The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-08-11
Democracy and the silver question.

Democracy and the silver Question.
In several OF the states the snverites
in the Democratic party are perniciously
active. They have called conventions
either regularly or irregularIy and adopted
resolutions in favor OF the free. unlimited
and independent coinage OF silver at the
! ratio of IS 10 /. The first OF these con-
ventlons was held in Illinois. Il was ig-
norcd by sound money democrats. An
other was held in Missouri Sound money
democrats refused 70 take part in IT, The
convention that was held in this state
was composed Of democrats and popuhsts
The democrats were evidently afraid they
couldn't make much of a show without the
popuiists. OF these conventions. however,
the most notable was that at Fort Worth,
Tex. which adjourned last Tuesday. In
that convention a split in the Democratic
party was pretty clearly foreshadowed.
The leaders Of IT would not say openly that
they expected that the party would divide
on the silver question. but according to
the reports in the Texas papers they did
not hesitate TO say so privately. The i'm
preston gained from these reports is that
the silveritos would not support a ticket
nominated on sound money platform.
In other words. they intend to favor free
and unlimited silver coinage even if they
have to so outside Of the Democratic party
to do So !, looks. therefore as if there
would be two democratic tickets in the
next state campaign in Texas.
II there should be two what chance
would either have for success? From pres
ent indications neither would have a
chance worth considering At the last
state election the democratic ticket had
plurality of only $1,000. With the dem
ocracy divided the populists would be al
most certain to carry the state. And in
the other states. in which the silverites
in the Democratic party have held snap
conventions to give expression to their
silverite views a divided democracy would
open the way for victory for either the
Republican or the populist party.
What do the silverites in the Democratic
party hope to gain by their snap con-
ventions and their rule or ruin policy? No
| impartial observer can fail to see that
the next national democratic convention
will be against the free and unlimited
coinage of silver. 1t is going to declare
for sound money. All of the eastern states
Will choose sound money delegates. There
is no question about that The .groat
states of Kentucky and Iowa, after n fair
and square fight, have declared for sound
money 1t is certain That Ohio will ID
the same thing. It l. safe to saw that all
OF the great western states will send sound
money delegates to the national demo-
cratic eqEventlon. Two or three of the
lesseE western states may choose free
SILVER delegates, though it is not now
! certain they will. In the south there may
be five states that will choose free silver
delegates, though that estimate, in view
of the change that is going on in public
sentiment on the silver question, may be
a large one.
All the indications are, therefore, that
/ the next national convention of the Demo-
cratic party will be overwhelmingly in
favor of sound money. The leaders among
/ the silverites cannot help seeing this.
Why then are they so active? Is it not
! because they are fighting for something
else than the success of silver? 1t GER
! tainly looks so. 1t is said that at the Fort
/ Worth convention nearly all the known
aspirants for the governorship of Texas
were present. In other states in which
the silverites are especially active there
are big offices in sight. 1t IS a fair infer
ence, therefore, that silver alone is not the
cause of the activity of the silverites
| They are likely to do the Democratic
| party a good deal of harm without ac-
| comprising anything for silver. If there
| should be a split in the Democratic party
on the silver question the blame for it
would rest upon them, because they are
| trying to force the party to occupy the
position on silver that is now occupied
only by the populists.