Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-11-18
WHY APPEAL TO TIE SOUTH?

bryan nave power TO uec1de Wnelnef the
Tree silver agitation shall be continued
or ended" "The south can end
the whole thing now if it will. And if it
Is wise it will."-New York World.
The world attempts to saddle upon the
south a responsibility that clearly does
not rest upon it. II the south has power
to put an end to 1.-THE free silver agita-
ton" the south has the power to restore
to this country that general and perma-
nent prosperity" the absence of which
created and to this day continues the sill
yer agitation. That general and perma-
nent prosperity which the World and
every other gold standard paper and Mr..
Mckinley himself promised should be
restored If Mr.. Bryan met defeat at thu
polls.
Does the World or any one else contend
that the power to restore prosperity"
rests with the south? Did the World not
contend before the election and has the
World not contended since the election
that in the face of returning prosperity
'the free silver agitation" would vanish?
If that is true, and we believe it is, why
should the World be engaged at this
time in an attempt to saddle the RESPONSE
bility of probable further free silver ag-
tation" upon the southern states? The
World said Bryans defeat at the polls
meant Sound money" and the prompt
return of general and permanent pros
perlty." The World said the return of
prosperity would promptly silence the
free silver agitation" Bryan has met
defeat and therefore prosperity" is due
to arrive. If 1t comes the "free silver
agitation" will disappear.
In that view of the case, what has the
southern states to do with it? How is 1t
possible that they shall be responsible If
the agitation" goes on? If, Is the World
says now, the whole thing rests with the
southern states, then the defeat of Mr.
Bryan and the return of general and
permanent prosperity" is to cut no figure
in the matter at all.
We confess that we are al a loss just
now to know exactly the attitude in
which we find the World. Most surely
1t has not so soon as this abandoned as
worthless and false its oft reiterated
prophesies that Bryan's defeat meant
restoration of general and permanent
prosperity" and that in the face of gen
eral and permanent prosperity" the free
silver agitation" would vanish like dew
drops in the morning sunshine.
Are we to understand that the World
has abandoned the idea in the wake of
McKinley's election and the ascendancy
of the trusts, monopolies and combines to
complete power we are to have a return
of general and permanent" prosperity?
Has the World in less than one month
after the election done what millions of
people will have done before the expira-
ton of McKinley's term of office, realized
that under the single gold standard we
cannot have general and permanent
prosperity" in this country? 1t certain
ly appears that way from what the World
says in the above quotation taken from
it.
1t can't be that the World has abandon
ed the idea that general and permanent
prosperity would promptly destroy all
"free silver agitation Everybody
knows that free silver agitation" would
cease promptly IL the people should be-
come prosperous. 1t is out of the ques-
ton to think OF getting a prosperous
and contented people to participate in
political agitation.
The World was never further from be-
ing correct than when 1t asserts that "the
southern states that voted for Bryan
have power to decide whether the free
silver agitation shall be continued or
ended and the World never uttered
greater falsehood than when it says:
"The south can end the whole thing now
If it WILL
If the southern states that voted for
Mr.. Bryan could have had their way they
would have ended the free silver agita-
ton by the election of Mr.. Bryan to the
presidency, and with him a congress and
senate that would have stricken down the
single gold standard and passed law
admitting both gold and silver
to our minis for coinage free at
the ratio of 16 to 1, regardless of the
wishes acts or desires of any other ma
ton on this globe, thereby restoring uni
versal and permanent prosperity. Not
having been permitted to have their way,
the southern states that voted for Mr..
Bryan" are powerless to stop the "free
silver agitation" just as the World and
every other gold standard paper and
speaker is.
One thing alone can stop the Stree sill
yer agitation" and that thing is general
and permanent prosperity" The people
have needed the cry of the World and
other gold standard advocates, that the
gold standard would bring general and
permanent prosperity" The commission
to bring 1t by that route has been voted
the republican party, whom the World,
though a progressive democratic journal,
appears to delight in serving, and unless
that party brings it, no kind of appeals
to the south by the gold bugs will suffice,
and in 1900 the World will find the "free
silver agitation" on deck and the free
silver agitators' on hand in vastly larger
numbers than they were this year, when
they were amply strong to have cap
tured the presidency, but for the use of
a campaign fund, the like of which was
never heard of before, and in addition to
which, as Mark Hanna has said, since
the election the assurance given to the
"laborers and farmers of the west, that
if Mckinley was elected the republican
PARTY would secure for the country inter-
national bimetallism.
The World is all wrong If 1t entertains
the idea that the South can end the
whole thing now if 1t will"