New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-06-15
STEADY PROGRESS AT ST. LOUIS.


Poor Hanna If the frcerade papers had
said nothing perhaps nobody would haNc S"'
ncc,cd that Mark Hanna was SO badly beaten.
The world now knows from them. but moi o'her
wise thai The delegates from the gold-snndarh
STATES who never had any idea OF voting any
otb.r v.,v have actually been strongly inclined
toward "a straddle' and that poor Hanna mas
been frightened out Of 1t by somebody. 50 that
they have been obliged to change their mlhds
AGAIN II is dreadful for these poor fellows TO
Inc in favor of gold standard when the!
reached 81. Louis on Thursday. and in favor OF
a straddlc on Friday. because Marx 1iahh'
wished it, and in favor of gold standard on
Saturday because Mark Hanna wished II; conid
there he anything more fatiguing:
Really, could there be anything more IRE
some for readers of certain newspapers! 'hc
wonders how such readers conirive to ABSORB
the same imaginative and inaccurate literature
every day. and still To suppose they are ge'tihg
information The Tribune has not such iuhd
of kglcidoscopic views TO offer them. Those VINO
take the trouble To read its columns have bceh
Informed that Mark Hanna manages the de-
tails but entirely refuses to write the platform
for the convention: that William Mckinley says
what he thinks about the platform, and that he
has said from the first that he hoped the
convention would make II straightout sound
money platform. and II could not he TOO s'!lf
for him. but he has carefully rcfrancd from
slrgcsting any form of words in advance Of
the action of the convention. Men who know
ANYTHING about II know that this is exactly
what his position has been from the first. ana
that Mr. Hanna has M no time tried In the least
degree to shape the action of the convention as
respects the platform on the currency.
Bat do our frec-tradc friends think the Re-
publicans entirely destitute Of common sense:
They really ought to know that II straighroui
declaration for maintenance of the present
standard and against free coinage of silver at
any ratio would command the support of four
ffths of ,hc delegates. and probably more
Those delegates know perfectly well that the
great Eastern States are not in the humor 10
tolerate any dodge or straddc. The Ohio plat
form. which was in essence the Harrison plat
form of 1872. by reason Of the dSingcnnous
action of silver men themselves has come to he
regarded as cvasivc and tricky statement.
II was not Nobody - considered II when II was
adopted in 1N!2 But that does not make any
difference If the silver men have pretended
that the resolution Of 1892 covers their pet
hcresy. that resolution is therefore barred ont.
and the country demands something which can
not be 50 mlSlntcrpretcd
The Tribune has stated the right idea more
than once There Is no occasion TO maintain
that the words gold standard must of neces-
sty he used. because the present standard IS
that and everybody knows II. There Is not the
least occasion to insist in form Of words that
silver accommodation would dobasc the cur
rcncy because everybody knows that also. But
the Republican party ought 10 declare that the
money in which wages Of labor are paid shall
not I'm any way bee dchaG"d or lowered In pur-
chasing power: that the pledges 10 pay monty
as good n The best that f. known 10 III" com
mnrcial world Shall he sacrcdly Observed and
that III" Republican party j. not going io run
any risk of drmnuciizing gold. and therefore
will not consent 10 the free coinage Of silver
unless there can first be- secured such intcrna-
iional agreement as VIII fix the ratio between
silver and gold beyond risk ~ failure ia all
the great commercial countries.