The herald., 1896-07-05

wrong, their opinion will in the end
crystallize into law and rule the ma
sion. No American, certainly no Dem
Jcrat, can consistently resist the ex-
press will of a majority of the people
Of the United States, touching any pol
icy, whether of finance or otherwise,
which that will favor. The majority
decided majority-of the people of the
western and southern states is clearly
in favor of the free coinage of silver at
the ratio of 16 ounces of silver to
ounce of gold. AS have said, this the
ory of finance, so far as it may be call
ed theory, is in my humble judgment
fallacious, but, if the people of the south
and west demand it's adoption and can
succeed in irnpressing their views on
the balance of their countrymen in ma
tional convention, and in nominating
and electing president of the United
States on platform embodying plank
to that effect, who is to say them nay!
They will play the drama out to the
sweet or bitter end. Nor is the cloud
without a silver lining Every one
knows that the agitation of the silver
question has been for years not only
disturbing element of state and national
politics, but positive and continuing
menace to the welfare of all branches
of American business, national or inter-
national, save that of the banker, stock
that it has disastrously effected the ma
tional credit, more than once bringing
the United States treasury to the verge
of bankruptcy, and that 1t is the uni
versal raison detre advanced by all
demagogues for the long prevailing
monetary depression and hard times.
An opportunity presents itself this year
for the settlement of this vexed ques-
tion Every consideration of sound pub
lie policy demands that the opportunity
should be embraced and the question Of
free silver coinage or the gold standard
theory settled for good and all.
THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE
Apropos of this the suggestion has
been made that the Chicago convention
should take advantage of the secession
from Republicanism of MIR Teller of
Colorado, and should nominate that able
and eloquent senator as the presidential
standard bearer OF the Democracy. The
Chicago convention would make a bold
move in acting upon that suggestion.
But the Democratic party is shy of ext
Bency candidates and with reason.
Whenever the Democracy went outside
of the ranks of the party to find mater
1al either for presidential nominee or
cabinet officer the result has been dis
astrous to the fortunes of the party
The nomination of Horace Greeley by
the Baltimore convention as the presi-
NNhtitbi Se'HoiuitC VI TIE bclHOCTdllC
party is an illustration in point The
Nemesis that followed hard and fast
in the footprints of that blunder should
give us pause, now that a temptation
arises to repeat it. And yet stranger
things have occurred in the history
of political parties than would be the
nomination by the Chicago conven-
tion of Senator Teller. He is an
able man and evidently a brave and
honest one to beard, as he did. the Re-
publican lion in his den in st. Louis. He
was, too, Democrat before he was Re-
publican. which explains largely whence
he got his political independence and
manhood, and the Democrats might go
farther and fare worse than or naming
Henry M. Teller for first or second place
on the national ticket. At all events
our party can, and 1 believe WILL name
the winning man at Chicago-a man
who can and will beat the hind sights
out of and wipe the floor with Bill Nc
Kinley,