The semi-weekly messenger., 1898-08-26
Will New Issues Supp!ant silver
washington Post.)

The Post regrets to find itself quoted
as having asserted in a recent issue
that lit is the almost universal be-
lief of the men who supported Bryan
two years ago that the same issue on
which that memorable campaign was
waged will be retired two years
hence" The Post regrets being thus
quoted for two reasons. The first is
that the statement is not true, AND
the second is that its publication calls
for an explanation. What The Post
intended to say was that the men who
supported Bryan two years ago be-
lieve that the same issue on which
that memorable campaign was Waged
will be retired two years hence" The
transpositiOn of two letters changed
"retried'' into retired" completely
reversing the meaning of the writer
and doing violence to truth.
So far as we are advised, all the
leaders of the great Bryan combina-
tion-democrats, pOpulistS and silver
republicans-hope to- make the cam
paign of 1900 on the issue of 1896. They
have firm faith in the vitality of that
issue, and appear to believe that it is
destined to achieve a victory. The
splendid condition of our national
finances has not shaken their conf
dence in Is to 1. They point to the de-
preston of the cotton manufacturing
industry in Massachusetts and the low
price Of raw cotton as confirmation
strong as proofs from holy writ OF
their theory on the coinage question
Senator Jones, of Arkansas, chairman
of the democratic national committee
asserts that I'VE shall not have any
new party issues in this country until
the old ones are settled. Silver will be
the issue in 1900.' The other leaders
agree with Chairman Jones. Meanwhile
the democratic conventions, one after
another, from Maine to Texas and
from Florida to Washington, reaffirm
their faith in the Chicago platform.
Senator Hanna, who holds the same
position in the republican party that
Senator Jones does in the democratic
organization, believes that the silver
issue is virtually disposed of. He says
that American politics for the next
few years will turn upon questions
growing out of the war. In this con-
nection it is interesting to observe the
action of republican state and congress
sional conventions on the question Of
reforming the currency. They are
going a step beyond the ST. Louis
platform. Having apparently given up
the hope of getting any help from Eu-
rope in the direction of bimetalliSm,
they are accepting gold monOmetalism
as a fiXity, and are passing resolutions
in favor of legislation that will hold
the currency up to the gold standard
in panicky as we'll as in prosperous
times. In many congressional districts
the currency issue is more sharply
drawn than it was in 1896. This is due
largely to the great success achieved
by the Oregon republicans in their
stout fight against free coinage last
June.
1t is more than possible-perhaps not
improbable-that new issues, growing
out of the war, will supplant Is to l
in the campaign Of 1900. But such a
cOnSummation is neither desired nor
expected by the champions Of silver.
They are ready for another fight on
the old line, and have only a contempt
uous pity for the man who says that
issue is dead.