The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1896-04-11

Every day the question Is asked;
What will the next national eonTen-
tons OF the republican and democrauc
parties do with reference to silver!
To answer this question denniteiS
now is, Of course, impossible, Tor the
situation may very materially cnangs
during the next few months.
But II is about as certain a. any
future political event can be. that both
will endeavor to evade the direct issue.
With this probability strong before u.s.
silver men should sleep with at least
one eye open.
In both parties they have been fire.
Quently deceived. The trainers OF the
platforms have played the part OF lin
guistic acrobats. They have formu-
lated declarations so ingeniously word
ed as to be acceptable to both sides.
The pledging Of a party to "bimetal-
lism" without defining it,. coupled with
sentimental demands for honest
money" good money" the best
money In the world" the maintenance
Of parity" "one dollar as good as any
other dollar in intrinsic and debt-pay-
ing power" are expressions through
which the bimetallists Of the country
have been frequently betrayed, and II
# happens again II will be their own
fsult. Those qualifications are intend
ed simply as loopholes through which
to escape and avoid doing anything.
No matter what proposition Of silver
coinage may be brought forward, it can
always be antagoniZed upon the plea
that parity" will be disturbed, and one
dollar lose that grand" quality Of be-
ing equal to every other dollar" The
democratic party has a stronger silver
wing" than has the republican party.
But In view Of recent events, with an
administration bitterly hostile to any
step toward the reconciliation Of sill
yer, the press and the money power on
the same side, IL is almost too much to
hope that the silver men can dominate
the convention. II may declare for the
equal use OF both metals as standard
money and the coinage of both without
discrimination against either" In one
clause. but there will certainly be some
other clause which will qualify and
destroy it.
II either convention is in favor of
restoring silver to the exact position 1t
occupied prior to 1873, a declaration to
that effect can be made in three lines
Of print that no human being capable of
reading can possibly misapprehend
Perfect bimetallism can only be reached
by placing both metals upon an exactly
equal footing before the law in the mat
ter Of coinage and legal tender. There
Is simple formula that everybody IA
miliar with the course OF this discus
sion perfectly understands.
THE free coinage of both metals at
the ratio Of is to 1. with full legal ten
der functions accorded to each"
That covers the ground and nothing
less will satisfy any man who fully
understands the question and is deter
mined that it shall be settled. The
friends OF silver restoration may be
certain that any ambiguity which finds
a place in a political platform is "a
cunning device Of the enemy" and that
every out-and-out gold man will plant
himself upon it, while every half-heart-
ed silver man will make it an excuse
for an adverse vote. Bear this in mind.
and stamp anything else than a fat
footed, unqualified declaration for free
coinage at 16 to l as a fraud for you
can rest assured 1t will be so intended.
And not only this. the candidate named
must have such a past record as will
make 1t certain that he can be relied
upon to carry out the declaration I'm
good faith-nothing less will do.