The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1896-08-22
THE BATTLE Is ON.
Sam Jones on the Political Cam-
paign just Opened
me Contest Drawn Between the Single
cold Standard and n Free Coin-
age az silver - Attitude Of
Prohibition Forces.

Prohibition Forces.
The national battle is on. The ma
tional convention Of the republican
party has nominated its candidates and
announced its platform, which de-
ciares for the single gold standard. All
who adhere to the single gold standard
views will be invited into the ranks of
the republicans and be told that they
are at home. The free and unlimited
coiners will find themselves at home in
the democratic party.
If we sit quietly down and take the
platforms of the two national parties
in the last 20 years we will find that
there is not a read principle which diff
f~erentiates them one from another. All
along there has been a differentiated
difference on the tariff issue. For the
past few years the bloody shirt, the
war issue, the 18th amendment, and
SO IN, have cut but little figure. In the
present campaign, as the battle waxes
hotter and thicker, we will have but
the single issue before the people of this
country: Shall we maintain a solid cur
rency bottomed on the gold dollar, or
shall we have bimetallismP
Some one has putt: "The battle will
be between the monied power and the
voting power" The free and unlimited
coinage men believe that if their idea
shall carry and their principles prevail
an era Of prosperity will dawn upon
the country. The gold standard men
are equally sincere and earnest in their
declarations that the ~dominancy of
free coinage views would precipitate a
panic and general liquidation, and that
the adoption of such a measure by the
national congress would be the worst
possible thing if prosperity be the end
sought by both parties.
We all agree upon the fact that money
Is congested in the centers; that it is a
want Of circulation, that is the mil
lions of idle capital. that now
the country. The silver men claim that
more money will relieve the congestion
and start free circulation. The gold
standard men claim that if a mans
heart is congested and lefuses to throw
the blood to the extrcmities it would
be dangerous to put more blood in his
veins. Their logic is, that more blood
means death. and that what the country
needs now is the remedy that will start
the great commercial hearts action,
that wis circulate the money we al
ready have. The free silver men claim
that this congestion was produced by
the monumental crime Of 1873" which
demonetized silver, and that the pour
ing of more blood into the commercial
veins will start up the circulation and
ave the animal 'in extenso."
Differing as they do, we shall watch
the conflict between the two great par
ties with an interest which we have
never had before. 1t will be a clear
cutfight on single issue and on an open
feld-Gold Sullivan and Silver Corbett
in the ring, with the certainty of one or
the other being knocked out in the first
round. Thousands of men will stand
around the ring and watch the fight
with an interest profound. No Amer
lean citizen and no foreign nation will
look idly upon this contest, and a VIC
tory for either party will mean muchto
the history OF this country. The tariff
issue is a side issue, and a secondary
one, in this fight, however important it
may be. And as the parties are so near
ly together upon all other questions, /
see no reason why any sensible man
could not choose the party he would
vote with by the platform they an
nounce. I believe one party to be as
trustworthy as the other. Ibelieve one
party has broken as many pledges, and
bought as many votes, and corrupted
the ballot-box as much as the other,
though their methods may have been
different. Neither party is reliable at
all, only as they fear the other party
will beat them at the polls in the com
ing election. We will never again have
the reign Of either party for 80 years
successfully. No party will stay in
more than one or two terms until they
win be rousted agaip. The G. o. p. and
the grand old democratic party have
lost their charms, and the euphony ha:
died out of their titles. Men are think
ing moro of measures and less of party
less of politician and more of princi
pies; and I hail with delight the coming
dawn of a better day politically, wher
principle and not policy, when meas
ures instead of men, shall commend
themselves to the popular vote. NJ
party is better than its platform. N,
measures are better than the men whc
advocate them. l look with pleasure to
ward the time when the booming polit
zeal caDnons, the whistling of the she'll
and the rattle Of the musketry shall b,
heard from Boston to San Francisco
from Minneapolis to Galveston.
/ am not a member of either Of tn,
two great parties Of this country.
don't vote with them nor gang witt
them. / am an incorporating, eter
nal. MISREPRESENTATION pro
hibitionist; and as I have said beforl
the prohibitionisfs are not getting
there much But we are like the boz
who grabbed the yearling calf by tn
tail, and the calf took of down tn,
read with him a mile a minute. NOR
or less. "A negro called to the boy an,
said:
Hello, Tom. What'reyou trying t
do with that calf2"