The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-06-26

change her imperial standard. As ~
standard was gold. that announcement
ended all possibility of any praetici
: result from that conference. sine
that time and within the last year ht
legislative assemblies have spcciflcally
: by votes of instructions to her minls
: tiers, changed her attitude upon IN
point, 80 that the special objection
. Germany encountered by the confer
ence of 1892 has been since reconsider
ed and withdrawn.
"At the present moment German
France, Italy, Austria, Holland, bel
gium and the United States wish I
co operate for the establishment am
maintenance of the john standard D.
international agreement ana "a mos
important circumstance) Great Brit
ain has recently within three month
in fact made a most important con
cession. She has said: We vii do 10
you as much as you can do for your
selevs. We will make this great con
tribution to a bimetallic system. w
will 20 back upon the deliberately ar
ranged methods of providing a curren
cy for India. We win reopen the In
dian minis We will engage that the,
shall be kept open and we shall there
fore provide for free coinage of silve
within the limits of theBritlsh empire
for population greater in number thar
the populations ofGermany, France ant
America put together.
Into this long and now Just abou
to be successful struggle for the estab
lishment of Joint standard it is pro
posed that we should proceed by as
suming to establish il at once. Against
this proposed action on our part these
earnest believers in and workers or The
cause strenuousy protest. They say t.
us; You cannot succeed and your fail
ure will discredit the cause.
The recent article of DIR. Ahrendt in
the North American Review shows
very clearly the view taken by our
friends abroad upon the subject. lie
has done much and probably more
than any living man to advocate and
bring to its dominating position in
Germany this cause. One Of the orig
inaI organizers of the bimetallic league
in Germany is entitled to be called
one of the leaders OF public opinion
in Europe upon this subject. 1t was
upon his motion in the Prussian
chamber of deputies that the position
of Germany was modified within the
last year. He expresses the opinion
that free coinage undertaken by the
United States alone would end simply
in silver monometaIlism aud discredit
and put back the cause Of the double
standard the world over.
lit is a question Of not what we
WISH but what We are able 10 do. \
strong man may undertake task too
great for his strength and break
down.
"lt cannot be done The fighting
among our people is that this free
coinage by the United States alone
will not give us the gold and silver
money at parity with each other
(which is the assumption upon which
it is undertaken but will bring US TO
silver recommendation and change IN
oAr standard OF values. And tina;
change, il is believed, means immetii
ate ruin to our industries and no per
manent good to anyone.
This feeling is general and in
tense. Whether these differences can
be reconcilei it Is Impossible to antic
ipate. The Democratic party stands
for principles desirable to be main
tanned for the good of the country.
Most any sacrifice might be asked Of
Democrats for the sake of the panty
and they would cheerfully make il.
But if the delegates from this locality
should 90 10 that convention and rep.
resent that the rank and lille Of the
party would follow the lead of the
brethren and vote for the
free coinage Of silver by the United
States alone they would lie misrcpre-
senting the state Of public opinion
here.
Whether it is so or rot, il is con
sidered proposition TO debase the ey
list ing Standard Of values. And the
same feeling Of indisposition Of com
promise with that matter, for votes or
anything else, is as active and dom
Inant here in our barty as il was found |
10 the Republican party when it bore
down and overpowered the Mckinley |
machine.
Personally il is my opinion that if |
the Democratic party goes on to that |
platform at this time il will meet the |
most disastrous defeat that any party |
has ever had in this country. | under
stand it is honestly believed in and |
people think il will bring relief from
heir present troubles, but bcwteen |
low and election day il will be pretty |
thoroughly sifted and the people OF |
his country will not face the disturb |
nee of values, the loss of confidence, I
he general distress and ruin which |
would come 10 their business in the I
vent of such change in their stand I
Ird of value as would arise from such I
Iction. And il will, in my opinion, /
" erwhclm the persons who undertake
/.
1T ought not to be necessary for me
10 say anything of personal nature
lind myself, however, spoken of here
md there as a possible candidute-not
cry seriously or prominently, but
to attract attention, il |
hould fail to notice it. 1t sometimes
fleets ones influence in cases like the
resent | have no personal motive in
ntering this fight. | have said that
would not be candidate will add,
copying the emphatic language once
Ised by the late Gen. SheImnn u
h in k | remember il correctly Il will
lot run If nominated nor serve if
lected.. ] am not foolish enough to
oppose that any Eastern man, could
e nominated by this convention much
ass that | could. | sympathize thor
ughly with the feeling in the South
nat caused this uprising and will find
is ex Expression at Chicago, but as to
be principles which the uprising has
rought forth and the issues being
-amed, | entirely disagree.