New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-03-06
CHANGE IN WESTERN OPINIONS.

Half dozen dispatches appearing In papers
Of the same morning related the selection of
delegates favorable to Governor Mckinley in
various Western and Southern States and dis
trcts. Because some Of these were In states
hitherto favorable TO silver coinage. sundry cdio
rial triumphs Of mcndacity assert that this par
tlcular candidate is plainly the favorte OF the
silver boilers. Republicans who favor Governor
Morton, or Speaker Reed, or senator Allison, or
ex-Presdent Harrison may all alike condemn
without hesitation or reserve an attempt OF Free
Traders to foster prejudice against the leader
who reported the wise and bcneiiccnt Republican
tariff OF 1890 The silver boilers. whose favor
would indeed do more harm than good 10 any
candidate. do not appear 10 nave expressed any
choice whatever unless OF Senator Cameron. Of
PENNSYLVANIA. Those Senators who remain
sianch and true Republicans. and though be-
lleving in free coinage, utterly refuse To anago-
nize Protection or 10 make war on the Repub-
llcan party and its principles, stand In different
attitude. II Is proper 10 infer. as their votes ana
speeches show. that they care more for The prac-
teal protection Of home industry than for the
impossible free coinage Of silver.
Thus there IS IN exceedingly strong feeling in
the Pacific States for full protection against the
rapidly growing manufactures Of Japan. The
almost unlimited possibilities OF Industrial dcvcl-
Opment, with labor so cheap and yet 50 sklfnl
as that Of the japanese. appear 10 the Pacific
States a menace 10 all their hopes OF diversified
industries and harmonious growth; and they
urge with force that IL Is In the long run more
needf,Il to build up dcfenccs for American IN
dustry against the yet untricd possibilities Of
Asiatic invasion than against European compcti-
ton, which has been accurately measured by
experience and In some branches distinctly over
come This feeling on the Pacific Coast would
not be emInently direct and practical II
1t did not impel the people Of those States
no longer TO endanger the success Of Pro-
lection by pushing their ideas about coin
age at a time when. 1t Is now evident. alb
solutely nothing can be gained for the silver in
terest II any OF these Pacific Coast Republicans
In this spirit prefer a candidate whose uncom-
promising advocacy OF Protection Is known. that
fact warrants no prejudice against him.
Neither Is II any longer truthful to say that
all the people OF this or that Western State are
for free coinage a great reaction Of feeling has
appeared In that section. started by experience
under the act Of 1890, but gaining greatly as
soon as the real nature Of the Populist move
ment was shown. and swelled far beyond former
proportions by the recent assault Of silver bolt
ers upon the Republican policy. More than a
year ago there were many level-hcaded business
men in Colorado, for instance, who expressed
Just the opinion OF Senator Teller and his friends
that was prevalent at the East. But since open
war upon the woOl-growers Of Montana, Colo
rado Idaho and Utah by the Senators from
those States began in the name Of silver, there
are multitudcs who are turning to the Rcpub-
lcan standard with set determination TO sacr-
fee any notion or leadership that may imper
the triumph Of Protection.
This reaction is largely the fruit Of the Shcr.
man act providing for purchases Of silver bull
ion. When that act was passed In 1890, the act
which has been so perslstently lied about for
years by Democrats, II was especially recon-
mended to sound-money Republicans because.
first, 1t stopped the coinage Of silver dollars.
which might afterward have been forced into
circulation: and, second, II bound the Govern
ment to maintain the parity OF gold and silver
circulation, and therefore to pay gold In redefnp-
ton whenever II was desired In preference to
silver Those great things accomplished. the
purchasing clause by Itself might at any time
be repealed as no longer Of value, when the sill
yer men had learned by actual demonstration
that buying all the silver formerly produced In
the United States would not suffice to restore the
value Of that metal Not many enactments have
been more beneficial In their influence upon pub
lie opinion than this. and certainly not one has
done more to break down the fanatical notion
that the United States alone could control the
value Of silver Not one enactment has ever
done as much TO bind the United States by d.,
rect obligation Of Its executive officers, as we'll
as by obligations Of honor, to maintain gold pay
ments. No man who Is not dIsgracefuliy igno-
rant OF the monetary history Of the last six years,
or else personally dishonest, can represent the
act Of 1890 as hostile to the sound-money prin-
ciples which 1t has done no much to promote.
The great reaction in Western States In favor
OF protection of home industries rather than
false monetary theory is to large extent the
fruit Of legislation for which some sound-money