New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-03-06
MORTON AND THE MONEY QUESTION


From our Democratic contemporary. 1.-The
NewYork Sum-" which appears to be in close
touch and confidential relations with Chairman
IIacket of the Republican State Committee,
President Lauterbach Of the Republican County
Committee, and other influential persons en-
gagged in promoting Governor Morton's Pres-
dental ambition we learn that the programme
Of those gentlemen is to make 1.-THE biggest kind
of a demonstration" at the State Convention to
he held In this city on March "a There are to
be bands Of music, decorations, professions and
other things to make the occasion memorable
and it is believed that the general effect will
be good 1t is added. incidentally. that 1T has
mot been determined what shall be said on the
money plank, and some said last night that
'there would be no platform whatever intro
'duced In this convention" but that this pro-
gramme may be changed" Assuming that this
report Is authoritative, which we have no rea-
son to doubt 1t seems proper to say, on behalf
Of Republicans who are not in the confidence
Of Messrs Iackett, Lauterbach and their asso-
cate managers that vile their arrangements
for arousing popular enthusiasm for Governor
Morton are pralseworthy In the extreme, the
proposition to dismiss the money question with
out a word-in fact to avoid it deliberately by
adopting no platform whatever-does not seem
either wise or polite
And for these reasons First. and above all,
II Is never either wise or polite for the Repub-
lican party to dodge public question in which
there Is general interest. The money question
divides to-day with the tariff the attention Of
voters. With great many voters 1t holds the
first place However that may be- no one who
knows anything OF current politics need be told
that the political party which undertakes to
enter upon the coming Presidential campaign
without a distinct avowal Of Its position upon the
money question convicts itself Of cowardice
without trial and nsures It's own defeat. The
money question cannot be evaded. The small
politicians who are now considering the advan-
tages and the risks Of the policy Of evasion
are the same who not long ago found themselves
confronted by certain features Of the excise
question. They made up their minds that II
was dangerous subject to touch, and so decided
in the last State Convention to make no refer
ence to 1t in the platform. But Warner Miller,
a delegate to the convention, refusing to be
silenced by the little man who held the gavel,
walked down the aisle and called the convention
to Its senses. In a three-line amendment he
faced the party to ITS duty, as Sheridan turned
State. Saved the State, when by contrast
little great man in New-York County by shut
fling and quibbllng lost this county.
In the second place. 1t would be the tOpmost
height Of folly for convention, whose known
and avOwed purpose is to present Governor Nor
ton as a candidate for the Presidency to the
Republican party Of the Nation, to shrink from
a candid and straightforward statement Of
,batt HOY 10 not nd ho hann
about-that is, his views upon the money ques-
tion Nothing that the convention could say or
dodge saying would disturb the conviction in
the public mind on that subject. No resolution
In platform could make 1t ambiguous; nor could
the omission to refer to 1t at all leave 1t In doubt.
Governor Morton Is a banker and Wall Street
banker at that. He Is In entire sympathy with
the well-knOwn opinions Of Eastern banking
men and capitalists on what Is called the money
question. If he Is to have any standing In the
National Convention as Presidential candidate
II must be as much on account Of his wellknOwn
position on questions Of finance as for any other
reason And the gentlemen who are considering
whether 1t would not be safer to keep his Opin-
ions on this extremely important question In the
background while they are urging his claims for
the nomination at st. Louis are simply handi-
Gaping him for the race Courage may not
always pay in a fight against enormous odds;
but 1t does pay in the maintenance Of self
respect, which Is sometimes better than victory.
And cowardce never pays anywhere or from
any point Of view.
The Governor should take these small poll
ticans In hand once more and give them TO TN
derstand that there must be no foollng In this
business He can afford to be defeated, but he
cannot afford to have his reputation dlmmed
by a game Of duplicity and deceit played by
paltry politicians.