New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-02-28
VICTORY CLOTHED AS DEFEAT.

VICTORY CLOTHED AS DEFEAT
Protection and Rcpubcanism really gain their
greatest victory for many years by the event Of
the week The blessings which are SO large that
until the eye gets used to them they appear no
blessings at all come not rarely disguised as de
fcats. The reverse in 1874 which reduced the
Republican force in the House from over two
hundred 10 about one hundred members
forced upon the party an end Of all paltcr-
ing with the Grcrnback craze. and Protection
with specie resumption proved stronger than
ever. In Ike manner the defeat Of the cmcr
gency Tariff bill, and the bald declaration that
there shall be no more Protection without free
coinage. make an end of all paltcring with the
silver craze and force the party 10 become
stronger than ever in the great commercial States
TO which, as to the productive industries, sound
money is a necessity.
The long headed men in Congress perceive. as
Senator Platt said that the vote this week
strikes the death-knel Of silver agitation Once
set against protection TO American industries. il
inevitably goes down. Twenty million wage
carners care nothing for monetary theories, but
know when works are closed or wages reduced
by foreign competition. The silver men have
for years pretended that they being sincere Pro-
tectionsts, only wanted protection for silver also
Now they pull off the mask, and admit that "A
duty Of a thousand per cent against foreign ST.
yer would not induce them 10 vote for Tariff
bill. because it Is not protection against foreign
competition that they want. They demand that
Government shall buy up all the silver they can
produce at about twice its market value. That
Is not protection. but robbery. Who darcS 10 ask
that Government pay SO per ton for all The pig
iron anybody can make: Protection seeks the
development Of industries for the express pur-
pose Of securing cheaper products for the mill
ions by domestic competition. as well as larger
| employment and better wages for labor. The
silver boilers demand price artihcillly main
tanned for silver. so that every wagc-carncr shall
be forced to pay more dollars for the nccessares
OF life
The silver craze was born Of the panic Of 1893,
and it is fitting that the panic Of 1893 should
bring It's burial. Restoration Of prosperity is not
possible until labor has adequate protection and
the men who stop protection and prosperity are
setting the whole Nation against them and their
theories The latest pretcnce is that bimctalliSm
alone can defend the United States against sil-
ver-using countries; but why: Because they
y
tage. 1t is false, but the argument is a confess
sion and disclosure that what the silver boilers
want is cheap money here. a dcbascmcnt Of the
currency so that we can compete on equal terms
with the lands where Is cents a day are good
wages In the light Of this new argument the
silver men have been dishonest for twenty years
in pretending that they did not want 10 dcbase
the currency in the least. What the wagc-carn-
4 T.. 80.
for everything they buy, ard the wagccarnerS
make the laws for this country, the Presidents
and also the Senators.
Senator Carriers excuse calls for only one word;
II is dishonest. He knows. and the world knows,
that he stands in conspiracy with Senator Du-
bois, who the same day publicly asserted again
that there should never be another protective
tariff without free coinage Mr.. Carriers friends
in Montana are not Of the species TO respect IA
nan for setting up a false pretcnce which de-
ccives nobody He does not think the cmcr-
gcncy bill sufficiently protective; nor does any
Republican. But is that an honest reason for
refusing TO the wool growers If Montana what
ever relief they can get? Granted the measure
Is not planned on Republican lines; II 1t had
been no man could have imagined that the Pres
ident would sign it. 1t is not such tariff as
any Republican would vote for If a better were
possible Put Mr.. Carter will take notice that
il Is such Il tariff as no Republican wonld vote
against when lao better is possible. Excuses
known to be untruthful will not serve the pur-
pose or save the reputation Of the men who have
made war against Protection and against any
relief to American wool GROWERS and wagc-carn-
ers with public proclamation that they do so in
order TO force free coinage The result will be
to turn voters by the million against any and
every dickerng with silver, and TO render more
/ intense and powerful than ever the demand Of
| American wagc-carncrs for protection.