The San Francisco call., 1896-06-16

LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
UNION OF SILVER FORCES.

- 4hOol DE MADE AT ST. LOUIS ANOA n
CHICAGO.
TO the Editor Of the San Francisco CGtt-SIR
Having given in my last letter conclusive rea-
sons Tor holding that it is impossible for the
Peoples party or the Populsts in National
convention at st. Louis, July %, to indorse the
candidates OF the Democracy to be nominated
at chicago, though they be well-known silver
men on an unconditional free silver platform
1t Is now proposed to show how compact ana
solid union of all honest and earnest silver
men may be effected at st. Louis by the joint
aeEon OF the Populists and silverites In the
nomination of the same candidates on sepa-
rate but not antagonistic platforms-the silver
ties, as far as they go, to be in harmony with
the Populists on the Joint issue of the money
question. and not the silver question alone.
In the first place, let us see just what the Sill
fVerltes have set forth as the basis for The Or
ganlzatlon which they have named the Ma
uonal Silver party, as adopted ct the founding
OF the party in Washington, d. c., January ",
1896. The first declaration is in these words
"Ihe paramount issue at this time IN the
United States is indisputably the money ques-
tfon. 1t is between the gold standard, gold
bonds and bank currency on the one side, and
lne Dlmetalllc standard, no bonds ana Govern
ment currency on the other. -
Ih1s declaration is in harmony with the
Peoples party platform adopted at. Omaha,
July 4, 1892. But this new National silver
party further declares: ave hold that the
power TO control and regulate par currency
Is lnseparable from the power TO coin money,
and hence that all currency intended TO clrcu-
late as money should be issued and its volume
controlled by the general Government, and
should be legal tender"
The Populist doctrine as to the issue of paper
money requires that such money shall be 'ts-
sued by the General Government only, and
shall be a full legal tender for all debts public
and private AS the greater includes the less,
lolT candidates acceptable to the Populist
National Convention will necessarily indorse
the new Populist platform, which will not be
less explicit and broadly National than the
Omaha platform.
The other two planks in the platform of the
National Silver party call for the immediate
restoration OF silver to free coinage and full
debt-paying power, and demand the payment
OF all coin obligations of the United States in
either gold or silver coin at the option of the
Government, as provided. in existing laws,
and not at the option of the creditor in gold,
all of which harmonizes with the Omaha plat
form.
All honest and earnest silver men can GER
tainly stand on the platform of the National
silver party, and he is sangufne man who an
tlcipates the adoption of such platform by the
National Democracy at Chicago; hence genu-
Inc Siyer men are not going to rush wildly into
their arms, even II they have faith to believe
that the Democracy can be trusted. Moreover,
men are not familiar with politics in any
age or country, who suppose that intellige mt
and patriotic citizens are going to unite with
a divided and disintegrating party like the
Democracy of to-day which in so many great
States has practically become absorbed by the
Peoples party.
On the rapid disappearance of the Democracy
and the equally rapid growth of the Peoples
party 1t may be well to note point or two. 1t
has been aptly said that 1.-The most picu-
Gus fact in the Oregon election is the insignifi-
cant vote cast for the Democratic candidates,
all Of whom were for free silver. This ought
TO indicate to the Democrats what is likely TO
happen in the National election; they will
make free-silver platform, and then have the
modification of seeing the bait refused by the
voters, who will go to the Populist candidates. -
This certainly gives a pretty strong hint as
to how the silver issue is likely to affect the
Democratic party, and as much so in other
States as in Oregon. Kansas was long strong
Republican State and it is now almost GER
tainly Populist Defeetions from the Republi-
ca ranks are bound 10 increase rapidly in the
present mpaign, as international bimetalliSm
is all that can be hoped for at st. Louis this
week.
But international bimetallism is rather
moldy chestnut for 1896, as there are several
millions OF business men, and manufacturers
in par rticular, who hardly know how to keep
their doors open without seeing the Sheriff en-
ter while they wait for customers, and these
men "desire change" even If it has to come
with the aid of the ''more money Peoples s
party; and then there are other millions of
men out OF job, and not likely to find one,
who want something more substantial and sat
isfying after the election in November TO take
home to their destitute wives and little ones
than this same old moldy chestnut of bimetal-
llSul1 loI MulCu Iuty nave Deen WdltlIR IueSe
twenty years. and they, too, "aesre change
right soon, and are likely to vote the Peoples
party "more- money ticket and see what will
come of il. None of these men will trust the
distracted, divided and deerepit Democratic
party, now last disappearing before the Peo-
pies party, and look 10 a dying party to give
them prosperity instead of starvation.
Independent voters are likely to be numer-
GUS this year, and since they cannot trust De-
mocracy, and Republicans can only offer them
international bimeta!lism in close alliance
with, if not the dominance of. the gold men,
they are pretty sure TO vote for change by
supporting the union ticket of the Populists
and Silverites
In conclusion, it is safe to say that only
such partisan free-silver Democrats as would
vote the party ticket with gold men as candi-
dates, and the same class OF Republican free
silver men, will hesitate to ally themselves
with the union ticket nominated by Populists
and Sllverltes at st. Louis, and as there can be
no hope whatever of electng the Democratic
candidates, all honest and earnest free-silver
men Will vote the union ticket. All this will
be clear after the nominations are made
JOSEPH AsBURY JOHNSON.
IL Essex street, San Francisco.