St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-08-16
A FALSE PRETENSE,

The conference of silver leaders in
Washington turned out to be a very
tame affair. 1T declared, of course,
for free coinage, at the present ratio,
without waiting for any other nation.
1t also formulated a plan of cam
palgn, to be conducted within the
Democratic party, with the object of
securing free silver plank in the
next national platform. But our
news dispatches show how little rep
resentative it was of party or peo-
pie. 1t consisted only of the little
knot of active politicians who en-
gineered the movement from the
start. They came principally from
three states; and nothing could be
clearer than that the great body of
the Democracy purposely abstained
from taking any part in the pro-
ceedings. The committee which is
to take charge of future organiza-
ton consists Of the promoters of the
scheme, with such assistants as they
may be able to select, by their own
motion, in the several states. We i'm
agine that very little will be heard
of them hereafter.
Following the principle of Democ-
racy that accords freedom of action
IN public affairs to every individual.
we have no need to censure too Sc
verely proceeding which has al
ready become too evidently perfume
tory. We do, however, deny the
right of any such self-appointed
Junta of politicians to attack, in the
name of Democracy, the administra-
ton which is today the formal rep
resentative of the Democratic partv.
In going out of their way to do this,
these silver leaders have cut them
selves off from the sympathy of the
great body of Democrats, who are
loyal to their leaders and who be-
lieve that even a change of pro-
gramme, if that were contemplated,
could not justify wanton slurs upon
the acts and motives of honorable
men.
In one respect, however, the plat
form of the conference chooses to
stand upon a palpably false pre-
tense. From first to last it presumes
to stand for bimetallism, and calls
upon bimetallists to come to it's sup
port. 1t has no right TO so much
as whisper that word in connection
with the policy that it has declared.
Independent free coinage at the
present ratio means silver monomet-
allism. There is not an honest sup
porter of it who must not confess
that the carrying out of the ideas Of
this conference would drive every
dollar of gold in the United States
out Of circulation. If a man believes
this to be wise policy, he has a right
to work for it. But he has not a
right, while so doing, to call himself
a bimetalliSt, or to ask for the as
slstance of those who hold that the
use OF both metals as money is pre-
ferable to that of either divorced
from the other. This misrepresenta-
ton is not creditable to the gen
tlemen who put through the resolu-
lions adopted at Washington. Since,
| however, it is not probable that they
will make Roadway, against the
universal disposition to let the silver
| question drop, lit is more a matter
for themselves than for any one
| else to consider. With the thought
that will be given to this question
in the next year, in the light of con-
startly lettering times, even the I'M
justifiable attempt to call bimetal-
lists to aid in the cause of silver
recommendation will not avail