The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-05-01
Silver Men Will Not Bolt.

The decision OF Senators Wolcott
and Shoup, reinforced by that of Gov
ernor Mcconnell of Idaho, to abide by
the decision of the st. Louis convention
on the money question and to remain
loyal to protection even though the ver-
dict of the Republican party be for the
present unfavorable to bimetallsm. Is
not only sensible but significant. 1t is
probably not believed by either of these
advocates of free silver coinage that
the convention of June will make any
noticeable concession to their financial
mate Major Mckinley, who is of all the
candidates now before the party the
one most favorable to a liberal use or
silver in the currency consistent with
fidelity to existing obligations. is SEEM
ingly assured; and to this slight extent
may the silver coinage men feel that
their opinions have been considered.
But the platform, as any child can now
foresee, will be blunt declaration for
the gold single standard; and the fact
that these three conspicuous silverites
are willing to abide by such platform
in preference to abruptly bOlting party
ties, proves that they and presumably
their constituents are not the hasty and
hare-brained extremists that they have
been pictured as being.
AS the case now stands the Republic
can party, Notwithstanding it's present
adherence to gold, is a better friend to
silver than either the Democratic or
the Populist party. While the last
named party processes to be for silver
coinage, in reality 1t is for sheer fiat
money, and would, If 1t could, undo en-
tirely the intrinsic value of our cur
rency. and thereby plunge the finances
of the country into the widest chaos.
AS for the Democratic party, that por-
tion Of it which represents it officially
is the direct instigator of the present at
tack in this country upon silver and not
only would be content to see silver en-
tirely eliminated from the mints of the
world but would also had it the power,
aggravate the present mischief that is
no largely its handiwork by contracting
at one step our already none too ample
circulation by the retirement of every
outstanding treasury note and green
back. The position of the Republican
party today is in favor of the firm
maintenance of the present monetary
standard, which Is gold; but it has no.
where given indication that 1t would
not welcome such contingency among
the principal nations as would enable
1t to feel safe in substituting the bimet-
allie for the single standard. In this
respect it stands alone among the po-
litical parties Of our time
Furthermore, the Republican party is
the only party which holds out to
friends of silver the inducement of
debt-paying, surplus-creating protec-
tive tariff. under which the balance of
trade brings gold to our shores instead
OF sending 1t from them. If bimetal-
lism is ever to prevail again in Europe,
1t will never be while Europe captures
the lions share Of the profits in our
foreign trade. So long as Europe can
at will drain our gold into its banks
and sell 1t back to US at a fancy mar
gin, Europe will not be likely to take
steps toward the rehabilitation of sill
Yer. But let the United States, on the
gold basis, once give Europe whole
some drubbing at her own game-and
that, with our vastly superior natural
resources, our greater inventive skill
and our more manifest energy, we can
one day do this, under the stimulus Of
the protective system, does not seem
altogether imDrobable--and It will be
strange indeed IL Euro1e itself will not
turn to bimetallism in self defense.
One thing at least is certain. With
out protection. bimetallism would do
us no good. or the two, protection Is
the more necessary; hence for it's sake
those who favor the remonetization Of
silver may without qualification remain
loyal to Republlcanism, even though it's
declaration on that one point be unsat-
isfactory to them., 81 a4.t.
,4 -------.A-e--.------' t+
TO marshal Kohlsaat belongs
most Of the credit for McKinley's
Springfield victory. He has certainly
established his claim to the leadership
Of public opinion in Illinois.
'----<e--2---- s.,&
It IL habit Of our Democratic friends
TO refer to Senator Quay In eontemptu-
eus terms - boss. But It Ii worthy