The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1896-03-07
1 REPuRLICANS POINT OE YIER


EdlTOR TRIBUNE-W Without desiring
to be Obtrusive, wish to exercise the
right of citizen to express some opin.
ions anent question now under dis,
cussiOn by the Republican press of
Idaho and other intermountaiu states
Should or should not all tariff Iegisla-
tiOn on protection lines be coupled with
aproYisIcn restoring silver to its free
and unlimited coinage? The affirima
tive of the question seems to me illogi.
cal and inexpedient. l am a prOtec-
Zionist, to use sacred phrase, Of the
strictest. sect. l belieYe that the silver
question Is not only great question, but
that 1t Is the greatest question now at
tracing the attention of the public
thought, but because am a protection
list is not the only reason why / am in
favor of bimetallism. believe that a
man can honestly be in favor of the
unrestricted coinage of silver, andb q
free trader, also, the one is financial
question. pure and simple, the other
financial to the extent Of furnishing
revenue to pay current expenses, and
for the reduction of the nations debt,
but whether we should have revenue
ora protective tariff or which system
will most benefit the masses, or which
Is the most Creditable to us as a great
nation raises other issues besides the
raising Of revenue for the maintenance
of the government. believe that the
restoration of both silver and the pro-
tective system would make us the most
prosperous and independent people in
the world, but l fail to catch the logic
of the reasoning that one will prove a
nudity without the other, nor do l be,
lleYe that both can be secured by any
one enactment. Take the situation as
1t Is today, the senate Is for silver, and
nearly equally devided on protection,
the house strongly protective, and
against silver. Tan anyone say that
both propositions could come anywhere
near passing either house if Joined to-
gether? An analysis of the last vote.
when the silver bill passed the senate,
dlscloSes that there were only seventeen
protectiOnsts in the senate in favor of
silver. What kind of a showing would |
silver have made il all tho free trade
senators had voted against itP Which
they no doubt would have done had
they been forced to vote for protection
by the same vote. l cannot understand
how any one can be consistent friend
OF silver, and say to everyone who dis.
agrees with him on the revenue cues.
ton, that silver does not want their
support unless they will support pro-
lection. With one more Republican
vote in the senate, as now organized, a
free coinage, and protection bill would
both pass, If considered separately.
while neither would get one fourth Of
the votes in either house in combina.
tton, nor is there any probability
that the time viii ever come when both
can be enacted into law by
one bill. Put free coinage of silver and
protection in the same bill, and they be-
come cOmbatants and hammer each
other to death. also notice that many
silver papers assert that large major
ity Of the people are in favor of the free
coinage Of silver. think there is no
better test of public opinion than the
House of Representatives. OF course
such test is not exact but can see no
way, where vote of the people has not