The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-06-07
POLITICAL GOSSIP.

little dispute of the assertion that by far
the abest defender of bimetallism who
has appeared as yet in the east is Charles
Heber Clark, secretary of the Manufacture
ers' club. of Philadelphia, and editor of Its
weekly journal, the Manufacturer. Mr..
Clark may be entirely wrong in his argu-
ments. but no one has yet accused him Of
lack of sincerity. or of being afraid to
follow the bent of his personal conviction
upon this subject. Last weeks Manufac-
turer contains from his pen a notable ar
ticle comparing the present movement
against monometallism in this country
with the abolition movement Of forty
years ago We quote part OF his conclud-
ing paragraph: mo great wisdom, no in
tense respectability, but only common
sense. can be required to permit man to
understand that It Is folly to suffer our
greatest creditor to fix our money stand
ard; that We are now upholding the Brit
ish gold system only by borrowing money;
that the wealth-producers are being
robbed by the non-producsr who has
fraudulently enlarged the buying power
Of the dollar: that the nation Is in shame
because Its treasury Is buying. at heavy
cost protection from Foreigners; that
everything has been made to rest upon
gold which has then been cornered; that
the land and the control Of the money
supply are passing from the hands Of the
people; and that the domestic and foreign
debts Of the nation are growing larger the
moro desperate the effort made to dis
charge them. No bland talk from very
respectable citizens. no sophistry and fig
ure-j -jockeying from stat!stcians, no in
genuity Of mendacity from public Jour-
nails, no rhetorical efforts from secretaries
Of the treasury, will operate to hide these
facts, Mr.. Clark's conclusion Is that hi-
metallism Is inevitable-with Europe's CO.
operation, II possible; but, II necessary,
without that cooperation.
\ H \
The prospect Is apparently shaping It.
self for big fight in the next Empire
state Republican convention for an in
creased representation in the state COM
mittee. The matter Is being agitated now
all over the state by the Republicans who
are opposed to Mr.. Platt's control Of the
machine. The Mckinley Union league men
who want to see Mckinley and Cornelius
n. Bliss at the head Of the next Repub-
lcan national ticket, are especially &C.
tive. With them stand the Republican
clubs campaign committee and the dis
satisfied Republicans throughout the
state. within the next week New York
will be flooded with literature urging q
change in the basis Of representation. As
matters now stand the Republican state
committee Is made UP Of one member from
each congressional district, one member
at large and three members of an advisory
committee, or thirty eight members alto
gether. This makes a close corporation
which, In recent years, ex-senator Platt
has found little difficulty in controlling.
Under the present system there are thirty
seven counties without representation.
The anti-Platt people want the representa-
ton changed from congressional to u.s.
sembly districts, which would make q
state committee Of 100 members. The anti
Platt people believe that the very size of
this state committee would prevent Its
being dominated by any boss.
II u Il
Major Handy says he has good reason
for believing that Senator Comeron will
enter the next Republican national con-
vention as presidential candidate with
from 60 to so votes on the first ballot. The
major recently had q long talk with Cam
eron on the silver question. Says the for
mer: 1.-The senator makes no bones Of be-
ing as earnest and as radical as any SEN
ator from o silver state. Indeed, he claims
to be among the pioneer bimetallists IN
congress. and to have spoken and voted on
the silver side whenever the question was
presented to the senate in any guise
whatever. When 1 expressed my surprise
that O man Of his large meansi and close
Identification with eastern enterprises con-
trolled by extreme gold men, II not gold
monometallists, should be found fighting
In the ranks Of the enemy, he said that
with him It was a matter Of conviction AMI
not of~geography, politics or sentiment
The money lenders, he said, controlled the
country and were so hot in the chase for
the next dollar that they gave no thought
to the public interest. never rejecting that
In the end they. as we'll as everybody else
would be benefited by legislation which in
sured the greatest good to the greatest
number"
Since the death Of Secretary Gresham q
story mas beon in circulation that he did |
not agroe with the financial policy Of the |
administration, and was. In fact, in favor
of free silver. Walter Wellnan says It 10 |
within his personal knowledge that this |
statement Is untrue. Mr. Gresham was |
not in favor of the free and unlimited |
coinage Of silver, neither during the last |
two years, nor at any other time. 1t 10 |
only fair to say. however that General |
Gresham was in favor OF the use Of silver |
as money to the greatest extent consistent |
with safety. His sympathies were always |
with the under dog in any fight, and 1t IL |
not impossible that the argument Of an
appreciation of the purchasing power Of q |
gold dollar. with its effect upon debtors,
may have had some little influence with |
him. He may at times have expressed his |
opinion Of the methods adopted by the |
Wall street bankers to force the govern |
ment into a sale Of bonds, as 1t IL certain |
that he denounced In unmeasured terms