The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-10-30
WORKING AND PRAYING.

| who heard the mastery speech of Senator
Daniel at the opera house last night, any,
thing more said on the subject he treated
so eXhaustively would be superfiuous.
but many were unable to get in, and
| others of your many readers NAV not
] have lad the opportunity to hear him,
| hence these notes. For the first time i'm
| twenty-five years l find myself working
and praying on the same lines and for the
same objects with the Senator, and in all
solemnness | ask myself, "why is this
thus?" look in vain in any platform of
his party for any single standard plank.
| look through each and every one, ex.
cept the last one OF the Republican party
platforms, and find that s'by tradition
and interest" they have all been for gold
and silver as standard money, without
discrimination against either of the
metals. There, then, l find the reason
why we are both in the same wagon.
Somebody has changed. The old party
names are still on the boats. One reads
Democratic, the other Republican, but
some of the crews of each have deserted
their former posts. Principles and not
party names demand the thoughtful con
slderation of every conscientious voter Gu
tt is occasion. am rarty man. be-
lieve in party organization, but 1 do not
belong to party in the sense that the
dog belongs to the wagon under which he
trots with collar around his neck
chained to the wagon. ] find Grover
Cleveland and nearly all his cabinet in
the same boat with Ben Harrison and
John Sherman, of which Mark Hanna is
captain. The name on the PROV is Re
publican, but i. is owned by the syndi-
Gates, run by the syndicates and for the
synhicatcs, and Major Mckinley, respect
able gentleman that he is, cannot leave
his front Vurfl IN ,nnlo N crunch - =,
mixed crowd of his fellow citizens lest he
he called upon to explain when, why, and
for what reason he abandoned the cause
OF bmctallism he spoke and voted for IL
few years ago. Yesterday on the ST rect |
heard very nice looking and intelligent
young gentleman say that he didn't
Know very much about the currency
question, and | wouldn't for the world
dispute his assertion, but he said that he
was for protection to our ''industrics. -
am entirely with him in that matter.
but the practical question is how best to
get it. Our present tariff is II protection
tarlH to certain extent: the only uues-
ton is rs to how high the duties levied
should he. That they are now not high
enough to afford sufficient revenue has
been demonstrated by experience. The
Chicago platform declares for Il tariff
sufficient for ample revenue. Ample rev
cUut Will give protection, call II what
name you will.
The Republican party obtained Il large
majority in the present House of Repre-.
sentativcs on that issue. Now did they
fulfill their promises; Sent toWashing.
ton as bimetallists and protectionists
both, they framed IL revenue measure for
that purpose, increasing the duties of
certain lines of imported goods sent it to
the Senate where it was also passed with
II free silver amendment attached When
1t was returned to the House for concur.
renee 1t was uncermoniously knocked in
the head, under gold bug influence.
thus demonstrating that they cared less
for protection and silver than for the sin.
gle gold standard. Howling for protec-
ton and silver they voted for gold anu
the preservation of the present revenue
system, and just here let me say tnut
whether the present tidal wave from the
Pacific ocean shall carry Bryan into the
White House this time or not it will
carry into political exile nearly every
| Western Congressman that voted against
the free silver amendment. l heard dur
ing year and a half r soiourn in the
West echoes from Clcveland's followers
that the silver craze was ''dying out, ~
just as we hear it to-day. Perhaps it Isl;
! perhaps it is not. When old Noah re-
! fused 20 take the fellow into the ark he
told him to go on with his blankcd old
boat, rs it was only shower any way,
but when the dove went out to look for
the fig leaf she found the fellows feet
sticking up ont of the weeds and mud.
congressman who have talked silver out
West and voted rs the syndcatcs de-
manded i'll Washington would do well to
remember this fellows fate. If any of
the gold bug orators who 90 around try
ing TO fool the people with their untruth-
full speeches should find trouble in find
ing the chapter where this event is re-
corded, hope they will keep on reading
the Good Book, at least until they read
the history ofAnanias aud Sapphira, whose
fate should be to them solemn warn
ing; and further deponen5 saith not
j. PORTER.
Roanoke, Oct. %, 1896