Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1896-06-27
AS INGALLS, SEES IT.
Financial Question Declared the One in
Which the People are Interested.

issues, like poets, are born and not
made. They grow and cannot be
manufactured to order. The great
political leader is not the paltry and
sordid boss who packs primaries and
controls delegates aud threatens to
bolt conventions unless he can have
his selfish way, but the man who dis
Germs the wishes and purposes of the
people and co-operates with them.
This was the secret of Lincoln's
consummate power. He discovered
the Thought of the people and gave 1t
expression. He found out what the
people wanted done and did IL. He
sometimes seemed dilatory, but 1t was
because he waited to ascertain the
convictions of the people. He elistened
took counsel and received suggestions,
aud then acted. He was a leader be-
cause he followed public opinion.
The managers here have at last be-
gun to realize that the effort to con-
duct this campaign upon ready made
platform, with the tariff as the princi-
ple plank, will be futile. Protection
will be the policy of the nation for an
indefinite period. So far at least as
the Republicans are concerned, free
trade Is no more an issue than slavery,
or state sovereignty.
The election of Mckinley and Re-
publican congress, every one knows,
means a tariff for both revenue and
protection; but what does IL mean on
the money question: The hope that
the inquiry might be subordlnated, or
suppressed, or tangled up with the
tariff, has disappeared, Evidently
our financial system will be the vital
and engrosslng topic of debate from
this time forth, and the declaration
of the convention is of supreme inn
portance. Both parties have juggled
aud equivocated 10 the past. Prom
ises made TO the ear have been
broken in the hope. 1t has been like
a desperate cause in court, in which
motions for continuance, change Of
venue and To ltake testimony in dis
tant lands have been filed in order to
avoid trial.
The people appear to be earnest at
last. They have been thinking.
They have had abundant leisure for
meditation since 1892. The advocates
of gold, OF silver. and of bimetallism
are arrayed in line OF battle, and IL
the Republicans do,not present the is
sues on the quarrel some other party
will.
The supporters of the single gold
standard, II they ever have the power,
will retire the greenbacks and destroy
the legal tender quality OF the silver
dollar, thus contracting our clrcula-
ting medium more than thousand
millions of dollars.
The silver advocates would open
our mints to the world for the coin
age of that metal upon the same
terms with gold at the ratio estab-
lished before 1873.
The bimetallists believe in the use
of silver with full legal powers TO the
largest extent compatible with equal
ity with gold, and legal tender paper
redeemable in gold.
All want "sOund money" The as
sumption that any rational man
wants anything else is an insolent
lmputation upon patriotism and COM
mon sense. Any dollar, whether gold.
silver or paper, that will pay one
hundred cents worth OF debt is a
sound dollar. No one desires counter
felt money, or chipped coin, or de-
based currency.
In 1878, when the Bland-Allison bill
for the recoinage OF the silver dollar
was passed over the veto OF President
Hayes, there was the same impudent
outcry as now. The supporters were
denounced as enemies OF the public
credit, and pilloried in the metropolis
tan press as madmen, knayes or fools.
1t was said that 70 millions OF silver
might possibly be maintained at par
but more than this would result In in-