The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-04-26
MORRISON Stops OVER.

The chairman of the interstate COM
merce commission, the Hon. VIM. X.
Morrison, has many friends who hold
that he is good presidential timber
But Morrison like every other candl-
date, Cleveland and Carlisle excepted,
is confronted by the financial question
None of them can dodge it. There Is
no other question, so far as the average
would-be candidate is concerned, we
care not what his party affiliations or
political convictions. Mckinley sue
cessfuIly appropriated the protective
idea, but he did it at very early date,
long before the currency question had
become so persistent But even Nc
kinney is running up against the multi
money problem not unfrequently of
late. Colonel Morrison has been quite
successful in keeping his presidential
boom along with his ambition in the
background, but having let down the
bars the very first bound into the field
finds him tangled up in the same barb
ed-wire fence into which every other
candidate has run, and so he has been
compelled to outline his financial views
with reference to what that Chicago
crowd of Democrats may be demand
ing in June. From his explanation it
looks as if he was in the position of
man who wants something bad but
don't know exactly what it is that he
does want ''GOld," says Colonel Nor
riSOn, sis now too narrow and insult
ficient as a basis alone" Good for
Billy. That is as true as gospel and
will meet with a responsive yell all
along the line. But then the great
freight manipulation goes on to say:
eff 1 had my way about it, l would
as is said in the act repeating the Sher
man law, continue the use Of both gold
and silver as standard money. If you
are going to ask me how this is 10 be
done, 1 say frankly do not see the
way under present circumstances with
out cooperation of other countries, and
this cooperation L see no immediate
prospects of securing"
In that sentence the redOubtable Bill
" steps from the silver ledge into the
gold hole where he will founder with
the rest of the goldbugs until he is
Strangled. Colonel Morrison should
rather have said: the way to do it is
to do it. There would have been just
as much logic in demOnetiZing gold as
there was in demonetizing silver, and
there would be no more difficulty in
maintaining silver as a standard than
gold, or both than one. The equality
of values, at the ratio Of production,
would be as sure under the same treat
ment as the disparity Of today is under
discrimination, and that without ref
erence to what Asia, Europe or Africa
might do, so far as the commerce,
values and interests and prosperity of
this country are concerned. SO far as
other countries are concerned Amer
ica'S Standard Of money cuts no figure.
No other country accepts our money |
as such. In settling balances they |
pay no attention to what is stamped |
upon our coins. Its the metal that |
goes, or our promises to pay values.
The distinguished gentleman from Hi
rois Will have to try again or other
wise lay away his little bOOmlet. His
talk about the safeguard of legislation
becomes nonsense. If legislation is an
effective safeguard and prop for gold,
it would prove equally efficacious for
silver. There is no such thing as in |
ternational money, therefore ''inter- |
national agreement is illogical.