The record-union., 1896-07-19

guil1otine, to be sure, but they do con-
slider that the proletariat in shouting for
unlimited silver coinage at the ratio of
liz to l menaces about everything that
is established in society and worth pre-
serving. The capacity of the conserva-
tive citizen with bank account for get
ting scared is measureless. History is
full of his frights. This panic of the
opulent makes converts to silver among
those who are not opulent. To bait the
rich is a solacing pastime of those who
are not SO lucky as to have reserves of
the precious metals. And it is this panic
which makes California a doubtful
State. By giving way to it, and obtrud-
ing their class interest, the rich are in
viting the very assault which they
dred. When my lord turns pale
Jacques feels an irresistible impulse to
let drive the rock which is forever in his
hand.
From all appearances there is not
likely to be rational discussion of the
financial question hereabout. The
cheers of the silverites and the frantic
tone of the gold men forbid the expecta-
tlCn of calm debate. On both sides the
politicians will stand by their parties
but down among the multitude, who do
not get a hearing in the forum, there is
a mighty shifting. A friend of mine,
who is business man, and has warm
SympathleS, wrote me yesterday: THE
politicians of the Democratic party
struck a wonderful note in taking up
silver, and the murmurings of the army
OF barebackS are heard in the cry of
IT. to L. But where is the reasoning in
the matter? Is silver going to empty it.
self into our pockets from the Mint? Is
work going to be more plentiful, or are
the necessaries of life to be more equita-
lily distributed if we get free coinage?
These questions are what interest me
profoundly. l fear that the oerlabored
wight will not realize the dream of
plenty which is now charming him. AS
between Mckinley and Bryan I have no
preference on personal grounds, and I
am not at all sure that free silver will
bring the benefits it's professors promise,
but l am against the tyranny of aggre-
gated wealth in the hands of the fortu-
nate few. My reason for voting for a
silver man is that the impulse now 60
ing out toward silver is but an express
sion of the feeling of the House of Want,
and even if on the wrong track toward
accomplishment the right spirit is
there" | quote this letter because it
is thoroughly representative of the at
titude of many thousands of Californi-
ans. How it will result in November is
not to be predicted now.
The departure of the Rev. DIR. Brown.
his defnitive abandonment of the arena
of scandal in which for many months he
has fought valiantly, gives satisfaction
to such as respect decency, whether they
be friends or enemies of the faith DR..
Brown is, in one way, typical Of the San
Franciscan pulpit. AS rule the
preachers of this city are virtuous men,
but in point of intellect few of them sur
pass Brown, and had he not entered the
ministry he would have been obliged to
earn his livelihood by manual labor.
a minister is good deal like a news
paper. So long as it speaks for a party
A journal has circulation and influence,
but when it abandons it's organized
backing it makes the double discovery
that it must depend upon it's brains
and suffer from the enmity of the peo-
pie it has left. DR.. Brown thought he
could flourish as the Independent pastor
Of an Independent flock. The Congre-
gationalists had expelled him, but he
had his partisans, male and female
notably female-and ne fancied he could
live on his disrepute. So he might,
| had he possessed talent and the kind
of courage needful to an outcast Had
he advertised sermons against the press,
jumped in and made merchandise of his
| infamy-spoken with strength and i'm
pudence-he could, for a time, at least,
have drawn crowds, taken up large col
lections and made stir. But DIR. Brown
has no brains, and his courage is of the
| unconscious kind that accompanies stu
pidity. He knew no better than to turn
his barrel of orthodox and commonplace
| sermons upside down, and preach to
curious and waiting San Francisco dis
courses on Absalom and Saul of Tarsus
that had done drudging duty in the back
| districts of Iowa years ago. Therefore
he failed, and did it humiliatingly, mis-
erably. The return to the State of Mat
tie Overman and Mrs. Tunnel, the two
women who vainly sacrificed themselves
| to save Brown, helped to send him fly
| ing. They were showing their teeth,
| being hungry. The doctor will recover
himself in small way. The brethren of
| Iowa have shown themselves to be pity
ing, and a church will offer itself there
He will not be pursued from this lati-
| tude- The Congregationalists of the
| Pacific Coast are so very glad to be rid
| OF him that the3 are entirely willing
that he should minister undisturbed to
the saints anywhere else. Brown has
| been sore misfortune to the Protestant
| clergy of this metropolis. The lines OF
! sect did not restrain a good many of the
| brethren from rushing in to uphold him
in the hour of acute affliction 1t struck
/ the secular mind that the sentiment OF
| caste was considerably more powerful
with the preachers than regard for plain
| morals. Brown never lad any defense
and no man of average sense was de-
| ceived for an instant as to the merits
/ OF his case. That the clergy merely be-
| cause he was one of them, should cham
/ p.on his cause, struck their moral au-
| thority a hard blow. Their attitude as
| to Brown has bereft them of that pre-
| tension to special goodness which con-
| stitutes the warrant of the pulpit to
| lecture the unpretentious laity. This
| town can't well afford to dispense with
any moral force, for it is not a town
that has righteousness to spare
ARTHUR M'EWEN.
| U0TCE M TUE DDrCC