The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-08-02
RIVER AT s A. M.

"Rise. Fall.
Note-Barometer corrected for temperature
and elevation p. F. Lyons, observer.
BLACKBOARD OR BRIBE-TAkERs
1t has to be laid down as broad
general proposition, from which no ex-
ceptions are to be made, that the man
who, without evidence to back his as
sertion, accuses a political opponent OF
acting from interested and corrupt mo-
tives, is himself either a blackguard or
a bride taker. We wish, furthermore,
to make the personal application of
this rule to every man and every news
paper which, in discussing the silver
question, attributes the opinions Of an
opponent to such unworthy cause.
Thus far the discussion of the finan-
cial question has been marked by a
simply disgraceful prevalence of vile
abuse. 1t is, we are compelled to say,
confined almost entirely to one side Of
the question. The advocates of free
coinage may, perhaps, offer the excuse
that their proposition rests largely
upon the gospel of envy, hatred, mall
fee and all uncharitableness They ap-
peal to the voter on the ground that
he should hate his neighbor; that he
should believe that he has been robbed
and that every mans hand is against
him, and that he should regard any
one who may differ honestly with him
in opinion as a swind1er and a hired
serving man of capital.
This sort of vile abuse has become so
prevalent that it is time to call halt
and to expose, as they deserve, the
men who resort to it to public sus-
picion and public contempt. A large
portion of the newspapers of the coun-
try that advocate the free coinage of
silver, and not few of the orators on
that side, are on record as referring re-
peatedly to the advocates of sound
money as corrupt" as ''goldbug hire
lings," as servants of corporate greed"
any man who uses these words has one
word of proof in his possession to offer
that the opinion of his opponents has
been Influenced by the considerations
here suggested, it is his duty to bring
forward that evidence and to drive
the guilty party forever from public
life and public influence, covered with
the shame of his everlasting infamy.
But if the man who uses these terms
has no proof; if he seeks merely to
on 81
cere and as honest as himself; if he
uses invective because of the paucity
of his arguments, and tries to refer to
secret and abhorrent motives a cham
piOnship which he cannot meet, then
he is, as we said at the beginning,
either at heart an unconscionable
BLACKBOARD, or himself bought for
price; and is ascribing to others the
only motives for action which he can
understand. We demand, in the inter-
est of decency and the fair fame of the
American people, that this species Of
vituperation should stop.
For ourselves, we believe In the dis
interestedness of the great majority of
the American people. A few time
servers there are, here and there,
good many trimmers, a few people who
have their price and have pocketed it.
But they have not Ieavened the whole
The masses of the American peo-
pie are fearless, honest and true. AL
most all those Of them who favor free
silver stand on that ground because
they believe, though utterly erroneous
ly, as we hold, that it is right and nee
essary. The body Of those who demand
the maintenance in this country of the
monetary system of the civilized world
do so because they are convinced that
any other course involves both national
bankruptcy and national disgrace Let
us have free field and fair fight be-
tween the representatives of the op-
posing sides of this great issue Let US
have clean campaign in all respects
The country has been congratulated
because of the apparent decency of this
struggle, and It's absence of personal
reflections upon the character. habits
or private life of the candidates for
the presidency. But that alone does
not make decent campaign; and. so
far, the verge of indeceney has been
passed by those foui-meuthed Great
ures who are scattering abroad indis-
erimfnate libeis upon men their SUI
periers in every respect, who merely
dare to differ from them in their
view Of legislative policy and lesisla-
tive power.
We have said, and we repeat it, that
we believe both sides in this discus
sion to be-. in the. main, sincere. If.
however, there were any interested mo-
tives to enter, let US see where they
would most likely be operative. Where
lies the greatest financial indueemeHt
on the side of free coinage, or against
it? Where will you find the greatest
number of men whe have a money
stake in the issue? On which side
would there be the greatest fund by
which venal men, if any such should
be found, might be hired to prustitate
themselves in behalf of an infamous
cause? Let us look at the facts and
see. Has anybody anything to gain If
GELD cash fsom the enactment of free
eeiaage2 The silver product Of tis:-