The news & observer., 1897-01-20
WEDNESDAY, January 20, 1887
THE sENAToRsHIP AND SILVER.

i am frank to say that am opposed
to the free and unlimited coinage OF
silver" said Senator Smathers, who was
selected to place Senator Pritchard in
nomination. The truth is that Mr.. Smath-
ers voiced, not only his own opinion, but
the opinion of Mr.. Pritchard, and of
every man who is supporting Mr.. Pritch-
ard for reelection, deny 1t and try to ex-
plain it away as they may.
1t Is announced that Senator Sherman,
the most inveterate foe of silver in the
Republican party, is to hold the first
place in McKinley's cabinet This means
nothing else than that the administration
is to be intensely hostile to silver, and
that the silver man who expects any
silver legislation from the Republican
administration, is to quote Vance famous
saying, "a fool or a knave."
Senator Pritchard stands close to Mr..
Mckinley He has the backing OF the
administration in his fight for reelection.
lie elected, he will help to organize the
Senate by putting gold man at the head
of the Finance committee, thus destroy
ing all chance of financial relief.
The gold men and those corporations
whose business it is to control politics are
for Mr.. Pritchard. They know him. They
know he is of them and will serve their
interests in and out of the Senate. They
for IN cilu
WHENEVER THERE is NO
CHANCE OF SECURING FREE
COINAGE. Ii they believed him an
earnest silver advocate and an opponent
of corporate domination Of government,
would they rally to elect him? Not much.
In November last, upon direct vote,
where the issue was drawn between free
coinage and Mr. Pritchard's monometal-
lism, with an international fraud attach
ment, the vote in North Carolina stood:
For free coinage, 174, ,488; for monometaL
lism, 55,222, or a majority of nearly
10000 for silver. This vote expressed the
will Of the people, as near as it could be
ascertained in an election where ten
thousand illegal negro voters were per-
mitted to deposit a fraudulent ballot.
If Mr.. pritchard is reelected to-day this
expressed will of the people will be over
turned
The gold men and high proteetionists
can defend their votes for Mr.. Pritchard,
but the man who votes for him and says
he is in favor of silver will meet the last
ing contempt and indignation of 174, ,4SS
outraged advocates of silver in
North Carolina-all of them white men,
and men who have enlisted in the cause
OF financial reform, not for day or a
week, but for the war.
Those who faIter to-day, viii find no
place for them except in the bosom Of
John Sherman. They will go to their
place. The people will repudiate them
as they have repudiated all like traitors
from the days of Judas Iscariot and
Benedict Arnold.
Let no one think, however, even if
seventeen, more or less, so-called silver
men prove traitors to-day that the cause
viii languish here in North Carolina.
Help and deliyerance will come from an
other quarter, but those who fail the
people in this emergency will be utterly
destroyed, and their memory will be for
ever linked with those Of the Littlefelds
Holdens, Tourgees, Sam Watts's
French's and their legislative tools, who
rfotous with their new found power
(nlixed with champagne, danced in The
sacred precincts of the capitol, converting
it into place for the orgies of the de
bauched.
Ta-day at noon both houses will mee