The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-10-22
No Division of Interests.

The people of Pennsylvania, in COM
mon with all other intelligent Amerl-
cans, are interested in the industrial
and commercial success of the country.
They are interested in the continuance
of the prosperity, daily growing more
marked, which came upon the country
after the victory of two years ago for
Protection and Sound Money which
resulted in the installation in Office of
President William Mckinley and a Re
publican congress. Some Of them may
have believed two years ago, in the
distress and oppression of free trade
times, that a trial of the free silver
policy could not make matters much
worse and might possibly make them
better. We will not believe so i'll of the
427125 Pennsylvanians who in that
year cast their ballots for Mr.. Bryan
and unlimited fire coinage as to think
that any considerable proportion Of
them were insincere.
Lut there is no school like experience.
The people of The United States since
that great political battle was decided
have been taught by experience that
the free coinage of silver is a delusive
hope; that the sounder the money the
better the prosperity and the credit,
and that he entrusting of the gov
crnment 70 the careful hands of Re
publican statesmen was the best thing
that could have happened to the coun-
try. Men who are able to look facts
an tr, face ana bc honest with tbe,,,-
selves and with each other see now, if
they did not see in 1896, that the Repub-
lican position was eight and the Demo-
cratic position wrong. They see that
under such a currency system which
hHs the confidence of the world we
have become the workshop of the
world; our treasury is overflowing
with gold, our exports surpass any
previous notch IN their history and
both as a nation and as individuals,
even IN spite Of an intervening war, the
American people are the most pros
ferrous people in the world and have
it in them to continue in this pros
perity to heights yet undreamed of.
Such being the happy situation of
the Democratic nominee for governor,
Judge jerks, who, though a supporter
of free silver and for that reason NOM
mated over judge Gordon at Altoona,
has not the manllness TO state publicly
his position on this question, but plans
40 get possession Of the political power
OF the Gubernatorial Office under the
cover of a cloud of dust, in order that
he may afterward use it to help along
the free silver cause? This is the
same small trick that Croker and Tam
IGany are trying to play in New York
There. as here, the Democratic guber-
material candidate says there are no
national issues to be considered in the
approaching election, but, just the
same, If either Van Wyck or jerks
should by any accident pull through
at the polls, there is not a silverite in
the country who would not see in il
significant victory for the free silver
cause, giving new encouragement TO
that cause to push again for the presi-
dency and congress in 1900.
Republicans and those in sympathy
With the high aims Of the present ma
t!onal administration must not let the
cunning enemy take them next month
at a disadvantage. The interests OF
the whole country are at stake fully as
directly as are any strictly local in
terests. Republicans never yet gain
ed by fiirtations with the opposition.