The Portland daily press., 1896-11-03

We have from the first regarded as ex-
| tramely improbable that anywhere near
majority of the American people would
be reckless enough to sweep away all al
once a fnanoIal system under which
| they had lived and done business for over
| twenty years, unless most complete
denomination were furnished them that
the system they were asked to adopt was
superior to the one they were asked to
| abandon. Such demonstration was, we
believe, a condition precedent of the
adoption of free coinage, and it has not
been forthcoming. On the other hand
| nothing approaching IL has been fur
| nished. The silver orators have signally
failed to point our how the benefits they
have claimed for free silver would be
brought about. They have shouted per-
sistently that free silver would make
us all happy and prosperous hut when
asked to describe the process they hnve
failed wofulIy. Sensible men before
they take powerful medicine want
| something better than the enthusiastic
| assurance of an empiric that 1T Will
cure. We say therefore that the proba-
bilities have always been exceedingly
great that she American people would
not adopt the free coinage policy unless
! upon the strongest kind Of evidence tina
What its advocates said of 1t was true.
| This evidence has not been forthoom-
ing.
Now as to the matter of signs. Since
the free coinage agitation began we have
| had the verdict Of two northern states
| on the question-Maine and Vermont
whelmingly against the silver people.
or course there is some difference be-
tween the conditions in Maine and in
the middle west, but 1t is not so great as
some people imagine. The farmers in
Maine and Vermont have suffered from
low prices as well as the farmers of I'LL
nois and Minnesota, they are just as
anxious for relief, and they would take
just as kindly to the silver theory If they
believed there was relief in it. But
AFTER hearing both sides they almost
unanim ously rejected it. Is there any
reason to believe that the farmers Of the
west after hearing both sides will come
to any different conclusions We thInx
not. The result in Maine and Vermont
is strong AID, we believe, an accurate
indication of how free coinage strikes
the farmer when he is thoroughly In
formed about it, as they all ought to be by
this time. Another sign, and very valu
able one, is the despe erate attempt of the
Popocratc managers to line up tie
voters according to their prejudices
rather than according to their reason
This is tantamount to a confession
that their efforts to promote
free silver by legitimate argument have
been failures and that the only hope of
victory is 20 stir up class feeling. 1t is a
forIorn hope, the last Desperate effort of
q defeated and disoredited crowd, and
cannot succeed unless the intelligence of
the American people has suddenly sunk
to low point.
Still another sign and valuable one is
the constant shouting Of corruption and
fraud by the Popooratio managers.
Every person familiar with politics recog-
nizes such talk Immediately before cleo
tion as almost equivalent to a confession
of defeat in advance. Men really confident
of victory do not shout fraud in advance.
1t is only when they are preparing soft
spot to fall on that they resort to that.