Marble Hill press. (Marbel [sic] Hill, Mo.) 1881-1923, 1896-03-05
Silent Jurors and Final Verdict.

fully assert that the present repub-
llcan house Of representatives has
delivered the final "verdict''on Il e
money question, says the. Memphis!
Commercial Appeal. IF the house
OF representatives, as it is now con
stituted, represents the final judg-
ment Of the American people then
indeed the money question and sew
eral other questions are finally set
tied. We have NO right to ac-
knowledge that this republican
house can finally close the discus
sion as to one question and deny
that it can do so as to others. If its
adverse vote means that free coin
age is dead 1t means also that tariff
reform is dead and that the demo
cratic party and its principles are
dead. It means that the final YER
dict" Of the people is in favor of
gold recommendation, Of high pro-
tectiye tariffs, Of the centraliza-
ton of government power, Of the
weakening or breaking down Of
local selt-govornment, Of reckless
prodigality in the expenditure Of
public money. There would be
small comfort indeed for the dem
ocratic party five should accept
the views of the present house as
the fixed Judgment Of the Ameri-
can people.
But here comes in the great over
looked fact. For the past five or
six years no general election has
recorded the will Of the people.
1t was not the people who voted,
but the people who didn't vote, or
who didn't vote either the dem
ocratc Or the republican ticket
that gave the democratic party such
! a majority in the congressional eIec-
tons Of 1890 and elected Grovet
1 Cleveland president in 1892. 1t
was again the people that didn't
vote who gave the republican party
the victory in 1894 and elected the
present house Of representatives..
In none Of these elections We're
there any accessions TO the ranks
of the victorious party. 1t simply
profted by the weakness Of its ad-
versary. The one party that has
gained in strength and numbers
within the past few years is the
Silent Party-the party that stays
at home, and the party that can
make or unmake the fortunes Of
either Of the great rivals for politi-
cal control. Here is the doubter
and the doubt and they reckon i'll
who leave the stay-at-home party
out Of the calculation. No final
verdict Will ever be rendered IN
til these jurors have cast tneir bal.
lots. We know, alas, too well, that
the great victories of1S90 and 1892
were net "fnal verdicts." Nor was
the republican victory Of 1894 a
final verdict upon any question at
issue in that campaign. Neither
in 1890 nor in 1892 nor in 1894 did
the victorious party have the back,
ing of a majority Of the American
people; and the party that can COM
mand the hearty support Of this
mighty mass that now stands aloot
can win unprecedented election in
1896.
VIII gold monometallism bring
them to the polls? Is that the great
| influence that is to excite their en-.
thusiasm and awake them to actlv
lily? 1t has not done so. A demo
crate congress repealed the only
law that authorized the employ
meut Of silver for adding to OIL
monetary circulation, Democratic
: conventions under the control Of
perniciously active federal officers
indorsed and approved it. Cole
standard democrats everywhere eX
ulted in the fact that the democratic
} party in every part Of the country
had solemnIy declared in favor o
J the single gold standard and haC
indorsed the policy of the admins
} tration. What was the result? The
democrats stayed away from tht
polls and suffered the election to &c
by default.
1t is proposed now that the dem
ocratie party shall ignore the great
; body Of its non-voters in the com
ing campaign and try to replac,
them with gold standard voters who
} have been voting the republican
ticket for thirty years and why
, has never had reason to regret it