New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-07-07
SILVER NOT GAINING.

When one hears from Chicago the shouting
of the silver dervishes. and their serious and
positive assertions that States like New-York
and Ohio will vote for free silver this year, he
wonders how 1t is possible for any human being
to argue with such persons. Yet on nothing
more substantial than just such assertions are
based the hopes or fears Of silver success this
year. In this city there are practical business
men who are influenced not a little In their
business operations by the apprehension that
the silver epidemic may in some mysterious
way sweep the country A better knowledge
of political workings or a better knowledge OF
the people, might save these men some anxiety.
1t Is not impossible to know how the people
think and feel canvass of their opinions
has been going on every day, silently. without
any heralding. and yet with the automatic ac-
curacy of q weighing machine The men and
women who believe in silver and want silver
literature have been ordering papers of that
stripe Has anybody detected anywhere de-
crease in the circulation of newspapers which
oppose free coinage? A great many Republican
newspapers have changed. formerly advocat-
Ing but now opposing free coinage; but has
anybody detected changes the other way: The
Democratic newspapers in most States have
for years preached the free-coinage gospel, or
leaned toward It more or less because OF the
past declarations and known present tendency
of their party but on the Republican side there
has been a marked change against silver, with
nothing dscOverabc to balance it. great
many thousand voters are now Of their own
choice taking and paying for and reading
papers opposing free silver who read the other
sort of papers, also Of their own choice. not
long ago Is there anywhere in the whole land
a free-silver organ which has recently made
any important gain In circulation? Such test
of public opinion does not deceive The voters
are making the record for themselves.
Another and even stronger evidence is the
result of the great canvass which has been
going on for months all over the land in prepa
ration for the two National conventions. The
work begins In every voting district. There are
competitors who want the honor Of going to the
State conventions and are ready to get the bet
ter Of each other by appealing to whatever
opinion they find among voters Of their local
ity. Each has tried his best to find out what
shade Of opinion would be most popular. In
every spot or corner where there has been sill
yer sentiment somebody has appealed to it.
either with success or without. At the same
time the larger men who are local leaders have
command through party organizations to ascer-
tain what their people want, and what would
be the safest course for them to pursue The
net result of all this canvassing in every school
district has been the assembling Of State con
ventIOns numbering many thousand chosen
delegates. which In turn have chosen delegates
to National conventions and adopted platforms
instructng them 1t is notorious that Repub
1or frnp tho
people to declare straight for gold. where moth
ing but silver has been favored before. IT was
one of the marvels of the year that the oppos-
ton to free coinage swept so many States
Men NAV well thank Mckinley and Hanna be-
cause, with deliberate purpose to get the best
possible expression of the peoples WILL they
absolutely refused to utter a word which might
influence their friends regarding the platform
until the convention had assembled. and the
overwhelming preponderance against free coin
age was known. That one fact made the action
of the Republican Convention most convincing
proof of the tendency of popular opinion.
But the Democrats went the other way
Precisely, and they have been gathering In the
free-silver and cheapmoney voters for years;
but it was their last resort On the tariff q'cs-
ton their party had been crushed. On foreign
ence was threatened by POrulism in Western
and Southern States. 1t had absolutely no
chance except to thrust the money question to
the fore, and appeal to Popust and Anarchist
tendencies and to Republicans Of the silver
mining States. In sheer desperation, and yet
with deliberate purpose and carefully planned
conspiracy in which silver Senators took part
fully six months ago, the plan has been worked
up throughout the country, and no sane man
doubts that, owing to the suppression OF large
minorties In many States by the unit rule, tho
Democratic Convention Is more strongly for
free silver than the Democratic voters But
put the results Of the two great party canvasses
together, about $50 Republicans and 800 Demo-
Gratis for gold, and 100 Republicans and GOO
Democrats for silver and silver has only three
eighths Of the total vote. 1t has not command
ed as little strength before, In any Congress
or any pair Of political conventions. since the
silver agitation began. twenty yenrs ago.