The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-06-17
REcEssIoN AND CoMPRoMIsE.


In the currency chaos at st. Louis
the tariff has been forgotten. The
fight just before the convention met
was apparently between the advocates
of "a single gold standard and the
free and Unlimited and independent
coinage Of silver at ratio of sixteen
to one"
This was the way the battle was to
be drawn But the ways OF com
promise are beyond understanding and
invisible TO the eyes Of any prophet
That fight has long since ceased. The
New England delegates dropped their
"single gold Standard idea and sub
stituted for it a declaration for the
existing gold standard" The differ
ence here, of course, is a split in hair.
but the New England men made 1t re-
luctantly. Under the existing gold
standard silver and greenbacks occu-
py subsidiary position which IS dis
tasteful TO the eastern men and which
a "single gold standard" would not in
clude. After clinging a day or two to
the "existing gold standard" the east
ern men were again driven from under
cover and forced TO come out for 1.-The
existing gold standard and are opposed
to the free coinage of silver except by
international agreement for bimetsl-
lism by the leading commercial nations
of the world This was another re-
cession by the gold standard men, 1t
is not to their taste to compromise even
to the point Of international agreement
with free coinage. International
agreement, distant as it may seem, IS
not an impOssibility and the gold STAN
dard men are not for free coinage even
with international agreement
This is the manner in which the gold
standard men have receded.
First, single gold Standard second,
existing gold Standard" third, "exist-
ing gold standard and opposed to the
free coinage of silver except by inter-
national agreement, etc"
How have the silver men come
down? Sixty-six delegates from the
western part of the United States came
into the convention for "the free coin
age of silver at the ratio Of sixteen 10
one" They expected aid for the silver
men from all over the nation. They
have not secured it The sixty-six
still remain for the free and unlimited
coinage of silver at the ratio of sixteen
to one" But the other silver men IN
the convention have receded as fol
lows: They were at first favorable
to silver and voiced it by saying that
they favored the use Of silver as
urinary money" They did not hold
this position long. They lowered them
selves to the next ledge below where
they held out for the use Of silver TO
the extent only and under such regula-
lions that its (silver) parity with gold
can be maintained" They were soon
driven from this position and, again
receding. declared for ''the existing
standard" and against the free coin
age of silver except by international
agreement by the leading commercial
nations of the world"
1t is here that the gold and silver
forces have met There is no denying
that the silver forces have retreated
furtherest, but not into the gold stan
dard camp fully.
After repeated recessions the gold
standard men have come to this point:
We favor 'the existing gold stan
dard and are opposed TO the free COIN
age of silver except by international
agreement for bimetallism by the lead
ing commercial nations of the world"
After successive recesSiOnS the silver
men have come to this point:
We favor "the existing standard and
are opposed 10 the free coinage Of sill
yer except by the international agree
ment for bimetallism by the leading
commercial nations of the world"
There is only this difference, appar-
entity, in the two declarations: The
gold standard men use the word
gold the silver men do not use II.
Entirely foreign to the controversy
stand the sixty-six delegates who still
favor free coinage of silver sixteen TO
one. and who want either to be right
or to be honest" that is to be for free
coinage or to declare for gold when
gold is meant
The men who want the word gold"
used number $50; those who do not
want the word gold used number
3O4; the free slver-straights, &c; those |
non-expressive, 154.
If Teller and his men in the conven- /
ton bolt or refuse TO vote on the cur
rency plank the word gold will be
used. If they remain seated and
vote, gold" will not be used.
The Eagle still contends that the Re-
publicans imperil their party success
at the polls by attempting TO make the
gold standard the issue. It offers Sc
curity to the MAJ with money; il Sc
cures a man in his money; it secures !
the poor man in his poverty. 1t may
elect a United States senate hostile 10
tariff legislation without silver. 1t win
not gain the tremendous Democratic |
vote in the east that its advocates claim
and, pushed to front as il has been in
ST Louis, il viii obscure the great tariff |
issue.
-----
LETTING BAD ENOUGH ALONE.