The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-06-23
WHITNEY'S PLEA.

William c. Whitney's plea for the saliva
ton of the Democratic party is a confess
sion as well as an argument. he says
crisis like as in 1860 is upon the party and
he predicts that it will be crushed next
November as it was thirty-six years ago.
The party is united, he says. upon every
question of National policy except the one
of free silver coinage, which is true, but
that is quite enough to prevent harmonious
and undivided action upon the other prin-
ciples of government. The fact is, the
party has outlived its usefulness. 1t has
failed to keep abreast of the times. 1t
still plows with "bull-tongue" and
thrashes with fail. 1t refuses to learn
by experience or observation. The earth
is fat. the sun moves and the Democratic
party wears its coat ''all buttoned up be-
FORE" as Old Father Grimes wore his.
But while admitting the deplorab Bile con-
dltion of his party and foreseeing almost
certain humiliating defeat in November,
to be followed by disintegration, Mr..
Whitney does not altogether lose hope.
He is not heels over head in the mad
waves of despair, though be is nearly des-
perate and discouraged enough to sink
and let the waters cover forever his ambi-
ton to be President of the United States
He advises the Chicago convention to for
mulate Joseph's coat kind of a platform
"a mixture of declarations of principles
to blend so perfectly in harmony, or
rather would appear so at distance, that
the very elect would be willing to swear
that it was the work of the reincarnated
minds of Thomas Jefferson and Andrew
Jackson. In other words, Mr.. Whitney
would have the Chicago platform so
adroitly straddle the silver question that
the goldites would order banquet served
to celebrate their victory and the silverites
would sing hymns OF praise to the Giver of
every good and perfect gift for giving the
enemy over into their hands-a platform
fashioned after an old game of chance,
"Now you see it and now you don't"
Mr.. Whitney recited the fact, which
every body but Teller, Boies and Bland has
known for long time, that the countries
of the United States, Germany, France,
Italy, Austria, Holland and Belgium are
ready TO hold an international congress to
devise ways and means to reinstate silver
in the monetary system of the world of
commerce and trade and security invest
drifting toward the same purpose, and
that in the near future a congress of the
nations will be held and bimetallism &C
cepted as the basis of redemption money.
But Mr.. Whitney merely elaborated the
meaning of the st. Louis platform. The
Republican party is solemnly pledged to
use the mighty influence of the United
States to hasten the calling of the nations
of the commercial world in conference to
prepare stable and lasting monetary sys-
tenn that shall be the same everywhere,
meantime to not disturb the existing sys-
tenn. The Republican party is as much of
a bimetallic party as it is a protection
party, but it will take little time to dis
entangle the snarls into which the Demo-
cratic party's incapacity has placed the
country.
The purpose of Mr.. Whitney is to first
blind the rank and file of his party by the
glare of highly FURNISHED subterfuge, eva
sion and hypocrisy, and then inveigle
them into his gold trap, for his wing of
the Democratic party is for the gold
standard now and forever: The leaders of
the wing are, for the most part, those who
toll not neither do they spin. They live
upon investments, and the greatest labor
they perform is clipping coupons from
their bonds. Such individuals look upon
silver as plebeian money but they can
not fool anybody with their talk about
bimetallism. AS we have said, the st.
Louis platform contem plates bimetalllc
currency at the earliest possible moment,
but meanwhile it thinks it best not to fly
from ills We have to others we know moth
ing about. The Dollar of our Daddies'
will be in evidence and the Republican
party will issue the mandate that shall
make it as good dollar OF redemption as
hn- Kind of a dollar