Birmingham state herald., 1896-02-09

but the control of the legislature and the election of a United States senator.
 MT. Clarke's whole appeal for support in order to get Jefferson countys thirty votes in the state convention was direct-- ed to administration and gold standard democrats alone. At no period of his speech did he indicate that he deslreds the support of any other kind of demo- orat. His speech was a clear-cut appeal to the factional spirit and a deliberate provocation of factional passions-two rocks upon which parties are most often shattered to destruction. Carried to it's logical conclusion. his manifest desire is to exclude from honor. however great and however faithful their services, all democrats who believe in the free coin age of silver; simply let them vote the ticket after the nominat tion-they are not good enough to share the rewards and honors of the party. Not even a state office in which the money question cuts no figure is to be conceded to any demo- crat who is against the single gold stand ard. MT. Clarke hoots at harmony and uniting democrats to meet the common enemy, and boldly declares there is to be no compromise of principle, and that the gold standard and administration democrats must retire to private life eY- cry member of congress who has differed with them on the money question.
 It is well to remember that in the Oates Johnston campaign that, notwithstand- ing MT. Clarke's present lofty declara- ton, he openly aveE'ed his appreciation of the retrr-l of General Morgan to the United States senate But that was be- fore he had ''studed" the question and along about the period when he failed to come to Alabama to help against the common enemy in the Folb-Jones cam paign.
 MT. Clarke makes a noise about who was the first to invoke strife on the money question in. this region It is not forgottenethat Alec Mcclure, Penn sylvanian, came here among the first to instruct these southern people about maintaining credit by standing for the single gold sta andard, and although he was the guest Of gentlemen known to fa- vor the doutyfe- standard, violated all sense of decency by denouncing those who favored the free coinage of silver as well as gold. as "either knaves or fools" Then came Col. Josiah Patterson
 
 vention taking republicans from Ala bama >was-~held in the Tennessee town, where MT Clarke introduced MT. Catch ings as chairman, both administration. men, who, in 1892, at Chicago, denounced Cleveland as no democrat
 Not until MT, Carlisle came into the south and vainly tried to destroy the ef- feet of his own teachings against the ori, of trouble among democrats here on the money question. MT. Clarke was among the first to foment this trouble. He com- plains he has but short time before him in this canvass to elucidate what be. . knows about the financial question. What of his speech in congress in 1893 signalling his conversion to the single gold standard? Has. he indeed failed in all other utterances until now properly to debate the question? .i |;
 In conciusion&as to MT. Clarkes sound money argument his statement that he is ''bimetaIlist is of kind with the rest of his speech. It was a reflection upon the intelligence and education of. his audience. .,-4.s a .t. s.fs5
 Since 1893 all MT. Clarke's votes and speeches have been against free coin age of silver ct any ratio. All respect able authorities define bimetallism as the use of gold and silver as money on equal terms. Here are the words of disinterested English authority. It says of bimetalism: Its chief features in- clude mint ready to coin any quantity of gold and silver which may be brought to it; the right on the part of the debtor to discharge his liabilities at his option in either of the two metals at a ratio fixed by law. instead of as now at value fixed by the rise and fall of silver merely as merchandise"
 It appears that Mr. Clarke has either presumed too much upon ignorance in this neighborhood,. or that he has not even yet studied it sufficiently to debate it properly. .i+t