The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-11-23

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our esteemed contemporary. the Bristol
Tribune. invites The Times TO come into
the community of the New Democracy
and 10 advocate its policies.
We must decline that invitation with
thanks. We do not deny that it would
NE most agreeable to The Times to find
itself I'm full fellowship with the Bristol
Tribune and other Southern Democrats
for the reason that they are our brethren
and for the reason that VIC all desire TO
promote the welfare Of the sunny South
The recent race troubles in North Caro-
lima have brought the white men of the
| South closer together. and it IS b II de-
( monstrated that crises arise in which no
! question Of financial policy is involved
and which can keep the whites of the
South apart. Blood is thicker than water.
But we cannot join the New Demo
cracy. for, try as hard as we might, we
could not with any degree Of sincerity
advocate its principles and policies as
laid down in the Chicago platform. and
If we should attempt TO do so whether
or not. insincerity would be stamped
upon every line. and we should most dis
gracefully expose ourselves. There is but
one way in which sound money Demo-
Gratis and Chicago Democrats can get to-
gether. and that is by adopting am old
time Democratic platform, aud as we
have so often said we viii, for our part,
accept any platform Of the national
Democracy prior TO that Of 1896.
The Tribune plumcs itself upon its JEFF
fersonian Democracy, and points with
pride to the fact that "the first act pass
ed relating to coinage was the act of 1872,
which was endorsed by Thomas Jefer-
son. and which provided for the free and
unlimited coinage Of gold and silver at
the ratio Of fifteen parts Of silver 10 one
of gold" Blu our contemporary does not
stand on tina platform. II advocates a
ratio of sixteen pats OF silver to one OF
cold. 1t has departed from the Jefferson
ian ratio and cannot. fairly. claim that
II stands on the Jcfforsonian platform
The Tribune well knows that AR. Jef.
ferson advocated the commercial ratio,
and it knows tha there was O. change
from fifteen to one to sixteen TO one in
order to meet changed conditions. Mr..
jefferson. we say. advocated the COM
mercial ratio. while the Tribune sticks TO
an arbitrary ratio. regardless of the rola-
tive value on the market Of gold and
silver.
1t is not the free coinage Of silver that
sound money Democrats object 20, nor
is it the free coinage of silver alone that
the New Democracy advocates. TIL Tri-
bune and its associates demand not only
the free and unlimited coinage Of silver,
but at the arbitrary ratio Of sixteen TO
one. demand that the government shall
AT his ratio coin into dollars an the sil-
Yer that may be offered. and that AN men
shall be compelled to receive such dollars
in the payment of debts as the fun equiv
alent of the recognized gold dollars Of the
world.
Why has our contemporary departed
from the Jonersonian ratio? Why does
it not insist upon the fifteen to one ratio.
and if. as it confcsses. il has departed
one jot from the Jenorsonian ratio, why
does f. condemn The Times because we
have also departed from the ratio which
existed in Mr.. Jefferson time? We shall
not go into any discussion as to the
causes that have led TO this change. our
intelligent contemporary knows very
we'll why the change of ratio was made,
knows very well that it was impossible
TO make gold and silver circulate side by
side at an arbitrary ratio. and knows
very well that when the price Of silver
began to decline the great nations of the
earth were compelled. by the oxieencies
Of the case. to abandon free coinage al
together.