The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-10-09
Back to the Real Issue,

encouraging news comes lrOil tne
political battle grounds Of the middle
west, particularly in Illinois and In
diana, to the effect that among the vo-
ters more interest Is now being taken
in discussions Of the tariff question
than in the debate concerning free sill
Yer. The demands upon the Republi-
can literary bureau for Protection ar
guments are to the demands for refuta-
tions of the silver fallacy in the ratio
of or 3 to /. In other words, the
free silver movement in the radical
shape represented by Mr.. Bryan's cam
didacy has spent its main force, and
among workingmen and farmers there
is a general re-awakening of interest
in the subjects of Protection and re-
ciprocity.
While not unexpected. this turn in
the tide of popular interest Is neverthe-
less gratifying. 1t indicates that the
people are penetrating the Popocratic
sophistres and gaining toward the last
a more wholesome idea of the real is
sue before them. The elections two
years ago demonstrated nothing more
conclusively than that a large majority
of the American people, after due trial
of the tariff reform notion so eloquent
ly urged upon them in the preceding
campaign by the Democratic leaders,
including Mr.. Bryan. had come to the
conclusion that that policy Of nation
al deficits and Industrial stagnatiOn
was not a success. The tidal wave of
popular sentiment which prior to last
June overrode the Instructions Of the
Republican leaders and forced at st.
Louis the nomination Of William Nc
Kinley indicated again that Protection
had lost none of it's hold upon the
masses.
The spectacular nomination of Mr..
Bryan at Chicago temporarily subog-
dinated this issue by showing before it
in dramatic fashion a comparatively
new theme of debate concerning which
great numbers of people were at that
moment poorly informed. Two months
of discussion have interviewed, during
which the silver question has been
studied from every standpoint. In these
two months little else has had any
show; the public mind has been con-
centrated upon the major proposition
of the POpocratic platform almost to
the exclusion of other issues. In a ma
- 4 1.
conclusions and is ready to turn once
more to the subject of adequate Pro-
lection to American industries. There
the glib takers of the free silver
Democracy are at a painful loss. They
have nothing to say. Their stock of mis-
representations is inadequate to the
task of explaining away the hard facts
which have resulted from the tempor-
ary abandonment of Republican
tariff.
There is where Republican victory is
going to be won and clinched.
--
The withdrawal Of Mr.. Miles from the
factiOnal contest for sheriff of Phila-
delphia puts upon the supporters of
Mr.. Crow the responsibility for pro-
longing a division of the sound money
forces in that city The opportunity
was presented to Mr.. Grow to prove his
Repuhlicanism by stepping aside in fa-
vor of an unobjectionable third man in
whose support both factions could
unite. He has peremptorily refused to
take advantage of it. The plain infer
ence is that he Is Indifferent to the best
interests of the Republican party and
consequently every good Republican
may from this time forward feel alb
solved from any sense of allegiance to
him. He has chosen to go with the
Democrats. Republicans should let
him go in peace and proceed to elect
a sheriff of their own faith.
Summarized briefly. the work of the
present Republican county commits
siOners may be said to consist of meet
ing the increasing costs of county gov
ernment without any appreciable in
crease In the rate of taxation. 1t takes
both honesty and experience to do this.
and the Messrs. Roberts have both.
-
If the Luzerne portion of the Twenty
first senatorial district will do as we'll
for Col. Scott as the Lacliawanna por-
ton promises to do, his total plurality
will reach into the thousands. We sus-
pect that 1t will.