The Portland daily press., 1896-04-07
THE FINANCIAL PLANK.
Managing Politicians Now Figuring on
the Republican Deliyerances,
Washington Star. }

1t is now possible for the managing
financial plank of the ST. Louis plat
form, and many of them are improving
the opportunity. The East has spoken
through New York, and Massachusetts,,
the Middle States through Ohio, and the
Northwest through MINES ota and South
Dakota, and the belief is that the ma
uional platform of the Republican party
respecting the money question will be
evolved out of these local deliverances
The first thing observed is that the note
OF an international agreement on the
question of reopeninR the minis to silver
is heard from every quarter. 1t is
little clearer in Ohio than in New York
Or Massachusetts, but it is plain enough
in the East. The gist of the matter
from every quarter seems to be this The
United States cannot afford. separately
and alone, Go adopt the policy Of free
coinage, and will not do SO. Such poll
cy would only Do safe through the agen-
cy of an international agreement. As
matters now stand, every dollar now in
circulation in this country must BIZ kept
rs good as the gold dollar, and gold
must be forthcoming to meet all the ends
of redemption. Such is accepted in polit-
ical circles as being in substance the at
titude of all Republicans except those in
the silver mining States Of the West.
This, then, it is believed, will mark
the line of battle at St. Louis. Nine
tenths of the party will be willing to ex-
press friendship for silver and to formally
and sincerely commit the party to an
effort, in case OF success at the polls. to
help rehabilitate silver as a money metal
by means of an international agreement.
The remaining one-tenth-composed of
several silyer-producing States Of the
West-will demand an unconditional deo-
laration in favor of free coinage at 16
to /, and thus the war over the platform
will be begun.
What ground of compromise will open
to Improvement? The policy of pnrchas-
ing silver bullion has been repudiated by
the vote of the party in Congress. That,
it is assumed, cannot be returned to.
The silver men themselves have confessed
to its failure while the law was in oper-
alton. is there anything possible, there
fore, but to declare 1t here for free coin
age, providing it can be brought about
by international agreement, or for free
coinage without any condition whatever !?
And if that proves to be the situation at
10 the one-tenth, or even be very far
guided by t,or wit the one tenth linked
to the nine-tenths by many
strong bonds, withdraw from further
fellowship and go over to the third party
The issue beirg thus reduced to that
of an international agreement, the ques-
ton of the power Of this government to
bring suoh an arrangement about is re-
garded MS of very great moment. Thi
silver men insist that this government
is so strong and its credit so high. it
need not wait on the rest of the world
in this business. Let it, they urge, but
take the step, and other oountries-eyen
Englaud-will be obliged to follow. They
denounce the talk about an international
agreement as only an excuse devised by
the gold men to avoid action. But the
gold men-or bimetalists, as they think
they are entitled TO be called-decline to
go this far, and insist that to take such
action as the silver men demand, with
out first securing the cooperation of at
least some of the other great money pow
ers, would bring about calamity the
like of which the world of business has
never up to this time known.