The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1898-08-19
The Issue.

The gold-bug papers of the East are
crowding the Republican party in the
western, Silver States to declare in their
State platforms unequivocal against sill
yer and in favor of monometalism and the
gold standard" Heretofore the party in
that section of the country have always
had string to their declaration in favor
of international bimetallisnl." Hanna
and Gage, since the destinies of the party
have fallen into their hands, have deter
mined to purge every intimation of BIZ
Inetallism out of their party and compel
an open declaration from Atlantic to Pa
cifc, in favor of gold. For the first time
since its founding the Republican party
means to risk its all OIL the open declara-
tion i'll favor of gold and against all silver
money.
The time has come when the party must
do this, as lodging the direct issue by
qualified conditions under which it would
favor bimitallisin, has ended. The Demo-
Graf party are as unequivocally and EN-
phatically endorsing the Chicago platform
in their state convention. The time for
sitting on the fence is past. There is TO be
straight fight in 1898 and 1900 on the
money question and the center of the
fight will be on the reconciliation of sill
yer, I6 to I, against the gold standard and
paper money issued by national banks
only. The constant reiteration by papers
of the gold oligarchy that silver is dead,
and that the gold standard is the settled
policy of the country, is little short Of
silly. What has the opposition to the gold
Republican party to fight on if not the
money question That is all the Republi
can party has to present to the country.
And what phase Of the question does the
Republican party,as represented by Mark
Hanna and Secretary Gage, present but
paper issue? The opposite of this is the
free coinage Of gold and silver at the pres
ent United States mint ratio of IS to
and the issue of paper money, green
backs by the national government only
no bank issues of paper money. These
are the two phases of the money question
which stand above all others to be settled
first by the American people, and the con-
slant iteration and reiteration of the gold
papers that the silver issue is settled, that
silver is dead, that the gold standard is
tho q xyoI Eponn,o1 rn1iC1, 0f IT,,ita ,l
States and the money question: is virtu-
ally settled-as they wish-is only whist
ling to keep their courage up. This is
the battle ground till after 1900 election
and in all probability many years longer.
The intelligent, progressive American
people will fight contraction the result of
the gold standard as long as it exists to
affect them, for as long as it exists, prices
will continue to fall, debts and taxes be
harder to pay and the mass of the people
grow year by year poorer.
These papers which trumpet for the
gold oligarchy now, that the war is over,
tell us there is to be a great, a wonderful
boom i'll business next fall" They have
been assuring the public ever since Nc
Kinley's election that great wave of
prosperity was sweeping over the country,
but nobody could discover it in their inn
mediate neighborhood and the cry was
classed with the cry of the wolf i'll the
fable. There same veracious papers APP
pear to have forgotten what they had
been saying and assure the public the
boon is due for certain next fall They
made all the capital possible out of the
wheat famine of last year, but the people
understood the reason wheat was abnor-
mally high then on the gold standard,
and now so low again.
In the face of this grave condition, what
is the Maryland Democracy going TO do ?
Still sit on the fence like a lonesome, No
vember crow to the disgust of the silver
voters and allow the Republican party to
carry away the corn? BY bold. honest
endorsement of the Chicago platform.
every district may be carried for silver
and national money. Its last years M0ReJ
policy invites defeat