The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1896-05-16

+
MeRinIesss Asitaaa Is the curranrs
issue
When Cor. Foraker spoke % the 0hie
republican convention Ga taking tht
chair st was noticeable that be said
nothing about Maj. Mckinley views
Is silver. On tie contrary he said
everybody knew that the snpreme issue
~ whether This country is 70 be ruled
By democracy o. republicanism. This
Isl no issue at all until Il is determined
what democracy and republicanism
are to stand for this year. Gov. For
a1er said further that republicans had
no diherences Of opinion upon national
questions or policies, though he knew
fhe most Important measures before
congress have been killed by repub-
Ifcan votes. and THAT the leading repub-
lean paper Of Ohio had called in vain
Oh Mckinley, Reed, Allison, Morton and
others to define their position N the
currency question.
All this indicated q disposition to
atraddle the most important issue
Of the day. This promise is in the main
borne cut BY the money plank of the
platform. It reads as fellows:
eve contend for honest money; for 9
currency Of gold. silver and paper with
which to measure our exchange that
snail be as round as the government end
as u~ntarnished as its honor; and to that
end we favor b~insetanism, and demand
the use OF both gold and silver Rg standard
money, either IN accordance with q ratio to
be nxed by international agreement, IL
that can be obtained, or under such re-
strictfons and such provisions to be de-
termined by legislation as viii secure the
maintenance OF the PARTIES Of values Of
the two metals, so that the purchasing and
debt-paying power Of the dollar shall be ct
all times equal"
This plank is said to have been writ
ten by Mckinley himself. It contains
some Of the language Of the Minneapolis
platform of 1892, and something that
was not in that platform. 1t is rendered
more ~incoherent and eyasive by the
matter added. The rhetorical flourish
that the money of gold, silver and paper
'shall be as sound as the government
and as u~ntarnished as its honor is not
very impressive when we recollect what
bad money republicans have thrust
upon us in times past, and reflect that
they might get into power again. II
the resolution is properly transmitted
it declares for "a currency of gold, sil-
YER and paper with which to measure
our exchange" which is moi materially
different from arrant nonsense, but is
eminently McEinleyesque.
The resolution adopted at Minnrapo-
lis in 1892 was written ia part BY Jones,
Of Nevada, and contains the Juggling
word 1~bimetallism, to which silverites
give q meaning altogether different
from that which was given it BY its
inventors and BY sound-money men
generally. Still, it might have answered
well enough but for the fact that the
silver men have interpreted II as mean
ing free coinage, and have declared that
hereafter they viii insist upon p-defnits
expression for or against the free and
unlimited coinage Of silver At the ratic
: OF sixteen to one. The ~silverires saS
properly that this is the real issue be
fore the country. and they ask for
~delfverance on this point. Instead q
making it clearer than that Of 1922
Mai. Mckinley has made it vnguer, NOR,
rhetorical, more unlike the ntterance 9.
q real advocate Of honest money.
: Mckinley is q straddle himself. il
I has been on every side Of the siivel
question except that Of an unbendinl
and uncomprdmising foe ofthe degra
dalton of our currency. He cannot b
{ trusted to veto q sixteen-to-one free
coinage bill, and such a mani is unfit 10
the presidency. To this personal strad
die he has now added a platform strad
{ die. Maj. Mckinley is the expectanc.
and rose of the straddlers and the trim
mers who call themselves bimetallist
without defining what they mean b.
the term.-Louisville Courier-Journa
t