Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-01-08
FREE COINAGE CRY
How It Has Affected the Democrats
in the South.
THE ONLY HOPE OF THE PARTY
Blackburn and Harris Considered
Wise in Their Action.
PECULIAR STATE OF THINGS

The prediction is made in silver circles
that the action Of Senator Blackburn in re-
newing his allegiance to free coinage in the
very face of the administrations latest
attitude on the financial question will prove
to be but the forerunner of similar action
on the part of other southern democrats of
equal prominence. The necessities of such
action are represented as being great, and
as growing no less out of the past record
of those men as out of wise and necessary
provision for the future. The south, it is
asserted, is not now in the humor for COM
promises on the silver question, and will be
| likely to withdraw her commission from
any man, no matter how high his reputa-
tion or now loyal his past services, who
wavers at this time on this issue.
The North Carolina Case.
are given: The situation in North Carolina
is offered first, because that is believed to
afford the most striking Illustration of the
truth of the whole silver contention. The
legislature in that state is on the eve of
assembling. and one of it's acts will be the
retirement of Senators Ransom and Jarvis
and the election OF populist and repub-
Hcan to succeed them. Gen. Ransom has
been in the Senate for nearly quarter of
a century and until recently was considered
lnvincible at home. Marion Butler the
populist leader slated for his seat, Is young
enough to be Gen. Ransoms son and has
been prominent in the politics of the state
| only very few years. His rise, the silver
men claim, has been due almost exclusively
to his bold championship of silver.
The fact that Gen. Ransom also was a
friend of silver was lost, the silver men as
sert, in the later unsatisfactory record Of
his party, and IN his own failure to stand
out at the special session in 1888 against
ha a n Ia has = n 81
clause of the Sherman act. Mr.. Butler has
pledged himself to devote his energies as
Senator in every way possible to the re-
habilitation of silver as money metal.
The south Carolina Revolution.
The second case cited by the friends of
silver is the complete revolution effected in
South Carolina. This also is ascribed pri-
nafily to the unsatisfactory course of the
national democracy on the money question.
The first rumblings of discomfort are said
to have been occasioned by the failure of
Senators HAMPTON and Butler to take de-
cided and advanced stand for silver. Till
man, then an obscure young man, saw his
opportunity, took this complaint against
Hampton and Butler for a basis of action,
and founded an opposition party with free
coinage it's cry. Mr.. Butler tackled at
last, and during the silver fight at the
special session stood on the free coinage
course But 1t was too late to save him.
SELF He is to give place to Tillman, whose
course Senator is expected to be gov
err ed entirely by the program of the silver
men.
Situation in Tennessee.
Reference is also made to the situation
in Tennessee, where Mr. Harris is standing
for reelection on a free silver platform.
The democracy, though saving the legis-
lature. suffered defeat in that state last
fall. The rank and file of the party refused
to go to the polls, and only for the reason,
as the silver men charge, that the national
democracy had done nothing for silver
The saving of the legislature is accredited
to Mr.. Harris, who stumped the state, max
ing renewed expressions of loyalty to silver
and pledging a continued devotion to that
cause in case of reelection to the Senate
The silver men are confident that upon his
return here he will take his place beside
Mr.. Blackburn, and as he is a member of
the Senate finance committee, to which
the House bill when it is received will be
referred, silver is expected to benefit by
whatever he may do.
Spreading In Other States.
The silver men claim that this spirit is
spreading and growing They are expects
ing 1t to find controlling expression in all
of the southern states. They are declaring
that what has taken place in North and
South Carolina. Tennessee, West Virginia
cards in Kentucky and elsewhere. SIr.
Blackburn, as they believe, has wisely di-
vined the popular tendency, and Is emf
nently wise in his latest silver deliverances
He sees that the populist vote in his state
is growing, and that the recruits are COM
ing from the ranks of the democracy.There
is talk even of an alliance between the
Kentucky populists and the Kentucky re-
publicans, by which the next election in
the blue grass state is to be carried, and
the fruits of victory, as in North Carolina,
divided between the allies. Such result
would mean the retirement of Mr.. Black
burn from political life, and the sending to
the Senate in his place of either straight
out republican, chosen in exchange for
some populistic favor at home, or Of some
populist pledged to assist republican meas
ureS other than silver.
Peculiar State of Affairs.
Some of the most experienced men In
public life frankly confess that such
state of affairs has never before come
under their observation. 1t is full of in
ccrsistencies, and even the baldest para
dox The southern combination between
the republicans and the populists seems
absolutely inexplicable, except upon the
score of an effort to supplant the democ-
racy in that section with some new party,
leaving everything else to the future. The
pcpuists complain of the democrats be-
cause of a failure to enact free coinage
law, ana yet are IN aludnCe WIN the re-
pubicans, who are pledged to prevent
free coinage at all hazards: The republi-
cans on their part declare that free coin
age would ruin the credit of the country.
and yet are aiding the growth of free coin
age sentiments all over the south. The
North Carolina legislature will send two
Senators here, one of whom will go into
the free coinage camp. and the other into
the anti-silver camp The two men. though
receiving their commissions from the same
body, and as the result of the same popu-
lar expression at the polls, will yet cross
swords as soon as the senatorial battle
begins. The only explanation offered that
really seems to explain anything is that
the alliance has only for its object the
destruction of the present leadership OF
the democracy, both local and national.
It is suggested that the populists will
consent in the end to make terms with
the republicans the silver question,
which they would refuse from the demo-
Gratis The republicans have always stood
for the system of finance they now are
advocating, while the democrats. as the
pcpulists charge, have promised one thing
and now are endeavoring to compromise
on quite another thing.