The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-12-27
FREE SILVER VS.. EXPANSION.

|
free silver persuasion to drop their con-
| tention, or. at least. to adjourn It until
we can wisely settle the question what
are we to do about expansion" We do
not abuse Mr.. Mckinley; on the con-
trary we have not only recognized, but
even emphasized his good points. which
are great and numerous. But, on the
subject Of expansion. our opposition 10
his expressed views has been public ana
pronounced.
So also Of Mr.. Bryan. We have never
questioned his talent. his honor. moro his
| honesty; but we have persistently and
| consistently held that his views on fin
ance were erroneous and mischievous
The Times is no party hack 10 be rid
den by politicians Of any stripe what
ever and it will never allow party bias
nor partizan loyalty" to betray it into
reckless abuse of any man. however
widely it may differ from his views Of
the proper policy to be pursued. nnan-
cially or otherwise.
lightened lover Of true Americanism to
speak out, and we shall speak with no
uncertain sound.
Important as it IS that we should have
sound currency. this sinks into com
paratiye insignidcance as soon as the
very existence Of our civilization and
the decencies Of our social life are seri-
ously imperinel-and they are seriously
imperilled now
People can get along in this world,
live righteously and die happy without
any currency that is recognized by any
government on earth. Some Of the no.
blest men that ever pioneered for civiH-
cation and changed deserts into gardens
Of the Lord" had a currency Of COON
skins. Some OF the erandest characters
that have adorned the annals Of Vir-
ginias history had a currency Of to-
bacco Even the preacrchs' salaries were
paid in #. as we learn from Mr.. Writ
Henry's Life OF Patrick Henry.
Money, then, is by no means indis-
pensable TO decent. righteous. noble. vir-
tuous living Professor Harris. the great
Grecian of Richmond College used t0 say
that Socrates the greatest uninsp.red
teacher that ever lived received about
seven dollars ANA a half for his years
salary"
But what signifies "solary." or busi-
ness. or commerce. or any other earthly
interest when we are brought face TO-
face with the question. "Shau our social
life continue TO exist az all or shall il
be utterly swamped by the. infusion of
barbarians and cannbals?"
What thoughtful reader of chat great
est Of all histories. The Decline and Fan
Of the Roman Empire can fail to shud-
der when ne sees his beloved country
approaching the perlllous edge of the very
precipice over which imperial Eomo fell
and dashed herself to pieces?
Our American social system was not
made; it grew. and IT has been long.
slow growth. The competent student Of
tho profound pages Of Tacitus can dis
Germ it's infancy among the wilds of the
German forests nearly two thousand
years ago. It is essentially different
from anything that is known as Greek
or as Roman. IL is Teutonc like our
language. Those hrst-born Germans We're
strange and OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES, even
to julius Caesar who had cat his fine
gers ends" an the culture that Greece
and Rome could supply. Long after
Caesars day. and after the establish
ment of the empire, they stil puzzled
Tacitus the profoundest OF an the his-
torians and thinkers that Rome ever
produced. The germs of That uucon-
querable seif-hood ANA devotion Go per-
sonal freedom which made those old
half-barbarous Teutous the puzzle Of the
world. were. at later date. planted ia
the island from which our fathers came.
There, segregated from the "poute"
world, they silently grew in a congenlal
soil Time ana again they were fertile
lied by the blood OF heroes They td-
umphed at Runnymede. They gave birth
20 Hampton They went upon the scai-
fold with sydney. They fred the genius
OF Shakespeare and frightened the
blindness Of Milton. They made possible
the patriots Of '76: inspired the Dec.ara-
ton Of independence. the Constitution.
and the Virginia Bill OF Rights-"the
finest condensation Of the principles OF
civ! liberty that was ever put into any
language Of earth" And now we are
called upon to surrender our noble and
glorious heritage 10 be wrecked and ruin
ed by naked savages and bowling canni-
balls, And what are We TO gain by IT.?
Commerce" we are told.
We do not mean 10 be extrovagant-
still less to be irreverent. but from any
purely human point Of view II is sober
reason to say that when Esau sold his
blrthright "for one morsel Of meat" he
showed himself to be a splendid hnancier
when compared with our present day
"imperialists" The figure is especially
suggestive when we read Of Esau that
"he found no place for repentance.
though he sought II carefully with
tears" God forbid that the people Of
this favored land should be brought by
the madness and folly of this hour to
raise Esaus great and exceeding bitter
cry!
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In the HIGHEST Form OF Truth" This is