The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-07-14
That Now Afaiets the "FooI
West and South"
TWO-THIRDS OF q. S.
Haven't Got a Bit of Sense Says
CleWs.
Wisdom and Honor Reside In
Wall Street Alone.

first week of the month, Wall street
has fallen into a state of virtual inert
ness. The late speculative sellers seem
to have exhausted their force; and, on
the other hand. buying on London ac-
count has diminished. The market is
thus left TO drift, little affected by
either bad influences or good. Out
side of the disturbing political factors,
there is the usual summer absence of
operators, many of whom have closed
up their accounts until the progress of
the election canvass has thrown new
light upon the prospect.
The extraordinary excitement con-
nected with the Chicago convention has
had less effect than might have been
expected. 1t has been enough to sug-
gest some grave thoughts to rejecting
men; but it has not been regarded as
tending to cOmplicate or endanger
sound money prospects. Undoubtedly
it is no small matter to see such a
large mass of people given over to the
widest conceptions and most passion
ate resolves upon questions about
which they have no rational conception
and which most of them are unable to
understand. But it is felt that this
exaggerated excitement must have its
reaction, and that it will tend to swell
the vote of the sober majority who have
no sympathy with dema gOgic and COM
munistic vagaries. The Chicago con-
ventiOn has given the country to IN
derstand that the Democratic party has
now espoused POpulism among it's is
sues. That was hardly expected to be
the outcome: but the platform is moth
ing if not Populstic. Sober, intelli-
gent, Order-lOving people can now I'M
derstand what lies under the prevail
ing discomfort and the baseless section
alism of the south and west; and the
fact that one of the parties in the cleo
ton will be the open abettOrs OF revO-
lutiOnary tendencies will only tend to
swell the overwhelming majority that,
in November, will show these malcon-
tent elements what is their real stand
ing among the American people.
The spirit of the Chicago convention
is an affront to every conservative and
patriotic sentiment in the hearts of our
people. 1t is the sort of temper out of
which comes lawlessness, conspiracy
and revolution. The classes whom the
planks are intended to infiame know
nothing of the real ends of their lead
ers. The more inflaming or revolution
airy the party programme is the better it
suits the militant mood into which these
There is no miStaking the real tactics
of the party leaders. Conscious of the
danger that their selfish scheme of
making home market for silver may
be overW helmingIy voted down at the
election, they marshal a host of side
issues out of which they may excite
popular discomfort and awaken the mob
spirit and frighten the orderly support
ers of sound money into surrender
Their game is transparent and well I'M
derstOod and eXcites no concern among
the classes against WHOM II Is 0lEeCl-
ed They stand unmoVed upon the
foundation of common sense and COM
mon honesty which has never failed to
shield the country from the shock of
civil discontents The more open the
temptations or the threats of dema-
gogic leaders. the more ready our peO-
pie have ever been to come to the res
cue; and the spirit and the dictatiOn
of the Chicago convention were just
the incentives needed to rally the
friends of American principles and in
stituiOns for overwhelming defense.
Hence the public perceiVeS that the
Democratic convention has made GER
tain the election of the party of sound
money and honest finance in Novem-
Der. In this sense the political situa-
ton is both clearer and safer To-Day
than it was a week ago, and confidence
is more solid.
The greenback craze twenty years
ago had many features in common with
the silver Juror OF the present day 1t
appealed to the weak spots in human
nature. and it's crafty managers played
upon the feelings and prejudices of the
working man, and the poor artisans,
and the skilled IabOrers particularly,
who are very easily persuaded that they
are greatly underpaid for their serv-
ices. The promises of abundance OF
money and higher wages with en-
plDyment for everybody willing to work
were the alluring bats held out TO
every man who had q vote. How the
fat money was to be got into clrcuIa-
ton after it left the printing press was
a part of the subject too remote for
inquiry, or was regarded as an i'm
pertinent question presumably put up
by a hard money crank Ihe ldea OF
something for nothing always appeals
forcibly to the imagination of those
VINO have had to struggle for every
dollar they have obtained.
So far as the fiat money is concern
ed, the enterprise of the old green
hackers had some points of superiority
to that of the modern silVeriteS. In
-, F.,4 10 mar # = =
intrinsic value; and the sOIons OF the
modern silVerites propose to create an
inverted pyramid, and expect the low
er part to sustain the entire weight or
the top heavy structure. The scheme
of the old green hacker was more Sclen-
tific for he made the nation at large the
immense base of his pyramid, leaving
illimitabIe space for its height even to
the moon and the stars.
There are some interesting points in
the parallel between the financial |
managers the men with the Doodle |
who ran the greenback utopia, and
those who are now supplying the sin
ews of war for the promised land OF
silver in prospect
Peter Cooper was easy OF approach !
and had a ready ear for every tale of
Woe Upon this weakness the crafty |
triellsters, the needy agents who at |
tended to his canvass, played with new |
er failing success. 1t was pitiable to |
see. as an eye witness of some of those |
scenes during the greenback campaign |
has told me the grand old man be !
ing feeced by those political harpieS |
distress in the west. until the check |
was forthcoming to relieve 1t.
Jones of Nevada, am told, is very |
similar in his yielding pTopensitles to |
Peter Cooper, and will give up" quite |
as easily with this difference that he |
may become utterly oblivious after |
wards to where it has gone, or to
It is said that Silver King Stewart is |