Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-06-11
Mr.. WILLIAM STENWAY ON POLITICS.

In a symposium of views on tho
political situation by prominent men
OF New York William Steinway said (.
II do not think there is any danger OF
a majority for silver at the Chicago
Democratic Convention. Certainly
there IL no danger of d two third ma
jority necessary to nominate free
silver candidate nor IL there any
danger of the abrogetion Of the two
third rule. There is danger of our
being confronted with the probability
of losing six or sevon States and then
grave question will arise IS 10 what
we must do.
1.-The political situation is worse than
| ever knew it to be before. 1t was
never SO bad or 30 complicated. The
distress has been so long continued and
30 widespread that the people are
desperate, and are determined on a
change at any price.
'tTheir only hope seems to be in a
change of administration or change
in the monetary affairs, and they are
not sufficiently enlightened to know
that in the near future their situation
would be worse than ever il they do
based the currency, because our securi-
ties would be sent back from Europe
by the shipload, our currency would
be deprecated, and their own borrow
ing powers destroyed.
81 have met representative free
silver mon, congressman, business men
and farmers. They impressed me as
fanatics, as men incapable Of taking a
broad view Their views arc the re-
suits of the non .remunerative prices
for products Of the South and West. A
man with a 500.acre farm. far from the
railroads, finds that he has to pay a
high price for his labor, as labor ia in
such demand at the harvest time. III
he sells his crop for cost he has done
wonderfully we'll. He, like others of us
during the past three years. finds that
he is constantly going behind. He has to
raise money and try to pay bis obliga-
tions by means of new goods, and finds he
is unable to pay interest on his mortgage
. In order to offset the utteranee and
teachings of the blind leaders of these
desperate men we started week ago
the German American movement for
the gold dollar or currency redsemable
in gold. do not say the gold dollar
| only for there are some who will think
that gold is the only money that will
be used with gold standard, and that
the silver and paper money will dis
appear. We raised about $4,000 or
Sl2, 600, and are spending il in litera-
| ture to circulate among the German
Americans of the country, all parts OF
the country, explaining just what
would happen in case the country
adopts uneound currency. We are also
sending out many postal cards with
| questions upon them, to which we re-
| quire answers yes or no, SO that
when we go to the convention In Chi
cago We will have these answers from
German American merchants all over
the country, and can plank them down
and say Here are so many tens OF
thousands of German American bust
moss men who say so and so. 1t costs
money, but it gives exact results-no
mere guess work or newspaper talk,
and it is worth while. The German
Americans comprise only one political
factor, but we do not know how close
| this election will be, nor, therefore,
how important a factor the German
American is New York State, with
| l, 300, 600 votes, has been won by 10, 00C
or less number of times recently. and
this may be a close election. The
| financial question is the overwhelming
all-absorbing ISSUE of the day. We can
stand dozen misfit tariffs, but we
cannot stand this uncertainty as TO what
our dollar means. The German Ameri-
cans will act together to strike the
party that strikes the credit of our
country. If both parties are sound ON the
currency. then the German americans
will vote withitheir parties us usual,
but if only one is sound they will break
party lines and cast a vote for the
safety and honor of the nation. | am a
life long Democrat, but if the Demo
crat Convention adopts silver plank
will leave it and work for sound
money and tens Of thousands will GO
with mo- So, also, tlAF Republicans
will lose if they trifle wi athis matter. f"