Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-06-24

SILVER THE ONE ISSUE
representative Cobb on the Political Situa.
ton in Alabama
His Contest with MIR. Goodwin, the
POpulist-DemOcr Favor Free
Coinage, but Won't Bolt.

Representative James E. Cobb of Ala
bama is in the city to attend the opening
of the papers by the clerk of the House OF
Representatives in the case of his contest
with A. C. Goodwin, the populst. The re-
turns show that Mr.. Cobb carried his dis
trict by majority of over 800.
There are nine counties in my district"
said Mr.. Cobb to a Star reporter when
asked today about his contest case, land
the populists have complete control In five
counties. Mr.. Goodwin's chief claim for
contest is that he alleges that in the three
counties controlled largely by democrats
the negroes did not vote Before the cleo
ticn the leaders of the republicans and
populists advised the negroes in the demo-
cratic counties not to register or vote. Be
cause they were advised to take this course
the populists are proceeding on the ground
that they took the advice, whereas they
really registered and voted"
Ncgroea Won't Vote With Populists.
DO the negroes of Alabama show much
tendency to vote with the populsts?' the
reporter asked.
II do not know single negro populist in
my district" replied Mr.. Cobb. before
our last congressional election the repub-
lican leaders advised the negroes to vote
the populist ticket, and the negroes who
did vote that way voted to please their
republican friends. The negroes don't I'M
derstand the populists. and have nothing to
do with them. They have become ac-
quainted VITA the republicans and demo-
Gratis. and when they vote they vote for
one of these parties.
Silver the One Issue.
"The one issue in Alabama politics at
present is the silver question: l am in IA
vor of the free coinage of silver and gold
at ratio of 16 to 1, and see no necessity
for waiting fol an international agreement.
l believe that this is the sentiment of the
democratic party in Alabama, but this does
not mean that the democrats of my state
are not as firmly determined to have
sound currency as are the so-called sound
money men. We believe that free coinage
would actually make the commercial val
ues of the two metals equal at that ratio.
We think that the demon etiZation of silver
in 1873 caused the decline in the value of
the white metal, and that again making
silver a primary money would restore its
old value. l am sure that did the demo-
Gratis of Alabama for a moment think that
free coinage would result in a deprecated
currency they would not for a moment
hesitate in condemning it. There are no
fiat money men in our party.
VIII Not Bolt the Party.
Should the democratic national eonven-
ton see fit to declare against free coinage,
l have no idea that there would be any
danger of democrats of Alabama voting
with the popuiists. If they cannot influence
the convention to adopt their ideas they
viii act in unison with the party and wait
until another time to secure what they
want 1t Is a great mistake to call gold
standard men sound money men, as it
gives the idea that free coinage democrats
are not sound money men. The people of
Alabama are seriously thinking about the
money question and are willing to become
better informed on that subject l believe
the democrats there will work industriously
to secure a more plentiful currency, and l
am sure they will be on the alert to do
nothing that can endanger the soundness
~ he currency