Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-10-22
is NOT IN POLITICS
BUT CANNOT KEEP QUIET THIS
YEAR.
PATRIOTIC FARM. JOURNAL
Shocking Doctrines of the Chicago Plat
form Make Silence Impossible
Archbishop ireland Writes a Vigor-
Gus Letter-Why Senator Stewart is
Tor Silver-Campaign Matters.

The Farm News OF Springfield, Ohio,
an influential farm journal having a
| large circulation throughout the coun-
Try, contains the following leading ed1-
! LCrial article in a recent issue:
! Ii mas been an unbroken rule Of
! Farm News to refrain from taking any
part IN partisan politics or discussing
questions which are issues in party
poirlicl. Under ordinary conditions no
other course is proper for a strictly ag-
ricuItural paper. In recent years the
issues between political parties have
| been such that the triumph of one or Of
the other made no radical changes
| fraught with danger to the American
people.
This year conditions are eXtraordin
airy. The questions at issue are vital
and upon their proper settlement de-
pend the happiness and prosperity of
our people, if not the perpetuity OF our
! form of government itself. After care
full elaboration, long and thoughtful
consideration Of every phase of the
question, Farm News believes that its
duty to American farmers, the duty OF
its management as American citizens,
requires that it violate its heretofore
unbroken custom.
The radical, and we believe danger
Gus, policies enunciated in the demo-
cratic platform adopted at Chicago are
a challenge to every man who believes
! in law and order, progress and prosper
| ity, national honor and national homes
! ", and to answer that challenge effect
ually there is no course open but to
advocate the election Of William Nc
Kinley.
I'VE do this not because he is a re-
publican. The mere names republican
or democrat have no meaning for us,
| as our nOn-interference in previous
elections will testify. We take this
course entirely free from partisan spirit
and no man can more bitterly regret
the necessity for such step than do
| the management of this paper Moth
ing but the strongest sense Of impera-
tive duty could force it.
AT such a crisis candOr requires a
candid statement of the reasons govern
ing this departure from an unbroken
custom.
THE free coinage of silver at Is 20 l,
demanded in the democratic platform,
means silver standard of currency for
this country. 1t is not demand for
bimetallism in any sense OF the word,
and in the opinion of the leading bimet-
allists of the world, including Gen.
Francis A. Walker, whose life and great
talents have Deen devoted to the cause
of bimetallism, the free coinage of sill
yer of this country alone will make it
practically impossible to secure for sill
yer the position which bimetallists be-
/ lieve it should occupy-equality with
gold in the currency of the world.
Silver monometallism means the re-
duction of our currency system to
equality with that of Mexico or China;
CHASING of ourselves with the govern
ments of Asia and the stagnate second
rate powers of South America. 1t
IL cans a currency fuctuating in value
from day to day, a dollar worth one
thing now and something else next
II.
period of deprecated paper money from
1862 to 1879 know the curse Of an I'M
stable currency. 1t means no fixed
level upon which all prices and all
wages can stand, but values shifting
constantly and without fixed relations.
"Outside of the radical demand for
silver monometallism, the democratic
platform enunciates doctrines that can
not be held less than direct attacks
upon law and order, and, if carried out,
would sap the very foundation of our
government.
THE thinly yelled suggestion of an
intention to pack the supreme court to
secure such decisions as party ex-
igencies might demand is revolution
airy.
The denunciation of the present ad-
ministration for using force to put
stop to rioting, plumber and murder is
a bid for support from those classes
that are inimical to all law, and is an
insult to the honest laboring men of the
country, because it assumes that they
are anarchists.
THE civil service plank is a demand
for return to the spoils system, with
all its corrupt and brutalizing conse-
Cuences.
In view of these new, radical and
dangerous doctrines which the demo-
cratic party has adopted under the lead
of reckless men, Farm News would be
recreant to duty if it failed to cast it's
influence ON the side of sound money,
respect for constitution and law, nation
al honor and prosperity.
This paper becomes no political
organ, owes feality to no man, and
when the doctrines represented in this
campaign in the personality of William
Mckinley shall have been accepted by
the American people, as we hope and
believe they will be, Farm News will
again take it's stand outside Of party
politics, in the hope that never again
will such attacks upon American in
situations be made by any political
party as to demand the alignment under
another party banner of every Ameri-
can citizen whose love for free institu-
tons is greater than his desire for party
supremacy
Archbishop Ireland Condemns Bryan
ism.
Archbishop Ireland's reply to twenty
seven prominent business men of Min
neSO+a who hova asked him fo,. Iig