The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1898-09-12
A Warm Weather Topic.

The heat wave which the people of the
| north are suffering from seems to have
| taken q firm hold on the offices of some OF
| the republican organs, where the desper-
| alton incident to the dog-day season has
| driven the molders of public opinion to
| their favorite amusement of killing OH
| the cause of free silver. The esteemed
| editors of these esteemed contemporaries
| have had so much practice at this blood
| less butchery, in which they delight
| so greatly, that Gree silver is dead
editorial flows from them without eA-
| ertion, and is, therefore, in specially
| high favor these days when eXertlon OF
| any kind is tabooed.
The Baltimore American takes the lat
est shy at the silver corpse. The Amer
| lean is sorrowful because it has heard
nothing recently from William }. Bryan
True, The American was one OF tnoSe
papers which scored Bryan heaviest tol
daring to express his views before ne
was mustered into the service as an OF
fcer of the army, but that fact does not
in the least affect its lament because
Colonel Bryan is not now talking. Says
The American:
1T seems a little strange, but this coun-
try has not heard from William Jennings
Bryan for some time now Can 1t be that
ho at length realizes that tao cause OF
FREQ silver is dead?'
Just now this is a favOritc line of talk
of most Of the newspapers which are adj
vOcates of the republican policy OF max
inc more certain the gold standard. y
few there are, however. that attempt to
fool neither themselves nor their read
ers. The Washington Post, for IN
stance. in commenting upon TINS AnefI-
can editorial, says that Colonel Bryan
silence shows only that he recognizes
the prophecies that go with his position
as an officer in the army. And as for the
silver cause, The Post puts it TINS way:
But while nothing is heard from COL
Bran on the silver issue, enough IS heafG
from his intimate personal ana pohuc'u
friends. and from some Of the g0ld-st md
ara advocates and organs, TO mako II
very evident that tho issue Of '9j IS nejth-
er defunct nor somuoIont, but q wide
awake and active force i'm politics. Tle
democratic party is emitting no oppoF-
tunity to readirm the free coinage faith,
and most Of these reatHrmdtions are ac-
compluied by declaration of loyalty to
the old leader. Even in states where the
regular democrats are in a hopeless mi
nori,y ANA where, by uniting the factions,
they mi@ht have q good chance to win
in tle pending campaigns, they stand
sqUaroly and boldly by 16 TO I.
"Thc simple truth is that the coinage
question is the only national issue now in
sight for the next presidential campaign.
The hope that the war of '9S would de
y,'op some great issue that would displaos
the currency question and prevent an
other battle OF the standards has van
isAci Disputes or scandals touching The
business arrangement of tie war cannot
become national issues They may be
exploited with some effect in the state
aud congressional campaigns Of this year,
but They will not divide parties nor in
iidencc votes in 1900 All the Old issues
except silver have bcen sent to the rear
That exception stays at toe 'front.'
That the democratic party would. by
deserving silver, ALLEVIATE d much greater
proportion Of voters than the number
who might possibly be Won back to the
party ranks seems to The Post perfectly
evident to every candid and fair-minded
man. The gold faction of the demo
cratic partv il noints ONT has oanitol
and newsnaners ouito ont of nronorfion
to its voting strength.
The New York Evening Post recognize.
the existence Of these facts though it has
been one Of the most persistent Of these
silver is dead" organs. That paper
is just now engaged in making frantic