge NILS.
of Texas Vest of Missouri, and Others as Ms nlos'
conspicuous followers ana apostles. ny ILL ,'
ciple ~ free trade found d more GeduA IeSi''"'V
from all sections OF the party ana came hlaN ~
overshadow currency imitation somewhat as d
National issue. Yet as far as the influence OF MI
Peck and his school extended, free-sNer coinage
after 1875 or 1877 and down - 1890. was an equally
accepted ard almost equally important dogma OF
the Democratic creed.
were. Of course beautifully adapted for use by a
party IN opposition. and even MI NIeNelaNu
irst Administration purely negative az IL "ds III
acual nolitcal results left both IN fairly service
able condition as Democratic railying cries
party sintegrdton could be STAYED OIL no o'ieri'
however after the Democratic return 10 poWer IN
xos one bv one the principles OF the Kentucky
school went by the BOARD and Congress having
killed fle trade as political issue Tor perhaps
"A genera ton the President began hlilseii cru
sade against The surviving dogma OF uee SlNet
coinage The new "sound-money programme,
though repudiated ny The Democratic majority IN
Congress Vet mdue lis WAY VIII iHr W'iO SUI
s,antial elements in the party at large, and: en-
outraged by this hopeful prospect, the Admins
tration. as is well known. finally declared Iast
spring a war III determination against the 1ree
coinage heresy
That the whole power Of the Fedelal patronage
should he used III Kentucky. as in other southern
States to overthrow and outlaw party princlpe
cf long standing and general acceptance; that
Secretary Carlisle. former disciple OF the school
uf Beck should be sent upon the stump In his
own state to recant his former opinions ana deny
\,
ings: that through the open efforts OF small
army of Federal ofice-holdeis the Democrats
state Convention should be driven into aband m
Ing It's customary silver % anks and accepting in
siead an Endorsement Of the Administrations
new-fangled financial prOgramIne-all these pO-
litical vagarics have surprised ana demoralized
tho old-fashloned Bour0ons OF Kentucky that
they would scarcely be affected now II they
should see the time-honored scarecrow Of Negro
Domination itself drummed inSoriouslE on' OF
the Administration camp.
TWO CONTESTS GOING on
In this letter Il has been sought merely to de-
fine the general conditions under which the hgnt
FOR the Governorship is being made, and 10
,hrovv a h,tle light on the more marked perpleXi-
lies of this interesting canvass. In reality there
are two distinct and separate political contests in
procress here Ostensibly the fight for the cor
ira, OF the state is between the Republican ana
Democratic organizations; ana W outcome , VI
this struggle means q great deai Il KENTUCKY
For the Installation Of Il Republican Governor
and a Republican administration Will involve a
transformation in the old order AT Frankfort
which cannot fail TO leave a striking impress on
the future political life OF the state. 1hat heh-
lucky has any serious inclination 20 become a re
publican Commonwealth is more than doubtful
Yet the Administration # single republican
Governor might go far To encourage suca an ~
clinstiOn-if for other reason simply because II
would remove that senseess suspicion OF negro
ascendency which has done SO much to handicap
the usefulness and delay the triumph oi the Re
publican party in all the border STATES
Within the lines Of this open contest another
more hidden but equally vital is taking place. II
IL the struggle OF the silver and aEtsilver forces
IN the Democratic party for The possession OF the
party machinery and the control OF the deIega-