The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-09-26

Atlanta constitution.
The burial of the silver question goes
merrily on. There has hardly been day
during the past three years that we have
not been told by the esteemed gold organs
parts q the country that silver is dead"
Every turn in the affairs of the govern
ment, foreign or domestic and every event
that can be construed as having any polit-
ical bearing whatsoever has been hailed
as another evidence of the Great Fact.
the lusty vigor of youth, persisted in KICK
ing out OF its ready made gold plated COT
fin. made no difference with the esteemed
doctors charged with editing the Wall
street newspapers. They had said 1t was
dead. and dead it must be, If they had to
keep on killing it each day.
Especially volunlnous and vigorous have
been these declarations of demise when
ever "a democrat OF any prominence OPP
ened his mouth TO discuss any other ques-
ton Such conduct has been taken as
proof positive that he had abandoned sill
Yer. whether the question he discussed
was the tariff, the crops or the weather.
1t made no difference TO the doctors. For
him to think of anything else than the
silver question meant that he had aban-
dcned the position he took in the last
presidential campaign. For him TO talk
OF anything else meant that the entire
party dad abandoned the issue which gave
life to that campaign and showed to the
world that the party was Still the party
OF the people.
When tho democrats OF congress at the
extra session manifested differences OH
certain phases OF the tariff question and
discussed them, the silver question was
pronounced deader than ever The fact
that all declared themselves as firm in
their belief in silver as ever made no df-
ference with the critics. nor did the more
important fact that democratic conver-
lions everywhere were indorsing the Chi
cago platform Silver was dead-the doc
tors said so--and that settled It'll
There have been many manifestations OF
JOY over the difference OF opinion among
democrats on the question OF territorial
annexation. and this difference has been
hailed as further evidence OF the "dea IN
of silver" Here, for instance is the New
York Evening Post chief organ of the
gold gang, as we'll as of the tories and
traitors WHO have tried TO injure their
country during this war, which says;
"a wink is as good as a nod to a blind
horse This action in Missouri Will BE- ac-
copied by democrats in other parts of the
country as evidence that silver Is no longer
the leading issue in politics The question
may be asked, What is the leading issue? ?
1t is easier to ask the question than to
answer 1T. If the democrats drop silver
and go in for territorial expansion and
big navy the republicans will accuse them
of stealing their thunder, Consequently
there will be no issue"
The Evening Post is just as close as
ever and no closer The cause of silver
restoration is just as dead as 1t has been
ths hundred and one times when the Even
ing Post has chronicled its demise. and no
"deader." The action of the Missouri con-
venton meant the abandonment of the
party position on silver just TO this ex
tent: Resolutions were unanimously
adopted indorsing the Chicago platform and
specifically indorsing the party position on
tne silver question.
If the actions of the democratic conven-
lions of Texas and Missouri on the dues-
tinn Of territorial annexation mean any
thing. ii is that the democratic masses do
not propose to be drawn away from silver
as the oyershadowing feature Of the party
faith.
1t must be born in mind that all of this
discussion among democrats was precipi-
tated by those who thought 1t the duty OF
tNe party 10 20 on IttJiu dSiIbal bciil-
tGr'al expansion. 1t was the effort on the
Fart OF some democrats at Washington to
make oppo5tion to Hawaiian annexation
party issue that precipitated the dis
cussion OF this territorial question, and the
effort to make the democrats Of Texas as
sumo a similar position brought on the
discussion there and resulted In the con-
venton taking position in favor OF the
reasonable and sensible expansion made
necessary by the war.
However much TREY may differ on other
objections the democrats of Texas and
Missouri, and OF every othew democratic
State of the Union, are unit In support
OF the position taken by the party on the
silver question. There are differences on
details of tariff legislation, and there are
differences on this question OF territorial
expansion but there are no differences
among real demoenats on the quest on Of
the immediate and independent restoration
of silver TO its place beside gold in sys-
TEN of genun ne bimetallism. They believe
in it. and will continue 10 fight for 1t.
~~oA<ArAANsoS~S~
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