The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-05-15
A Spurious Howl.

The Philadelphia Press is convinced
that no human power can prevent the
nomination Of William Mckinley for
president at st. Louis. He already"
it says, has a clear majority Of the
whole convention. Not all the frantic
squirmng of the combine, not all the
hypocritical pretenCes of the mugWump
allies of the bosses, not all the hollow
fiction of imaginary concern about fan
ciful spooks can defeat him" Further
more. "the platform of the st. Louis
convention will be a clear, ringing, en-
phatic, unmistakable honest money
platform. 1t will declare uneQuivocally
against free. unlimited and Independent
silver coinage, and will unqualiliedly
sustain and demand the maintenance of
the present gold standard SO long as
the great commercial nations of the
world stand on that basis" And final
ly, Major McKinley's letter of accept
tance will plant the candidate square
ly and unreservedly on the platform.
That will be the appropriate time for
him to speak, and he will speak in no
uncertain tones. He will speak so
clearly, 50 strongly and SO understand
ingly for honest money, in the interest
of the laboring man as well as the bank
er, that the few sincere men who now
claim to have doubts will be ashamed
of themselves, and the many insincere
men who falsely pretend to be skeptical
as a mere piece of political trickery
will be confounded. abashed and over
whelmed."
This deliverance may be regarded as
an authoritative presentation of the
Mckinley case, since it appeared direct
ly following the visit of the editor of
the Press to grand conference of the
Mckinley managers held on Tuesday
in New York. 1t means, among other
things, that the Ohio candidate will not
in his individual capacity, deign to no.
tice the present spurious and artificial
clainor of his opponents for cross
examination of himself upon the money
question. In this determination both
he and his friends are undoubtedly
wise The contemporary spasm of pop
ular reaction from the time-honored
attitude of the Republican party in fav-
or of bimetallism threatens to be as
short-lived and as soon repented as was
the similar reaction, four years ago,
toward the free trade craze which was
then being fostered by the same in
iluences that now fill the atmosphere
with a vociferous howl for gold mono-
metallism. Major Mckinley weathered
the gale then, and he need not fear to
stand out against the companion gale
of today. He is for sound money, of
course. But he is not likely to be en-
trapped into needless and, so far as
the future Is concerned, perhaps a dan
serous declaration of war against the
double standard, simply to crafty a
| class of men, who would be just as
much dissatisfied and irreconcilable
after he should have spoken as they
pretend to be now
We trust that Major Mckinley pos
| sesses the foresight to perceive that if
the Republican party wishes to remain
national party and not warp up into
the party of one class and one section,
its membership must soon call a halt
to the rampant dogmatism of the hour
which would crack every head that does
not swallow ready-made financial
opinions in direct conflict with the
party's past record and traditions; and
| must substitute in place thereof q spir-
| it of Willingness to make reasonable
concessions. The position Of the Re
! publican party since it's organization
| has been one of declared friendiness
| to silver; one of belief in the possibil-
, ity and the practicability of the double
| standard; one of willingness to make
serious effort to bring about the remon-
etiZation of the white metal throughout
the world. To insist that in one in
stant all this must be kicked over and
silver inconsistently banned and damn
ed is to take risks which few men who
look ahead will estimate as either wise
or safe. Therefore, while the next plat
form may in spirit of caution recon-.
mend that no change in the present
standard be made until it can be at
tempted under the guaranty. Of inter
national cooperation, 1t is sheer lunacy
to expect or to ask a radical and dog.
matte declaration of war on silver. Wt
suspect that Mckinley sees this. If som,
of his critics do not.
| .
While It probably is true that Edward
]. Addicks does not represent the high.
est type of Delaware Republlcanism, Il
| is equally true thnt TUESDAYS bolt o1