The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-07
An AstonIshIng statement.


We find I'm the Atlanta Constitution a
I quotation from private letter from Mr.
/ Crisp to a citizen Of Atlanta, in which
Mr.. Crisp says that ne is surprised al
the abuse heaped upon him by the sa-
vannah papers and the Journal Of At
lanta. and thinks their treatment OF him
could not be much worse If he were a
p,ckpocket
Mr. Crisp's understanding Of what abuse
is appears 10 be quite different from the
generally accepted understanding OF it.
Does Mr.. Crisp mean TO say that those
who do not praise him, but endeavor to
show that the views he holds on a great
public question are erroneous, abuse him?
II he considers that abuse, then, from
his standpoint. there are papers in Ceor-
gia that abuse him. But why should Mr.
Crisp expect approval from sound money
papers? He is trying to commit the coun-
try TO unlimited silver coinage at the ra-
ito Of l6 TO 1. He is doing that, although
the experiences of this and other coun-
tries are sufficient to convince the great
majority Of inanciers that unlimited ST.
YER coinage at that ratio
would give us degraded cur
rency. Mr.. Crisp himself admits. if
We are not mistaken that he is not sure
what the effect Of unlimited silver coin
age at the ratio Of l6 TO ! would be. He
wants TO try an eXperiment-an expert
ment that would prove more costly than
a great war.
Mr.. Crisp has been for a long time a
democratic leader, and yet he does not
stand upon the democratic national plat
form, nor on the platform of his state.
so far as the silver question is concerned.
That this is true is shown by a recent
article in the Cincinnati Enquirer. a free
silver paper, which article the Atlanta Con-
sutution, Mr.. Crisp's organ, republishes
and commends. In that article it is stated
that Mr.. Cleveland's administration has
consistently carried out the national dem
ocratc platform of 1892. The platform of
the democrats of Georgia, adopted in 1894.
is practically the same as that Of the
national democratic platform. Mr.. Crisp
has abandoned the solemn declarations of
his party on the silver question. and is
trying to lead it to adopt another doc
trine in respect to silver.
And yet for calling attention to these
things and commenting on them. in a
respectful manner. Mr. Crisp complains
that he is abused by sound money papers
in his state. Is not Mr.. Crisp unjust in
his complaint? Would he have the sound
money papers say nothing about his po-
sition on the silver question. and his ut
terances in respect to it? That appears to
be his desire.
There is another thing TO which the
sound money papers have called atten-
ton, and to which Mr.. Crisp possibly
takes exception. 1t is his course in re-
speet to the senatorial primary lie re-
quested the state executive committee to
provide for senatorial primary on June
8. the date Of the primary for elect.ng
delegates TO the state convention. The
doubtless for very good reasons. Mr..
Crisp and his friends refused to accept
the committees decision and applied to
county executive committees to call a
senatorial primary on June 6, thus show
ing that he cared more for his own sue
! cess than that of his party
No, Mr.. Crisp has not been abused as
far as we know. 1t cannot be called abuse
to show that he has put himself in oppo-
s!tion to the national democratic plat
form, the state democratic platform and
the state executive committee. This is
what the sound money papers have done
Generally they feel very kindly toward
him, and regret that after the great ser
vices he has rendered the democratic par
ty. he should conduct his campaign for
the Senate on a doctrine that has been
adopted by no party except the populist
III