The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-02-24
NOT A GOLD MAN.
New YOrk's Leading Sound
Money" Organ
Proves That Mckinley is a Free
Silver Advocate
FROM HIS SPEECHES.
This May Be Good News to West
ern Republicans,
Although It Fills Eastern Re
publicans With Fear.

AtA1" AOhhs OOs ia ACASbA f1A0
carefully written leading atticle in the
New York Post, the representative of
eastern moneyed interests is attracting
attention among the friends of Mckinley.
In this article Mckinley is shown as the
'friend of silver" The Post says:
We noted yesterday the many signs
| that William Mckinley is at present the
! leading candidate for the Republican
presidential nomination. We stated that
| the chief source of his strength appeared
| to be the general recognition of the fact
that he represents better than any body
else the principle of protection, and is
therefore pronounced "the logical candi-
date" 'the natural candidate" the
logical representative" The canvasses
made by Republican newspapers in
various states show that the Ohio man
has another element of strength as re-
| CARDS getting the nomination which
| grows more important tie further west
| one goes. This is a perception of the
| fact that his record shows him a better
| "friend of silver than any of his rivals,
| as shown by remarks like these by those
who favor him:
"My preference is William Mckinley
on platform having clear silver ring"
"Protection and bimetalism should be
the slogan and Mckinley the candidate"
"McKinley's monetary ideas compare
! fdVOEaDlY WlLQ any Oh MS ODpOu6QISs
| These local editors in the west have
clear appreciation of the truth. McKin-
| lev is a man above all others who is
responsible for the abandonment by the
| Republican party of its courageous
| course of opposing soft-money ideas, and
| for the substitution of the promising
| policy which it has followed during the
| last eight years. Up to 1888 the record
of the organization on this question was
clear. In 1884 it made no further refer
ence to the silver question than was
| found in a harmless resolution that "we
| urge that efforts should be made to unite
| all commercial nations in the establish
ment of an internationl standard which
I shall fix for all the relative value of gold
| and silver coinage"
In the national convention of 1888 for
the first time the Republican party lent
| favor to the demands of the silverites,
and Mckinley is the man who advocated
and expressed the surrender. He was
made chairman of the committee on res
olutions, and read the platform which
contained this anomalous and astonish-
| ing plank on the silver question:
"The Republican party is in favor of
| the use of both gold and silver as money,
and condemns the policy of the Demo-
| cratic administration in its efforts to de-
| monetiZe silver"
| The policy of the Cleveland adminis-
tration regarding silver had differed in
no respect from that of its Republican
predecessors Cleveland had urged a
| cessation of the coinage of silver dollars
which could not be made to circulate, but
so had Arthur. The influence of the
| treasury department had been thrown
against this policy under Manning and
Fairchild from 1885 to 1888, but SO had it
| also been under Folger and McCulIoch
| from 1881 to 1850.
The only possible meaning of the Nc
| Kinley resolution, therefore, was that, if
the Republicans should again come into
power, they should cease to advocate
| the suspension of silver coinage, and
would pass some act more favorable to
the silverltes than the then existing
| Bland Allison act This promise of the
party WAS carried out by the passage in
| 1890 of the silver purchase act-tha at
| "long yet prudent step towards free coin :
age" as the Indiana Republicans styled
| il in their platform of that year The
| Republicans of Mckiniey's state adopt
ed a platform, declaring that we fully
| approve the wise action of the Repu bli-
| can members OF both houses of congress
in fulfilling the pledges of the party
| in legislation on the coinage of silver"
| etc.
Mckinley grew more unrestrained in
| his championship of the free coinage
cause as time passed. In February, 1891,
he delivered d speech at Toledo in which
he severely condemned Cleveland for
| maintaining the same attitude toward
silver that had been held by his Republi-
| can predecessors, saying of his course:
| During all of his years at the head
| of the government he was dishonorin e
| one of our precious metals, one of our
| own great products, discrediting silver
| and enhancing the price of gold. He
| endeavored even before his inauguration
| to stop the coinage of silver dollars, and
| afterwards, and to the end of his ad-
ministration. persistently used his power
| to that end. He was determined to con-
tract the circulating medium and de-
monetize one of the coins of commerce,
| limit the volume of money among the
| people, make money scarce, and there
| fore dear. He would have Increased
the value of money and diminished the
value Of everything else-money the
| master, everything else the servant
Two years ago in another speech de-
Iivered in September, 1898, Mckinley
| made still another bid for the silver vote
| talking in this strain: 1.-The silver pro-
duct OF this country, one of the most I'M
| portant we have, should not be discrlml-
mated against, meaning, should not be
| treated as Cleveland and Arthur had ad
visedb but some plan should be devised
for its utilization money which will
| insure, not the displacement of gold, put
the safe and full use of both, as ex-
changes among the people"
| This review of McRinley's record
| shows that he has been the worst sort of
| a demagogue on the silver question, and