St. Paul daily globe., 1896-04-23
THE RIGHT RING.

The free silver wing Of the Demo
cratic party has been having things
all it's own way in so many Of the
states that it Is refreshing to read the
Democratic platforms from Massachu-
setts and Rhode Island. There Is no
uncertain sound about these. While
placing the blame for the present
financial situation where it belongs
upon the wretched policy Of the Re-
publican party as embodied in its va
.rious silver bills-the Democrats Of
these two states leave no doubt about
their own position. The platform in
.Rhode Island says: "It is vital to the
interests Of our people that there
should be no departure from the gold
standard, to which all money whether
gold, silver or paper, should conform"
With equal explicitness that of Massa-
chusetts says: 1--WE demand the main
tenance of the existing gold standard
of value" And again, as embodying
in more extensive form the accepted
Democratic view Of finance: I'VE de-
amand that the necessity for an ade-
quate medium Of exchange in all Sec
tions Of our country shall be met by
provision for an elastic banking cur
rency, subject to such government con-
troll as shall insure uniformity and re-
demption in standard coin on de-
mand."
These are plain words, and it is high
time that they were spoken. Demo-
Gratis in different parts Of the Union
have been all too slow to realize that
the money question has been settled,
as far as free silver is concerned, for all
time to come, by a fiat more potent
than that Of any legislative body. The
people have spoken. They have come
to understand, as you can learn by
talking five minutes with any intelli-
gent man upon the street, that the dis
tressful condition Of this country and
its industries is the outgrowh solely OF
financial uncertainty. We have every
thing that we need to be prosperous
and happy except confidence. Capital
still hesitates and refuses promising
until it receives an absolute assurance
that the monetary standard Of this ma
ltion will not be changed. PEOPLE
everywhere are drawing a long breath
and saying that at last, when this
tWretched doubt has been removed, we
Will nave prosperity back again. They
are going to bury every proposition to
tamper with the measure of value
an this country so deep that there will
be no resurrection for it.
AS far as the Democratic marty is
concerned, the choice that is offered to
1t is simple. 1t is a choice which one
would think ought not to take long to
decide 1t is not a choice between VIC
tory and defeat, as far as the financial
issue is concerned, but one between
continued existence and usefulness
and immediate dissolution. There fs
no manner OF doubt about it whatever
that the adoption by the Democratic
national convention of a free silver
plank would end the party's existence
right there. There are enough. we have
no doubt, of those who believe in the
real principles Of old-fashioned Democ-
racy, who hold with jackson and Jef-
ferson on the money question, who are
full of faith that Democracy has
great mission yet to perform, and is
Ito be the savior of this country from
monopoly and paternaIism, to stand
out for an organization at auy cost
and under any conditions that might
be necessary to continue the Demo-
cratic name, and work under the ban
ner of tariff reduction leading up to
free trade, sound money and civil serv-
ice reform. But such a course as that
means party reorganization, present de-
feat, and a lapse of years before the
Democratic name could recover from
the stigma placed upon it,and the DEM