Owingsville outlook. [volume] (Owingsville, Ky.) 1879-192?, 1896-07-02

who can do much more than I can for IN,
party. I shall not assume any position OF
leadership. My dccision Ia stay Vas simply
based on the duty Of every person who be
lieVe- in the party for its princiTIss. 10
stand by and lend his aid and take his
chances when n great crisis is upon IL.
Differences In the Party.
There can he no question hut that a
great crisis IL upon the democratic party
Fundamental differences OF principle pxist
inside the party, marked almost by sec
tional lines. The great question 10 my mind
is whether the party meets in convention
now as In 1864. with issues and differences
that are for the moment irroconcilablo.
For the past Is years leaders Of public opin-
ion In the south and west have been advoA
eating a. the great remedy for existing
Ills the free coinage OF silver al the ratio
OF sixteen to one. with or without the CO.
operation of other nations. IL has come
to he believed in there quite generally and
conscientiously. large ma iority OF the
delegates TO thr coming democratic con
vcntion have been elected by the people for
the purpose of Incorporating that doctrine
into the platform OF the democratic party.
Views of Eastern Democrats.
Our people. on the other hand. entirely
disagree With these views and believe al
most universally that IL will bring general
ruin to the business and prosperity Of the
country IL u ut'tintu q new uoCtfine Nntn
proposed To he incorpotatsd into the plat
form nt thp hstional democracy. IL f.
true that in no previous platform OF the
party can II specifically hc found Conse-
ouently no party obligations heretofore
assumed ohlige them 10 subscribe TO II.
May Disrupt the Party.
Under these circumstances, II the re-
suits of the democratic convention should
be to establish as the issue of this cam
81 fea.a .,1l, ill.,
OF sixteen TO one. independent of other
nations, in the intensity Of feeling likely
to arise Il is 10 be seriously apprehended
that a disruption Of the democratic party
might occur Certainly no substantial fol-
lowing could be secured Tor the doctrine
among eastern democrats. They might not
Ns;s tire republican ticket for other rea-
sons (beleving that the republican party
stands for other issues that are detri-
mental to the country. hut the democrats
In the east would not, in my opinion, vots
for H.
A Question of Ability.
This movement for free coinage pur-
ports TO have for It's object the establish
ment and maintenance Of gold and silver
as the money of the country, upon equal
terms with each other ami at a parity of
purchasing power. II. by the proposed
measure, that object could be secured,
there would he no substantial disa agree
ment in the party. Every national demo-
cratic platform that has heretofore spoken
upon the subject has declared for both
gold and silver money. II is our tradition
al policy. But the maintenance of the
double standard at the present time is
not n question of desire: u is a question ~
ability. The commercial value of silver
has declined greatly In the markets of tho
world. Whatever the causes are and who
ever Is to blame. the fact Is that silver has
declined ana free coinage now at sixteen
10 one Is the same as our Offering for all
the silver in the world about twice what
Il Is selling for in the market Interna
tional exchanges have TO he paid In gold
And IL would seem plain that IL we, under
these conditions, open our minis to free
tonnage OF silver and gold at a ratio of
comparative value which is largely at
variance with the commercial value of
the two metals, we must take the entire
silver surplus ourselves and alone main
tam It's parity with gold. or else we shall
go to a silver basis.
Time Is Inopportune.
MT. Whitney refers to the fact that
France closed her mints against silver in
ls1s. ana abandoned the experiment, deem
ing herself unequal TO tho task alone lie
SAYS Germany, France. Belgium, Italy and
Austria believe in a double standard and
desire to establish Il: but no one, two or
three Of them deem themselves ellie 10
maintain the double standard. even Win
q
continues: This movement, purportinp
to he In the interest of the joint standard.
comes at most inopportune time. in NV
opinion There has never been time
when the prospects CT international ac-
tioa favorable TO the Joint standard vera
at all as promising as AZ the pre- sent mo-
nlent. But an ill-aGvised, unsuccessful at
tempt here would discredt the cause the
world over. From the discussion of tho
last p years IL has come to pass that
among the persons in Europe who are
trained, recognized scientists, uDon the
me lctary and economic questions. scarcely
orc is not at the present moment advocat-
Ing the desirability of the Joint standard
as the real solution OF the monetary diff
ncdlties Of the world. This includes every
professor engaged In teaching or lecturing
on these subjects in the universities of
Great britain. They are agreed upon the
desirability Of II. and that II is entirely
practicable II esta blished and maintained
by agreement of the principal commercial
nations.
Would Bring Immediate Ruin.
1T c,innot he denied that the feeling
among our people is that this free coinage
by the United States alone viii not give
US the sold and silver money at a parity
with ea,h other (which is the assumption
upon which Il is undertaken), but will
bring TO US silver monometallism and a
change in the standard of values And
ruin 10 our industries and no permanent
good TO anyone. This feeling is general
and intense. Whether these differences
can be reconciled. II Is impossible tn an
ticipate The democratic party stands for
principles desirable to be maintained for
the good of the country. Almost any sac
rifice might be asked Of democrats for the
sake of the party and they would cheer
fully make IT, But II the delegates from
this locality should go to that convention
and represent that the rank and file of
the party would follow the lead Of the
southern brethren and vote for free coin
age OF silver by the United States alone,
he would be mlsrepresenting the state OF
public opinion here. Whether Il is so or
not. Il is considered proposition to de-
base the existing standard of values. And
the same feeling of indisposttion to COM
promise with that matter for votes or
anything else is as active and dominant
here in our party as Il was found in the
republican party when II bore down and
overpowered the Mckinley machine
AT the present moment Germany,
France, Italy. Austria. Holland. Belgium
and the United States wish TO cooperate
for the establishment and maintenance Of
the joint standard by international agree
ment, ana Ga most important circumstance
Great Britain has recently. within three
months. in fact. made a mast important
concession. She has said; We viii do for
you as much as YOU can do for yourselves
We will make this great contribution TO a
bimetallic system: We win go back upon
the deIiberately-arran methods OF pro-