Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1896-10-12
MONDAY Evening. OCT. 10, 1896.
PROFESSOR ANDREW D. WHITE, fol

some reason OF QUIET, PoooioiJ
he is holding a fat office under MIR.
Cleveland, appears very anxious TO cut
figure in the pending campaign. he
has never displayed any great political
ability, and his selection for some I'M
portant trust under republican admins
trations of the past was due to his lit
erary ability, and not to any distinction
won in the field of politics. Not long
ago he was put on the we'll paid Vene-
zuelan Boundary Commission, posi-
ton for which he is much better quail
fed than for dabbling in politics. At
the outset of this campaign he rushed
into print as violent critic of the Chi
cago democratic platform and candi-
date, calling its supporters anarchists"
and indulging in language far better
suited to the lips of Bowery black
guard than one who had previous
claims to be regarded as gentleman.
This diatribe passed almost unnoted.
When lot of fools set to braying, the
one that brays the loudest and the long
est secures the most attention. We fail
to see any effect produced by MIR.
Whites first essay, unless, perhaps, it
helped to incite the Yale hoodlums to
their BLACKBOARD behavior on the occa-
sion of Mr.. Bryan's visit to New Haven.
Mr.. White was not, however, discour
aged. He rushed again eagerly into
print, with letter to Governor Culber-
son, of Texas, on the subject of Prince
Bismarck's recent letter, in which he
expressed the opinion that independent
action for free coinage by the
United States would promote like
action by European powers. Professor
White makes these points;
lst. That the Bismarck letter was
wrongly translated and did not favor
independent action by the United States
that there was as to this "a forged in-
depreciation, sc.
End. That Professor White knew all
about what Bismarck was doing in
1872 and '73, watched him like hawk,
hobnobbed with him and sounded all
the depths of his character. All this is
stated or implied with refreshing
modesty.
3rd. That Bismarck is sad, deceiv-
ing old man, who first demonetized sill
yer and now, twenty.three or twenty.
four years afterwards, wants to get rid
of his surplus silver by persuading the
United States to 60 it alone, or, to quote,
4'show his German patriotism by oblig-
ingly suggesting to you Governor Gull
berson) and through you to the Amer
lean people, policy which would profit
Germany to the amount Of about fifty
millions of dollars"
Now we can stand No. 2 proposition
very we'll. A little human vanity is
yerv common and not ESPECIALLY danger
GUS. But we respectfully suggest that
propositions No. and No. 3 are decid-
edly inconsistent. If Bismarck didn't
favor independent action by us, why
hold him up as deep, designing villain?
And if he did advise independent &C.
ton, why be hypocritical about it, and
allege perversion of his letter? Our
neighbor, the Washington Sentinel,
edited by an accomplished German
American, has made translation
of the Bismarck letter, which
makes it better authority for bimetal-
lism and independent action by this
country than any version heretofore
printed. There can be no doubt of the
good faith of this translation. In it the
Prince says be "always" entertained
preference for bimetallism and only
yielded to experts in going against it.
We believe this to be q candid state
ment. 1t is not the first time Bismarck
has expressed change of the position
he took in 1928. His son, Count Her
bert Bismark, is well-known and emil
nent bimetallist.
This declaration coming from the
greatest of German statesmen is an OBJ.
stacle to the bigots who aim to force
monometallism upon this country by
employing vulgar epithets, by whole
sale bribery of the elections, and by
general system of repression and
coercion. But it is not necessary to
have this high authority to support
the cause of bimetallism. The point
on which Prince Bismark speaks is
whether the Independent action of the
United States would lead to similar
action abroad. There can hardly be
q doubt that it would do so. Silver
was not demonetized by an agreement
or bv an international conference. Each
nation acted by and for itself--Great
Britain as early as 1916. Silver money
can only be restored in the same way.
The United States, as Senator Morgan
has plainly shown, cannot by treaty
settle this matter, the subject belong
ing by the Constitution exclusively to
Congress. 1t is their right and duty
to "coin money" as they did by the
laws OF 1872 and 1887, not stopping to
enquire whether Great Britain liked il
~ -