The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-06-29

i IN "fkfbVL N - A-OA@*< As&<os
Banker JOSHUA wILBouR of this city
was interviewed by Sunday journal re-
porter on the matter of the silver craze
aud the campaign.
He gave to the reporter two pointers OF
truthfulness and value.
The first had relation TO the election.
| Mr. wnBoUR expressed the opinion that
on free silver issue the Democratic parry
would be able to make a strong fight. No
one knows how strong, but to the most
casual observer OF politics il is plaiDthat by
an agreement with the Republican party
on the currency platform the Democracy
could put up no fight at all. No issue is
| open to that party but the currency. AS
we have taken occasion to point out, de-
spite the sentiment Of the business men
and the banks of the East, II will be
good politics, in fact the only politics, for
the Democratic party to come out strong
against the Repu ublican party on the cur
rency issue in this year of grace, 1896. II
is the only battle ground left to the party.
The Republican party has taken Its. posi-
tion on the field, and II the Democracy Is
going to fight II must face that position.
You can't make fight by agreeing with
the enemy.
And as there Is q strong sound money
sentiment in the Democratic party, so
there is q strong silver sentiment in
the Republican party. Each party will
draw, from the others forces accord
ingly in the forthcoming election.
No one can estimate at this time
as 10 which party the redrawing of
the political lines as thus indicated
will the more favor for the securing OF
a majority Of the electoral college. But
we venture to say that il the Democratic
campaign committee sends its free silver
orators into the sound money field 1t will
win more converts than Republican
sound money orators can hope to secure
in the free silver sections. The Democracy
will have to win over SO many more, in
our opinion, that we do not anticipate
Democratic victory in November but we
agree with Mr.. WILBUR that such victory
10 not impro bable and, at any rate, victory
is only to be won by the Democratic party
on free silver platform.
Another pointer that Banker WILBoUR
gave the Sunday Journal is based on the
very gospel Of business and finance. Mr..
WILBoUR fears most the effects OF antici-
patton OF the results OF free silver rather
than the realization. While sound money
men may we'll dread the adoption OF the
free coinage OF silver as the national policy
everybod recognizes that the dread OF it
In advance Will create panic that the
results, however destructive, will not
equal. The holding OF this view does not
| imply any belief that the tree coinage
OF silver by this country alone would not
be disastrous. 1t simply emphasizes the
influence OF Impressions OF dread, on busi-
ness and finance. Bad as is the Wilson
German bill the country is shouldering
IL with sort of ease by contrast with
the conditions that preceded its passage
when the Mckinley bill, indeed, was In
operation but powerless to check the de-.
moralization due to nothing else
than dread OF what the Democratic Con-
gress would do and the suspense during
the subsequent period OF the preparation
OF it's tariff bill. Talk and gossip affecting
the good name OF business house is a
recognized influence for the destruction
OF that house against anything but the
most substantial assets. Nothing affects
business so severely as impressions OF evil.
In a measure this country could stand up
under free silver as 1t is doing under the
wILsoN-GoRMAN tarin, as 1t has done
through panics in times past, as It did
through the war of the Rebellion. And
as Mr.. WILBoUR points out the actual
results OF free silver coinage would not
be so serious as the dread OF entering
upon that policy.
Still, that Is only another way of stat.
ing much the same thing. We want
no more panics, no more hard times for
one while. We have had enough. We do
not want 10 anticipate Democratic sue
cess and free silver coinage on top Of the
WILSON GoRMAN bill. We want to nail |
the flag OF the Republican party to the
mast head and go into this campaign |
with unbounded faith and enthusiasm |
that the Republican party Is going to |