The Yale expositor., 1896-03-20

Every day the question is asked:
What will the next national conven-
lions of the republican and democratic
parties do with reference to silver?
To answer this question definitely
now is, of course, impossible, for the
situation may very materially change
during the next few months.
But it is about as certain as any
future political event can be, that both
will endeavor to evade the direct issue
With this probability strong before us,
silver men should sleep with at least
one eye open.
In both parties they have been ire
quently deceived. The trainers or the
platforms have played the part OF lin
guistic acrobats. They have formu-
lated declarations so ingeniously word
ed as to be acceptable to both sides.
The pledging of party to "bimetal-
lism" without defining it,, coupled with
sentimental demands for honest
money" good money" 1.-THE best
money in the world" the maintenance
of parity" "one dollar as good as any
other dollar in intrinsic and debt-pay-
ing power" are expressions through
which the bimetallists of the country
have been frequently betrayed, and If
it happens again it will be their own
fault. Those qualifications are intend
ed simply as loopholes through which
to escape and avoid doing anything.
No matter what proposition of silver
coinage may be brought forward, it can
always be antagonized upon the plea
that parity" will be disturbed, and one
dollar lose that grand" quality of be-
ing equal to every other dollar" The
democratic party has a stronger silver
wing" than has the republican party
But in view of recent events, with an
administration bitterly hostile to any
step toward the reconciliation OF sill
yer, the press and the money power or
the same side, it is almost too much to
hope that the silver men can dominate
the convention. 1t may declare for the
equal use of both metals as standard
money and the coinage of both without
discrimination against either" in one
clause, but there will certainly be some
other clause which will qualify and
destroy it.
If either convention is in favor of
restoring silver to the exact position it
occupied prior 60 1873, a declaration 20
that effect can be made in three lines
of print that no human being capable OF
reading can possibly misapprehend.
Perfect bimetalism can only be reached
by placing both metals upon an exactly
equal footing before the law in the mat
ter of coinage and legal tender. There
is simple formula that everybody ia
miliar with the course of this discus
sion perfectly understands.
THE free coinage of both metals at
the ratio of 16 to /, with full legal ten
der functions accorded to EACH"
That covers the ground and nothing
less will satisfy any man who fully
understands the question and is deter
mined that it shall be settled. The
friends of silver restoration may be
certain that any ambiguity which finds
a place in a political platform is "a
cunning device of the enemy" and that
every out-and-out gold man will plant
himself upon it, while every half-heart-
ed silver man will make it an excuse
for an adverse vote. Bear this in mind.
and stamp anything else than fiat
footed, unqualified declaration for free
coinage at 16 to l as fraud, for you
can rest assured it will be so intended.
And not only this, the candidate named
must have such a past record as will
make it certain that he can be relied
upon to carry out the declaration in
good faith-nothing less will do.