The herald., 1896-10-12

tngton. the counterpart of which In ma
9csty and in power to enforce justice
does not exist among the nations of
Chrtstendom. Put, as far as it is possi-
Die to human ingenuity, outside of par
ylnan politics, independent of all politi-
al Influences through their life tenure
of Office, the judges of this court rule
congress and president, states and ma
ton, and expound the law in all Its in
dexibility, no matter who or what must
yield to 1t. And now convention speaks
Of the supreme court las it may be here
after constituted" intimating unmis-
1 takably the intention, if the party rep
resented in that convention caSle to
Bower, so to constitute the courts
/. By the popular election of the
Judges. by the shortening of their terms
Of office, or otherwise, as to make it in
sensible to the stern voice of the law
and responsive to the passing whims of
Political parties
Worse, to my mind, than all this, is
the spirit Of socialism that permeates
the whole movement which has issued
1fom the convention of Chicago. 1t is
s'the International of Europe, now taxi
ing body in America OF this one can
not but be convinced when the move
ment is closely observed, the shibboleths
Of its adherents listened to, the discourse
q of it's orators carefully examined. The
war of class against class is upon us, the
war of the proletariat against the prop
erty holder. No other meaning than this
can be given to the appeals to the COM
mon people," to the "laborer," to the
, ''poor and down-trodGsn" and to the de-
nunciations against 'plutocrats" and
Corporations and money grabbers'
and bankers"
Many adherents of the movement per-
ceive its full meaning; but let them be-
ware. They are lighting torches which,
burning in the hands of reckless men,
may light up the lurid flames of the
Commune. America, heretofore, has
been free from Socialistic warfare; it has
been a country of opportunities for all
men and it has given to the laborer a
livelihood higher and better than is af-
forded him in any other country in the
world. Is this all to be changed? Is
social chaos, gloating over ruins. to be
the method of social elevation of the
masses? There may be room in some
things for peaceful amelioration through
q well-informed public opinion and or
sderly legislation; but class hatred and
angry passion never lead to aught but
general misery and suffering.
The people of America must today
look warily round, guard against catch
words and misleading war cries, avoid
giving any countenance to Socilaistic or
anarchistic tendencies and know that
the first condition of prosperity to any
and all classes of the people is peace
full commonwealth and assured social
order.
The monetary question is, indeed, a
secondary issue in this campaign. I
have, however. my convictions in this
matter. The free and unlimited coinage
of silver dollars at ratio of 16 to by the
United States Independently of the great
commercial nations into dollars which
shall be made legal tender, will disturb
the whole business of the country and
bring upon it financial depression far
beyond anything which we are now eX-
periencing.
lam often confronted with the pamph-
let of Archbishop Walsh of Dublin on
bimetallism, as a reply to my objection
to the silver resolution of the Chicago
convention. The pamphlet of Archbish-
op Walsh has no bearing whatever on
the situation in America. The archbish-
op discusses bimetallism versus mono
metallism-and that only from one
point Of view, the effect of monometal-
1ism upon farmers contracts under the
land purchase act in Ireland. He ex-
presses no opinion as to the ratio in
which silver is to be coined, and he man.
ifestly presupposes that bimetallism
would be brought about under an in
India was unable to keep up a silver cur
rency Independently of European ma
tions.
1t was impossible for India to obtain
the loans that are absolutely necessary
for the development Of the country, and
the reason was the "fluctuation in the
relative value of the rupee" 1T is the
silver currency Of China" he adds, that
stops the making of railways in that
country"
Walshs pamphlet is throughout SOL
i'd argument against the Chicago plat
form. To what he says we might add
that France and all the countries OF the
Latin union together were ultimately
compelled to give up bimetallism so long
as other countries of Europe would not
cooperate with them.
The question before the people of
America today is the coinage of silver
by this country independently of the
great commercial nations of the world
at the ratio of 16 to 1. This ratio is the
double of the present commercial value
of silver. The consequences of unlimit-
ed coinage in these circumstances are
easily perceived. The one fspe of the
silver party is that under free coinage
we will raise the value of silver to il. 29
per ounce, measured in gold. On what
authority is this said? On the mere word
of the men who make the assertion. The
experience of our own country CONTRA
diets the assertion. The purchasing
OF fifty millions worth of silver bullion
per year under the Sherman act was not
able to prevent the fall in the value of
silver from over dollar an ounce to its
present low value. The experience of
France contradic.s the assertion; {;
France, with all the countries of the
Latin union, had to give up the coinage
of silver, lest overloaded with the silver
of the world, it should lose all it's gold.
Common sense is against the assertion.
Silver is now produced in such quanti-
ties at such small expense of production
that it's value cannot be kept up to its
former standard. And is the whole bus
mess of America to be imperiled by a
leap into an experiment which those very
men who advocate it confess to be only
an experiment, and which experience and
common sense condemn?
The boast that the United States is
able alone to whip England and the rest
of the world into the coinage of silver
at 16 to 1, or to force the value of silver
UP to $1.29 an ounce, Is mere nonsense.
We are great people, indeed. but we
have not yet grown to that commercial
strength that our country means the
commercial world. Our national pride
may give UP extraordinary dreams of
our Importance, but it will not do to
build the business of the country upon
these dreams. Would all the commercial
nations together coming silver at 16 to
bring up the silver value of bullion to
$1.29 per ounce? Perhaps-stlong COM
mercial reasons suggest the contrary.
Would America alone bring silver to