The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1896-05-05
sheep vs. silver.
tKetchum Keystone.l

consider themselves particularly
fortunate in obtaining at this
time-on the eve of a general
political campaign-the follow
ing bold confirmation of the true
position occupied by our Cover
nor with reference to silver and
tariff. 1t is an interview tele-
graphed to the Salt Lake Taib-
atne from San Francisco under
date of the goth instant:
"Gov. Mcconnell of Idaho ar
rived in this city today. The
Governor does not agree with
the silver senators who defeated
the tariff bill. He said II be-
lieve the five senators who rec
entity voted against the consider
alton of the revenue bill made a
mistake. 1t matters not what
action is taken on the silverques-
ton, this government must have
a sufficient revenue to pay it's
running expenses without con
tinually resorting to the sale of
bonds. Free and unlimited coin
age would not furnish this rev.
enue, because silver so coined
would not belong to the general
government, but to the individ-
uals who took the bullion to the
mints.
Outside of the absolute need
of the revenue which the bill
was intended to provide, the pro-
lection it contained was very inn
portant to some of our western
Enthusiastically the wool in
dustry, as well as the lead indus
try. Protection of sc per pound
on wool would materially aid our
wool-growers at the present
time. The vote taken on silver
during this session of the Honse
shows that a large majority is
against free coinage.
II would suggest that before
any further attempt is made to
secure the passage of a free coin
age act, we ascertain by resolu-
ton or otherwise whether Con-
gress is in favor of this govern
ment being run by departments,
according to the theories of the
heads of the departments, or
whether it is a government of
the people by the people, or
whether it is a governmental de-
partments run in the interest of
money changers. After we have
the laws as they are now on our
statutes, we will then renew the
discussion of free and unlimited
coinage of silver in the hope of
greater success than we have
met with in our former efforts. !"
This is not surprise to us.
We have known the Governor S
position from the first on these
momentous questions. We have
heard it confirmed dozen times
in his public addresses, butnever
SO emphatically. We thank him
in behalf of the liberty. leving
citizens of Idaho for this unmis-
taxable expression. 1t plainly
places the governor in his cor
rect relative position as between
q score of sheep men and a hun
dred thousand people directly
and indirectly engaged in the
mining industry in this State. II
banishes the assumption that
Governor Mcconnell has ever
before spoken the whole truth in
his life on the silver question,
and although the governor of a
state more exclusively engaged
in silver mining than any other
in the Union, this man, who holds
the reins and sets the pace of a
hundred thousand defrauded citi
zens@nd exposes them to the
criticism of 20, 900, 600 Americans
comes to point blank repudia
ton ola cherished principle upon
which our lives and our futur,
welfare depend. 1t places hin
properly with the great eastern
goldbug wing of the republican
party as against a handful o
patriotic silver republicans VIII,
have stood out manfully as |
striking exception to the domin
ating opposition of that party il