The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-04-10
Perhaps Mr.. Cleveland was merely
intoxicated with power Some of his
official actions bear out that suspicion.
Senator Palmer as a Prophet.

Senator Palmer, of Illinois, who is
quite as likely as any other Democrat
to be his party's standard bearer in the
next national campaign, says the next
not declare in favor of the free and un-
limited coinage of silver, because if it
did so it would not represent the DEM
ocratic party. The Democratic party
is committed to the coinage of dollars
of equal acceptability and value in the
markets and in payment of debts, and
no Democrat believes that the free and
unlimited coinage of silver upon the
present or any other suggested ratio
would produce silver dollars of equal
acceptability and value with the gold
dollar Of % $40 grains. There are par
ties which favor the free and unlimited
coinage of silver dollars of 412la grains
of standard silver, without any expec-
tation that the dollar they propose will
be of equal acceptability and value
with the gold dollar. They look to a
silver standard of value as the logical
and necessary result of the free and
unlimited coinage of silver on the pres
ent ratio. But the Democratic party
will stand on the Chicago platform,
which demands the equality in value
and usefulness of the dollars of gold
and silver. Every effort should be
made to bring silver coinage up to the
present standard of values but the
present standard of values should not
be lowered to meet the reduced value
and acceptability of the silver coinage,
which would be the necessary effect of
the free coinage of silver upon the
present or any other ratio which has
been suggested.
Before the campaign of 1896 the ooun-
try will again become prosperous as the
result of its own resources and the
energy of our people, SO that neither the
monetary nor tariff question will be of
controlling Importance. The folly of
the free silver craze will be manifest
when prosperity returns. Before that
time the tariff of 1894, which Is at once
the most just and reasonable of all
legislation of it's class which has
marked our history, will have demon
strated it's value. The Republicans of
the F'lfty-fourth congress rely upon the
certainty that Mr.. Cleveland will re-
fuse to approve any measure which
seems to look to a return to the princi-
pies of protection and will demonstrate
that the controlling issues in 1896 will
be based upon the policy of annexation.
The Republican party will attempt to
annex the Sandwich islands and Cuba,
and / predict that in 1896 the country
will be prosperous, the monetary and
tariff questions will be treated as of
small consequence, and the political is
sues forced upon the country will be a
great navy and an expensive jingoism
supported by turgid appeals to Ameri-
can patriotism
Prophecy is always interesting, and
doubiy so when the prophet is a man of
eminence. We, therefore, reproduce
Senator Palmers prediction in full, for
what it is worth We do not agree with
him that the silver issue will be re-
| moved from politics within the next
1.-TWO years; nor that the prosperity
which is inevitable in this country
sooner or later will be attributed by the
people to the tariff Legislation which
wrought so grievous q ruin of things
as prosperity's antecedent. But we
will be more generous touching the last
count in his indictment. We will frank