St. Paul daily globe., 1895-04-17
WHAT MAY HAPPEN.

We believe that this silver craze
will be short-hved. Like a prairie
fire it consumes its material as it
goes and has no possibility of per-
manence or return. 1t may smould-
er as the greenback illusion did, that
rose in 1868 and ragged until 1879,
when it went to sleep in AlEson's
silver purchase act and specie re-
sumption. 1T has the advantage of
that craze, however, in the inherent
value of silver, to which it would
add by fiat but twice its value,
whereas the greenbacker would
have had the money all fiat. Its
possibility of longer life rests in the
general ignorance and mistiness of
what money really is. How exten-
sive this condition is and how prev
alent in classes one would think too
intelligent to be misled, one readily
finds out in listening to the current
talk.
Should it continue to gain head
until the national conventions meet
next year it is an interesting sub
ject Of conjecture as to what will
happen. 1t is known that the sill
verites propose to capture both the
Democratic and Republican con-
ventions. Movements for this end
are already on foot. They are an
earnest set, tinged with the radical
ism of fanatlcism. The average
politician will seek to temporize and
have the platforms say nothing
while seeming to say much. We be-
lieve that the issue will then be al
together too sharply drawn to per-
NIT the usual da1liance. We regard
it as extremely probable that the
out-and-outers will capture both
conventions. The Southern con-
tingent in the Republican conven-
tion is strong out of all proportion
to its voting strength, and it is with
the radicals. If Republican sentiment
in the West is what it is in these two
cities the delegations from that sec
tion will be for silver. In both con-
ventions the Eastern delegates will
be aggressively hostile, while in the
West, in both PARTIES, will be
strong sound money element.
suppose then, that a majority in
both the Democratic and Republi-
can conventions declare for free
coinage, what will the sound money
men in both parties do about it?
What they will do is unknown; what
they might do is a reasonable con-
lecture. 1t would be dishonorabIe to
submit, and it would not do to make
no protest or opposition. The sound
money element in very self-respect
must make their protest in a man
ner that will be effective, and that
can only be done by holding a ma
itional convention and putting a
sound money ticket in the presi-
Dental field and begin and continue
to the end campaign of education.
The minority element in each con-
Venton might make their protests
and withdraw and unite either in
holding a convention or in calling
one. Such convention would prob
ably declare for the maintenance of
the gold standard with the utiliza-
tlon OF silver in the coinage either
on its commercial value or its com
mercial ratio. Searching for name
by which to designate itself it might
we'll go back a century and take
up the name which the party of
jefferson assumed, and which if
should never have divided, and term
itself the Democnatic-Repub
party Casting about for a candi-
uate who, in his record and char
aoter, would embody the spirit of the
movement. it could not avoid the
name of Cleveland; and, wearied as
he is Of office. it is likely that. in
such a cause and for such pur-
pose, he would consent to again lead
the cause. So it may happen that
1896 will see four parties in the field.
the silver Democrats, the silver Re-
publicans, the silver Populists and
the sound money Demo-RepubI
cans with Cleveland at their head.
Surmise this is. Of course. but