The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1898-08-15
Evening" Herald
MONDAY. AUGUST Is, 1898.
OUR COUNTRY: First. Last and Forever.
Free Silver Languishes.


As foreshadowed in these columns,
the Democrats of Missouri in conven-
ton assembled, have adopted II plat
foIm in favor of territorial expansion,
and Haunting the red flag of lin
perialisln' in the face of Bryan and
his followers. 1t is complete en-
dorsement of President Mckinley,
and nline with what mustuecessarily
be the policy of the Republican party
of the future.
We can easily imagine the feelings
of those rabid free silverites upon
reading the Missouri platform, when
it declares in favor of the Immediate
annexation of the island of Porto
Rico and other Spanish West India
islands, the Independence of Cuba, to
be followed by annexation when the
Inhabitants desire it; the retention of
commercial port and coaling station
in the Philippines and wherever else
they are necessary; the construction
of the Nicaragua canal under govern
ment direction and control; the ac-
quiring of powerful navy and the
maintenance of II small standing
army. The Republican administrn
ton could receive no stronger en-
dorsement, were the document to
emanate from Republican national
convention.
That the financial question is gradu-
ally but surely being relegated to the
rear is admitted on all sides, outside
of II few malcoutents who do not seem
to realize that the verdict of the |
people i'll 1896 was final and conclu- |
sive. The Importance of the ques-
tions arising out of the war is eyi-
free coinage to the rear in most of
the stptes this year Especially is this
true of the Democratic conventions,
both in the East and the West
That the followers of Bryan in the
Missouri convention made an unsuc-
cessfuI attempt to force the free silver
issue to the front, it is only necessary
to state that Mr.. Bland, whose fame
is confined to the dogma of the silver
mine owners, occupied prominent
position in the deliberations of the
convention. Bland, in unison with
his compatriots, loudly declared that
the free silver coinage question must
remain an issue until it is settled and
settled right The Democrats un-
doubtedly believed that the question
was Settled at the election in 1896,
as the convention refused to adopt an
unequivocal free silver plank. AS a re-
suit the Bryan followers, like their
brethren in Pennsylvania, went to
their homes in mourning.
As contemporary remarks, there
are many reasons at hand explaining
why it is that free silver is now
chiefly IA fad Of hobby-riders and II
is Schuylllill county has its quoto of
hobby riders, but these men are more
to be pitied than censured. They
have been buiTeted from one political
party to the other for so long, that
they have come to be looked upon as
necessary evil in the political
history of this county. For that
reason we cannot blame them for
agitating the Bryan dogmas. With
that issue relegated to the rear in the
politics of the county where would
our silver agitators turn for haven
,lof rest They themselves are shrewd
enough TO see the handwriting on the
wall, and it is reasonable to suppose
they will keep up the GLORIOUS battle
cry' for little while longer
OF course, the few remaining silver
advocates overlook the fact that there
is no longer lack of currency, there
being $261 ,000 900 more in circulation
in August this year than in cores
ponding month in 1896 that hun
dreds and hundreds of mortgages
were paid off last year by the western
farmers in one hundred cent dollars,
primarily because of the great rise
in the price of wheat, thus proving
that there is no relation in the price
OF wheat and the market value of
silver, because the latter declined
when wheat went up. Furthermore,
the country has all the silver money
that it requires, there being an in
crease of $4,000, 900 Of that coin dur
ing the year ending July lst last. Be
sides, the war revenue bill requires