Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-23
Silver Men See Promise of Better
Times Ahead.
READING THE KENTUCKY PLATFORM
Why Mr.. Blackburn is Now So In
dependent.
o HIO NEXT NTH

Some of the silver men are experiencinp
revival of confidence. They are by no
means buoyant, but they think they can
see the promise of better times ahead. Mr.
Blackburn. they claim. has got his second
wind In Kentucky. the Missouri democracy,
they assert, will, at its convention next
month, be certain to declare for free COIN
age, while Mr.. Brice in Ohio has, they
declare. no arrow in his quiver long enough
or strong enough to drive home. Georgia.
as they believe, is all right, and will re-
main so against all the pleadings and per
suasions of Hoke Smith. Then there is
the return of Lord Salisbury to power in
England. and this is accompanied by
renewal of the talk in official circles IN Ger
many about an international monetary
conference. The silver men point to all
of these things, thank God. and take
courage
The Case in Kentucky.
1t is claimed now in the silver camp that
despite surface evidences to the contrary
the winning of the gold men in the Ken
lucky convention was of positive mo-
ment. The delverance, indeed. is charac-
terized a species of cowardice. The sill
yer men refuse to accept it as an une-
quivocal Endorsement of the Presidents
idea of sound money, but divide the finan-
cial plank into two parts. The part.
as they read It, reaffirms the financial
plank of the Chicago national platform of
1892, while the second part is but the c,,s-
tcmary Endorsement of the national admin
fstration. Such winning would have
put the matter past all question would
have been the adoption of a resolution
citing specifically that the action of Presi-
dent Cleveland and Secretary Carlisle in
issuing bonds On a gold basis to meet
the requirements of the government
distinctly in consonance with the demo-
cratic principles enunciated in the plat
form on which Mr. Cleveland was returned
to the White House.
Mr. BIackburn's Independence
The failure of the Kentucky democracy
to do this. or. as claimed, it's inability to do
this. gives Mr.. Blackburn the argument
upon which he is now resting what is tan
tamount to a declaration of independence
on his part. He insists on corstruing the
conventions financial deliverance in his
own way-that is to say he insists on put
ting the same construction this year on the
financial plank of the Chicago national
platform that he put on 1t during the ma
tional campaign of 1892. He asserted from
the stump that year that the democratic
party was in favor of the free coinage of
silver, and he pointed to the Chicago plat
form justification of the assertion. He
was not called down then on that any
other point. And SO he asks. why cannot
this same ground be taken this year on
this same subject when no formal in
formal expression of the party delivered
since has repudiated that declaration
When it Is urged that the Louisville plat
form Intended to repudate it, Mr..
Blackburn asks for the specific language
to that effect.
Ohio Next Month.
This aspect of things will next have to
he met In Ohio 1t is the present intention
of Mr.. Brice and his friends to ask the
buckeye democracy to express itself on the
financial question in terms similar to those
employed by the Kentucky democracy. They
will be content with a reaffirmation of the
Chicago platform of 1892 and an indorse-
ment of the administration. But. in the
light of Mr.. Blackburns S course in Ken
lucky, will that suffice? 1t is pointed out
that the free silver democrats in the one
state as aggressive as in the other.
Will not Mr.. Thurman and Mr.. Mclean,
therefore, IL beaten at Springfield by the
tactics that defeated Mr.. Blackburn at
Louisville adopt Mr.. Blackburn's policy |
and In the face of a convention deliverance
for sound money go on preaching free COIN
age?
Suggestion to Mr.. Drice.
The silver men insist that Mr. Brice ought |
to bring forward a program at Springfield |
calculated to put matters more at rest. |
Let him. they suggest, try this resolution
on the Ohio convention
Resolved, That the financial course Of |
the present administration has been iii |
strict accord with the platform adopted by |
and that 1T represents the principles of the |
party today"
If Mr.. Brce, the silver men declare, can |
and will secure the adoption of this or any |
similar resolution at Springfield next month |
they'll drop the whole subject until next |