Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-06-02
THE FIGHT IN OHIO
Struggle for Supremacy Between
Silver and Sound Money Democrats.
GOV. BOOKWALTER GIVES His VIEWS
He Thinks Cleveland May Again
Force Himself on the Country.
THE FINANCIAL QUESTION

The growth CT the silver sentiment
among the democrats in Ohio is one of the
remarkable things about the curious polti-
cal developments of this campaign. The
fight for supremacy in Ohio is contest
between the silver democrats, headed by
Gov Bookwalter and Jonn r. Mclean and
the administration people, rather than be-
tween the Bookwalter and the Brlce
forces. Attorney General Harmon, who is
not politician at all, and Gov. Campbell,
who Is not the sort Of hard and fast ad-
ministration man that Cleveland likes TO
rely on, represent the admir- istration in as
much as it is represented in Ohio politics by
men of more than local reputatio Brice
is not figuring much in the fight.
Bookwalter and Mclean have for long
tima taken very little part in politics.
Bookwalter, who is a ricn man. has been
devotinS himself to his business affairs
and to travel most of the time since he
was the democratic candidate for governor
succeeding his term as lieutenant COVER
nor, and Mclean has been devoting him
self entirely to business, yielding the poit-
ical field to Brice.
Interest in Their Activity.
The activity Of these two men. all of
sudden, has excited considerable interest
representative of The Star had a long
talk with Gov. Bookwalter last evening
Bookwalter has spent much time in Russia,
China, Japan, India and in the European
countries, and has famliarized himself
with the politics of the world. He regards
the present curious political situation in
this country as not due entirely to local
causes. and says that the great politics of
the time is an information and a race
struggle for commercial and Industrial su-
premacy.
Danger tn CleveInuI
He says that in his opinion there is dan
ger of Mr.. Cleveland forcing himself upon
the country again, in spite of the silver
triumphs in the democratic party, and all
the prestige the republicans have got
through democratic failures He thinks
Cleveland has the power, through the use
of lingo sentiment, and may have the
inclination to play upon the spirit to
maintain his supremacy in the country.
Il am quoted in some papers," said Mr..
Bookwalter, ''as advocating the nomina-
tion of Cleveland on a war and free silver
platform In view of Cleveland's uncom-
promising advocacy of gold 1t is needless
for me to say that such a stultification
would mean disaster to the democratic
party. What might happen If, In the near
future, the public mind should become
infiamed upon interna tional questions now
pending and the war issue spring forward
and (as is always the case) completely
submerge and suplant all internal issues
and questions Is quite another matter
The Financial Struggle.
Speaking of the financial struggle, Mr..
Bookwalter said:
Il am opposed to the attempt to establish
a single gold basis. as there Is not, and can
never be, sufficient amount of that metal
to carry on the rapidly developing business
of the world.
when the late Brussels conference broke
up it was a no less parsonage than Baron
Rothschild who declared that general COM
mercial and financial ruin would follow, If
the world were thrown on a gold basis.
while il has been the habit of the west
ern world to regard the people of the orient
fixed and imbedded in letharSy and in
&C tion as incapable of DEVELOPMENT in ac-
evident to observant travellers that such
is not the case, but, on the contrary, there
Is in the pOpuous east latent energy and
capacity for development and growth on
western lines and ideas we'll nigh illi-nit-
| able.
japan and Russia.
What is there in the talk Of japanese
encroachment on our trader"
The recent rapid advance of Japan,
| startling no less in Its suddenness than in
| Its evidence of permanence, suggests what
can and what will probably occur ar,ong
| 100 or 500 millions of other peoples pos
sessed of equal powers of expansion and
absorption. 1t has been an idea current
until recent years that Russia was a semi
| barbarous, bankrupt nation, Incapable of
| advance on the more modern lines Within
| a few years We have witnessed q display Of
| her most marvellous capacity for growth
| and expansion. She has not only suddenly
| sprung TO the front an agricultural ma
| tion of such Importance as to stand as an
| everlasting menace to our own nation in
| European markets. but she has become
the protector and builder of the most gil
| gantic railroads on the GLOBE and In sun
| dry other directions in the world Of indus
| try and trade is giving evidence Of a quick
| enlnS In commercial and industrial life
| Such has been her recent growth in
| trade and commerce that even now she is
| making alarming inroads on our gold SUP
| ply to Increase her monetary facilities con-
| sequent upon this sudden enlargement Of
| her home and external trade. AS Russia
| has but little over 400 millions cf available
gold, 1t would require additional two
| billions Of dollars to supply her with the
| same per capita amount possessed as an
| average in England, France and Germany
| To supply this and to meet the wants due
to her increase of population would require
| the complete absorption Of the entire pres
| ent output of the world for ever twelve
| years, leaving nothing to De used in the
| arts.
The Development Of the West
| Suppose China, with her population of
| nearly 900 millions, Persia and other
! Asiatic nations were to initiate the ex-
ample Of Japan and Russia-where will the
| requisite volume of money come from to
meet the vast necessities thus created? To
realize what a stupendous absorption of
capital will occur when Russia, China and
| Japan alone are once in the full tide of de-
velopment, glance Of what has happened
| in the western world in contradistinction
to the orient in the short space of fifty
years will show With a population of less
than $50 millions, they have within that
| time, built over 400 thousand miles of rail-
roads, absorbing nearly forty billions of
| money; they have absorbed over four bill
| lions in steamships, have constructed vast
systems of telegraphs, and other electric
appliances; have developed cities by the
hundreds. and lands by the millions of
acres, and in scores of other directions
have employed and absorbed capital, the
gross sum of which staggers the mind in
| its effort-to compute. If this has been done
| within fifty years by nations in the west
whose aggregate population does not much
exceed 800 millions, what may we not ex-
pect to occur in the next fifty years among
nearly one billion Of people in the east.
| with their accumulated Industrial forces
ard wealth of thousands Of years?
II Gold Were the Only Standard.