The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1896-12-17
THE COLUMBIAN.
BLOOMSBURG. PA.
THE CAUSE OF OUR DEFEAT.
COMMUNICATED.

Gratis have been defeated. 1t now
seems to me to be in order to deter
mine if possible the cause Of our de-
feat, in order that we may avoid
making a similar mistake in the future.
The free coinage of silver was made
the main issue, and the result seems
to indicate that a majority of our peo.
pie are not quite ready to adopt free
coinage at fixed ratio of sixteen to
one. While this may have been the
main cause of our defeat, it was not
the only one.
There was, / have no doubt, a
goodly number who would not have
hesitated to try the experiment Of free
coinage, if that had been the only OBJ
jectionable feature in the Chicago
platform. But some will say that
free coinage of silver is not an expert
ment. We have had that before and
it worked very well. That is true !;
but we have never had free coinage
under present existing circumstances.
When we had free coinage the bullion
value of silver was equal TO, and some
times exceeded, the coin value. When
the latter was the case, those having
silver bullion were not clamorous for
free coinage. Those silver men are
YER much like the rest Of mankind;
they are willing 1--WE ought rather to
say anxious) to have their silver coined
when it is to their advantage, but are
not so patriotic as to insist on having
their silver coined, when they would
be the loser thereby. This is very
natural and l am not disposed to cen
sure them for it.
There was, however, great many
who favored free coinage, who, like
myself, had no bullion to coin. They
were not actuated by any selfish mo.
tives. They honestly believed that
the increase that free coinage would
make in the volume of our currency
would make times better for us all
and it is yet to be proved that they
were in error. Those holding a diff
ferent opinion would do well not to be
too dogmatlc about it. Dogmatism
m regard to debatable questions ill
becomes finite man. A little less ar
rogance on the part of the different
factions Of the Democratic party might
have made us united party and con-
sequently victorious.
As / intimated before, there were
other objections to the Chicago plat
form. To endorse it fully was equiv
alept to endorsing Altgeld, Tillman
and Tom Watson. Conservative men
regarded this as asking too much. l
am net surprised that veteran Demo-
Gratis prepared to risk temporary de-
feat to victory with such load to
carry.
1t was hostility to McKinley's pro,
lection theories that helped to in
crease the vote for Bryan. And that
hostility will at no distant day hurl
Mckinley and his party from power,
If they attempt to put their theory into
practice. They will do well not to
delude themselves with the idea that
the people have fallen in love with a
protective tariff. Protection fosters
monopolies, trusts and combines whose
sole aim is to get all out of the people
they can, and give as little as possible
mreturn. Protection with its legiti-
mate offspring, trusts and combines,
has Gone more to concentrate the
wealth of the country in the hands of
a few individuals than the gold stand
ard ever has or can do. Let us then
first fight the greater evil, and fight it
to finish; and it will then be in
order to turn our attention to some of
the minor evils. If we pursue pol
icy that enables few individuals to
absorb all the wealth of the country,
1t hardly need concern the rest of us
what kind of money they may please
to adopt. ANTITRUST.
nm - =. a. n