The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-08
Mr.. Brvan,s Purnose.

Mr.. Bryan refuses to accept the verdict
rendered by the people on the silver ques-
tion-a verdict rendered by the extraordi-
narily large majority of nearly a million
voters. In his statement which he gave TO
the public yesterday through the newspa-
pers. he declared that the fight for free
silver coinage had just begun.
The inference from what Mr.. Bryan says
is that he expects to continue to be the
leader of the silver cause. and to be the
nominee of the democratic party in 1900. He
is looking a long way ahead. Unless we
are greatly mistaken the broken ranks of
the silver forces will never be reformed.
! The more the people know about the sill
yer question the weaker Will the silver
| cause become Mr.. Bryan may say that sill
yer was beaten in the recent election by
the use of money, by the intimidation of
voters, by the trusts and other agencies
which he names 1t was really beaten by
the intelligence of the people. Tens of thou
sands of intelligent men who were inclined
to vote for silver in July voted against it
in November. and why? Simply because in
July they had not studied the silver ques-
ton and in November they had. All that
was needed to beat free silver coinage was
a campaign of education
Mr.. Bryan. Mr.. Altgeld, Mr.. Tillman and
all the other silver leaders can never con-
vince the American people that an unsta-
BILE and deprecated currency would be
good thing for the country. Mr.. Bryans
speeches convinced nobody. They were I'M
satisfactory. Mr.. Bryan declared he was
a bimetalist, and yet he made no effort
to show that free silver coinage would give
us bimetallism. He made assertions which
intelligent men did not accept. The infer
ence from his arguments was that free
SILVER coinage would give us silver mono
metallism, not bimetalllsm. In one SEN
tence he declared that free silver coinage
would make the silver in a silver dollar
worth as much as gold in a gold dollar. and
in the next declared that free silver coin
age would cause the prices of all products
10 greatly increase. He never did explain
why prices would rise if the price of a
pound of silver became equal to the price
of an ounce of gold He would have done SO
doubtless if he could satisfactorily. Unless
Mr.. Bryan can make a more convincing
argument for silver than he has yet made
he will never again lead party that ia
vors free silver coinage. because it is i'm
possible to hold party together in support
of policy that is against reason and NOR
atty.
We are satisfied that the silver question
is practically settled, and that Mr.. Bryan
win never be able to get the democratic
party to indorse free silver coinage again.
We are confident that the south will not
indorse it again to the extent she did at
the recent election. -Four years hence the
south will still be democratic but will be
on the side of s-und money. Her interests
all demand sound money and the men who
lead the democratic party in 1900 win be
sound money men.
Mr.. Bryan predicts that prosperity will
not follow the decision in favor of sound
money. From what he says he and those
who sympathize with his silver views in
tend to prevent such legislation as may
be necessary to prosperity under a sound
money policy. They will do this with the
hope of making the people disconnected,
and clamorous for change in 1900. That
course might be shrewd from the stand
point of politics, but it would not be pa
trlotic. If the silverites are sincere they
win permit such legislation as the friends
of sound money regard as advisable. If it
fails they will then be in a position to urge
the adoption of their policy with a pros
pect of success. But If they oppose sound
money legislation for fear that it would
promote prosperity they will put them
selves in the position of enemies of the
country.
We said Immediately after the election
that we regarded the silver issue as prac-
tically dead one. We believe that view
of it is correct. We therefore think the
democratic party would make very great
mistake to continue to regard Mr.. Bryan
as its leader and silver as the issue on
which it is to contend four years hence
for the control of the government. 1t is
| certain as anything can be that the south
cannot be kept democratic on that issue.