The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-07-04

months ago is virtually assured. Then
it seemed ( probable, q almost certain,
that the tariff would be the dominant
Issue. Now the tariff has dropped out of
peoples minds, and 1t is the battle of the
standards that is raging and likely to
continue to rage. IL is among the posi-
ollltles-indeed probabilities-tha beside
the regular Republican, Democratic, and
Fopulist candidates we may have silver
Republican candidate ind gold Demo-
cratic candidate.
VI course the result of such campaign
as the coming one promises to be mu st
Do more uncertain than one in which the
tariff was the main issue. As q national
question the silver question is new one.
10 be sure it has figured for some years
in Congress and in Congressional cleo
lions, but never before IN o Presidential
election has it been sharply defined
Issue. Pour years ago the .delivoranoes
OF the two parties on the subject were
very much alike in substance, and both
more or less evasive. go that the question
was not brought to dirsct issue In the
campaign. We are quite ready to risk
the prediction, however, that the silver
men are stronger today than they will
be after the campaign has continued
month or two.a The forces that will be
arrayed against the silver movement,
when the battle is fairly on, will be of
most formidable and powerful character
They will be the capitalist and businc SIS
men on the one hand and the wage earners
on the other-and we predict that before
the campaign is near through, if the
Republicans concentrate their forces upon
the currency issue and do not fritter
away their strength trying to boost the
tariff into first place, the wage earners will
be more determined Toes of free coinage
than either the capitalist or business
men. The former are in greater danger
from. free coinage and the resulting de-
basement of the currency than either o
the latter, and it is going to be possible
to make it 50 plain to them that this is
so that not one of them with common
sense will for a moment hesitate to vote
for the retention of the present monetary
standard. Free coinage is likely to get
it's chief support from the population of
the mining states, who want marke
for their products, and the rural popula-
tion in certain sections especially in the
South, who have got the notion into
their heads that silver will increase the
price of their products as it I'M
doubtedy will nominally. Not much
impression can be made on tho mining9
populations, for the, ground on which
they are advocating silver coinage is a
solid one, but it ought to be possible to
convince the agricultural population that
the expectations on which they base their
advocacy of silver are largely delusive.
When sold Bill Allen" rnn as candidate
for governor Of Ohio the greenback
hsresy seemed to have taken as full pos
session Of the agricultural population OF
the West as the silver craze has today but
1t was rapidly dispelled by the clear and
convincing logic of Garfield and the other
sound money orators who took 1t in
hand. The silver craze can be cleared
away If it Is met squarely and attacked
vigorously. But it will be of no uso to
undertake to get around it, Or to obscure
it by raising other questions. That will
only strengthen it.