The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-04-22
OALD PARTY FUSION.


So far a controlling influences Of the
Republican, party and Of the Democratic
administra ton are concerned, there is
complete b; srmony of purpose and action,
and organized fusion of forces. The same
forces whNch. demonetized silver in 1873
inspired and forced the act Of 1893, stop
ping silver purchases and coinage, and
that same united movement is behind
the Cleveland, administration and it's ut
terances, as behind the gold attitude Of
the daily organs and the successive gold
platfroms of the Republican party in
state after staA e.
When Cleve land demanded the repeal
| of the silver p trchase act in 1893, he was
unable, even h.g the use of the patronage
whip and the most vigorous coercive
measures, to gehmore than half his party
| to join with hiIpt- It was the Republican
cooperation which enacted his demands.
When he advocated in recent messages
the issue of $500 100000 Of bonds and the
| contraction Of the currency to that
| amount, only the Eastern minority of his
! party voted with' him. and the Republic
ans in the lower house introduced and
passed the bill Incorporating his de-
mands.. The same forces which backed
John Sherman in Nepealing free coinage
in 1873, without cause, and when silver
was at premiumGe 3 per cent over gold,
supported the jo nt1 Republican and Cleve-
land machine in fon cling the repeal act Of
| 1893, and in the proposition to issue
$500, 600, 900 of per cent bonds and can
eel $500, 000, 900 of government notes. :
The orators of the Republican party,
notably Chauncy NJ Depew, president of
the New York CentluA railway, are eulo-
giving and endorsing the financial policy
of Grover Cleveland At banquet last
Saturday evening, Mn. Depew said:
1.-THE rout of the frke coinage of silver
policy and the energi4 ug of the national
credit by the triumph Of sound money,
are more largely due 10 his throwing
upon that side, with magnificent courage
and ability, the whole strength and pow
er Of his great Office an d of his admins
tration, than to anything else"
| Mr. Depew's railroad rs now owned, to
! the extent of majority of its stock and
bonds, by European cap dtal. When he
speaks for gold monon,a tallism, there
fore, he speaks for the De- mocratic admin
istration, the Republican machine, and
his Wall street and European stockhold-
ers and bondholders, all in one breath.
The recent gold standard campaign, be-
ginning with the panic and the silver
repeal act of 1898, down to the Republic
an gold planks of 1896, ha considers vic
tory enough to recompense7 tor all the dis
tress of the past three years. He says:
while we have had a period of distress
which has brought so much suffering to
millions of homes and while the cost has
been more than that Of disastrous war,
yet the suffering has not keen in vain,
and the cost has not been 10 st If it shall
have gained for us in education and by
discussion and by experience of our peo-
Pile the death of the absurdities Of popu-
lism and the triumph of that sound
money currency which shall lead this
great trading, business and commercial
nation of the world
The bimetallism which preva lied from
the beginning of the government down
to 1873. the bimetallism Of Wa shington
and Jefferson, of Lincoln and Grant-the
bimetallism which was described even in
the Minneapolis platform of 1892 as ia
vored by "the American people, b y tradi-
ton and interest," is denomimated by
Mr. Depew as "the absurdities of popu-
lism." Among the same ''absm v1ities"
are the greenbacks Of Lincoln and Grant,
and popular opposition to bond issues.
1t is significant-andMr. Depew deserves
the thanks Of the Peoples party.-that