The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1898-10-06
ISSUES OF THE CAMPAIGN.
Ex-Governor Stone. OF Missouri, Dis
cusses the Political Situation.

". r. Hearst, Editor of the Jour
nal:
Dear Sir:-Three or four day
ago, as | was in the act Of leaving
nv New York hotel for Providence
r. /, an editorial representative {
the Journal called to see me aDc
asked me to say, for publication IL
the journal, what l thought the
leading issues of the next presiden
tial campaign would be. As it was
then impossible for me to comply
with his request, he asked me &c
write the Journal on the subject al
my earliest convenience Although
approaching the compliment Of such
a request, I was, for several reasons,
reluctant to comply with it, and
would not have consented to do SO
if the request had not come from
your representative. But remem-
bering with gratitude the splendid
and unsel6sh service the Journal
rendered, at great sacrifice, to the
democracy in the memorable cam
paign Of 1895, I felt that 1 ought to
accede to any reasonable request the
Journal might make of me, for,
although no good might come Of my
doing 30, it would not at least result
in any harm.
In my opinion, the next demo
cratic national convention will again
declare for the free coinage of silver
and it will be done by a practically
unanimous vote. The party, as a
whole, is intensely in earnest in it's
advocacy Of binetallic coinage. 1t
will not recede from this position;
it will not go backward.
I believe the next democratic con
vention will also press our maritime
interests to the front, and make the
rehabilitation of our merchant navy
a leading issue of the campaign. |
say tissue" because any serious effort
TO rebuild our merchant navy on a
large scale will pecessitate a bold
assault on those republican policies
which have destroyed our maritime
interests for the benefit of special
monopoly, and because the exister &c
of great merchant navy would Of
itself put forces into operation
which would soon demolish that
whole fabric of protection" so art
fully contrivsd by our republican
opponents
If We expand our maritime inter
ests, We must seek trade; if we trade;
il We covet dominion of the seas, we
must control the markets of the
world. But this we cannot do if
we exclude others from our own
markets. If we put "Private and
Exclusive" over the gateways to our
ports, we cannot expect a free wei
come into the ports of other coun
tries
The two things are inconsistent
and impossible. But we should fill
the seas with our ships. What we
need above all things are markets.
The productive capacity of our coun,
try already great beyond comparison
can be quadrupled; and the inventive
genius and business skill and enter.
prise of our people are confessedly
to all others. II we under
take in dead earnest to do the carry
ing trade of the whole world and to
control the worlds commerce, we
will soon outstrip all competition
Think what we might do if we
should do our best.
Let me illustrate: OF our enor-
nous cotton product we manufac
ture only small per cent. II not
into statistics off hand) By
far the greater part is shipped
abroad, fabricated in foreign mills,
and made the basis of a vast COM
merce for foreign countries All
this cotton is manufactured some !
where, it is transported in some
body's ships. aud the manufactures
are sold somewhere in the markets
of the world
Why should not we manufacture
our own cotton, carry the goods in |
our own ships. and sell or exchange