The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1898-01-07
.'1's." the free soil ticket

essHNsE
I IN me last presidential election, Nc
kihley's vote was 7, los. SOC, and that n
Bryan 640l, OF; the majority Of III
former being Gl3, 60 The statc,ncn
that this vote for Bryan comes from
crazy impulse or ignorance, is a reck
less SANDER
hsin 1856 and 1860, tho America,
people revolted against American slay
cry, and determined to overthrow If &,
IN 1870, they deliberately declared, b,
nm immense vote, that the slavery o
thesIngle gold standard should be over
thrown, and silyer1rcstored to ita for
mer position ~ money of ultimate re-
demption. That n majority did not E,
Voto IN lso6 Is no more conclusive OF
the issue than was the election of 1856
The struggle will never end until III
metallism is the settled policy of the
United States, Great reforms mr.,
never consnmated without labor, sacri
i'ce and delay, especially when money
and privilege are against the change
but II the reform appeals to that innate
sense OF justice and right which pcr.
meates the masses of mankind the
movement will eventually succeed in
every republic Boards of trade. rham.
beers Of commerce, and monetary com.
missions composed of capitalists and
bankers may denounco and dcrido but
the popular will well work out tho
right result.
mat the mlnts Of this country were
closed to tho FREQ coinage of silver in
1874 for a sinister purpose, and by
secret methods, is the fixed opinion of
many millions of voters. The more
closely the history of that transaction is
examined the more difficult it becomes
to reconcile the facts with the open and
talr dealing which should characterize
the affairs of a free people The least
that can be said is that the legislation
OF ls'8and 1874 demoncti2ing the silver
dollar was most remarkable.
1t isa matter of history that at the
Monetary Conference of 1867, in Paris,
a letter was read from the Hon, John
sherman, chairman of the Finance
Committee of the United States Senate,
in which II was stated that the peopIe
OF the United States were favorable to
the single gold standard. While this
may have been Mr. Shermau's opinion,
1t is difficult to find any basis for his
conclusion. There had been no discus
son OF the question in Congress or in
Iha press, nor any alignment of parties
upon it, If the design to demonetize |
silver existed, it was certainly not
'mong tho people generally, hut was
confined to bankers and capitalists.
AT the following session of Congress,
MIR. Sherman introduced bill estab.
fishing the single gold standard This
bill was referred to the Finance Com.
mittee of the Senate, and was soon re.
ported by Mr., sherman with n majority
report In its favor, hut also with nm ad
verse report by one member of the Com.
mittec, Senator Morgan of New York
No action was taken upon these re.
ports by the Senate; and, some months
afterward, Senator Morgan was sue, !
ceeded by Senator Fenton, friend to |
the gold standard. If the people of the
United States were favorable to the
single gold standard, it Is singular that
khA1all reported by Mr.. Sherman was
lot pressed for action; and it is equally
s,markable that, in lS'a, nearly four
years later, when Mr.. Boutwell,. n
strong adhercnt Of the single gold stan
lard, had become Secretary of the
Treasury, mintage bill was selected to
fleet the great change in our coinage
which bad been atgeMpted and ahan.
laned In 1893,
\Mr, sherman has asserted many times
M provision demonetizing the sill
~ not secretly enacted, nor
Nd; and do not ques.
mi Akhn fact ruy,,nins