Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-05-03
FOR FREE COINAGE
What Representative McMillin Says
Of His States Feeling.
ALL CLASSES WANT MORE MONEY
The Financial Question Will Not
Divide the Democrats.
MR.. PATTERSON'S OPINION

The statesmen who daily drop in and out
OF Washington from different parts of the
country bouid upon departmental or pri-
vate business, bring information of the
great fight over the financial question
which is being made between the partisans
of free silve, coinage and the adherents of
sound money principles Every day brings
of the struggle.
Especially interesting and significant is
the informa ion that comes from the CEN
trail and sou hern section of the country, a
tier of states extending from Lake Michi-
gan to the fulf two deep all the way, and
spreading ont below the Ohio river until
| the border reaches the Atlantic. This sec
ton, presen ing a population now standing
| uncertain b,twee1 the pronounced free sill
yer sentimtat of the states west of the
Miss ss!ppi and the equally pronounced
anti-siver feeling of those east of the AL
| leghanies is the crucial point of the strug-
| gle The dictum of these people will rep
resent the dominating influence for or
| against SQUAD money at the next general
| election. aid it is among them that the
parties are struggling for supremacy.
Different from the Greenbncl& Asita-
tiOn.
| is far different from the greenback agita-
| tion." said Mississippi valley Congressman
| to a Star reporter today. I'm that case
| you had the suggestion of money that had
| never been recognized by the Constitution,
| an innovation of risky character But
| silver is the money of the Constitution and
| the law. and its use is not an experiment.
! 1t is a money endeared to the people by
| long use and legalized since the establish
ment of the government There is a vast
difference between the two movements"
| There are two Congressman from the
| same state who have been here re-
Gently representing two diverse views
| upon finance, and each claiming a
| majority of the voters of the state
in behalf of his own platform. Rep
| resentative Patterson of Tennessee is a
| sound money administration democrat, and
one of the prime movers of the coming
| sound money convention to be held at
| Memphis. He declares that a majority OF
| the people of Tennessee are not in favor
| of free coinage, and that those who hold to
| the opposite view are mistaken in the esti-
| mate of their strength. The other Con-
| gresham referred to is Mr. McMillin of
| Tennessee.
| Mr.. NcMillfn on Free Coinage.
"A majority of the people of my state
| favor free coinage and an enlarged use of
| silver in the currency of the nation said
Representative McMillin to a Star reporter
| today 1.-The experience of the last few
| months has taught them how hard 1t is to
get along with even the present amount of
| circulating medium and the futility of ex-
| pecting to prosper with any less volume
| of currency concomitant with increasing
| business and it's demands and increase of
population. For that reason, then, the peo-
pie of Tennessee-and when l say that I
| mean a majority Of the voting population
| have made up their minds and give it as
| their ripe and sober judgment that the only
| promise of prosperity for them lies in the
| increased use of silver. together with our
| gold. In other words, they want bimetal-
| lism, and will resolutely reject the idea of
| a single standard"
Prevails Among All Classes.
'1s the demand for silver coinage con-
| fined to any particular class in your state
| the farmers, for instance?" asked The Star
man.
Not at ALL" replied Mr.. McMillin. ''The
| sentiment prevails among almost all
classes. Eliminate the agriculturalists, and
| you would still have majority of the other
| elements of population in favor of bimetal-
| lism. 1t is a deep-rooted conviction with
| the masses. born of experience. Our people
| are not fighty and changeable, nor given to
isms' and crank ideas. They are conserva-
| tive to a great degree, are patriotic and
! democratic. The conservatism of the south
| is proverbial to those who know it's inhab-
| tants. In the case of my state 1t is easily
| accounted for. The great mass Of our folks
| are of revolutionary stock. A very large
| per cent of the land owners are living on
land granted to their forefathers for ser
| vices in the revolutionary war; people
| like that, who dwell long in a land, nat
urally tend to conservatism They have
| not taken up the free silver sentiment
| passing whm. 1t has been with them all
along, and simply becomes more visible as
| circumstances arise which seem to threaten
| the depletion CT the present stock of silver
| currency. They are in favor of extending
the use of silver. They do not agree that
| We have reached the limits of our capacity
| to use silver as currency.
| What will be the political effect of the
| division of sentiment over the silver Ques-
tion?" asked The Star reporter.
Won't Divide the Democratic Party.
81 do not think it will drive many voters
from the democratic party" replied Mr..
McMilliu. "It is possible that the division
| may seem more marked among the demo-
Gratis of Tennessee than among the repub-
| lcans, but it is because a large part of the
| republicans ir my state do not belong to
the Caucasian race, and therefore do not
| take as firm a stand upon any position as
| we do. In the ranks of the white republi-
cans you will find relatively about the
same division of sentiment that exists
| among the democrats. 1t is difficult at
this time to prophesy correctly the effect
| Of the silver coinage movement upon poll
| tics but I do not believe that 1t can result
| in disaster to the democrats. Therefore
thosa lugubrious, fearful republicans and
federalsts who have been biennally buying
dark clothes in which to attend the funer-
al of the democratic party might as well
dispose Of them, for they will have no use
for them There will be no funeral of it
| in their lifetime. 1t will advocate In the
future as it has in the past, the metals
recognized by the Constitution for money
| gold and silver both-and continue business
on the principles 1t has advocated and sus-
tanned since it's foundation"