The record-union., 1899-07-25

and whose calamity howls discouraged
the faint-hearted at home and greatly
strengthened those who were in open
rebellion. We remember oneof these
copperheads once saying that Lincoln,
couldn't conquer the South; that the
war would never end unless he called
off his armies; that that boy" (point-.
ing to the writer) will grow up and
be drafted into the army and killed
We see, now, how the wisdom and the
patience of the great Lincoln slowly
surmounted all obstacles and finally
brought a beneficent peace and re-
united country; but it will never be
known how the copperhead rear hre
tired and embarrassed him. 1t is a
good deal that way now. The same
copperhead meddling and doubling is
working embarrassment to the Presl-
dent. Time will disclose the wisdom
and patriotism of his course, and IN
the meantime he is enduring the walls
of the faint of heart, the misrepre-
sentation of the fool and the malignant,
with a patience that is of the same
order as that which sustained the
martyred Lincoln.
Portland Oregonian: Senator Thurs
ton breaks his recent unwonted silence
to remark upon the inadvisability OF
declaring for the gold standard and
reforming the currency. The gold
standard men, he says, will no doubt
be able to force an absolutely gold
plank in the national platform, but
they will not be able to pass gold
standard legislation through the COM
ing Congress. He thinks that there is
yet a sentiment for silver, and that
the efforts to secure bimetallism should
not be given up. ThurstOn excerpts
Oregon and Washington from the
Western States that still have long
ing for silver, saying that the gold
standard issue has been fought out
there and won by the Republicans. AS
a principle of political action, the
Thurston idea should receive consider
alton, and there is no reason why it
should not be extended to other de-
partments of human achievement. 1t
will not do to say much about gold
because lot of free-silver maniacs are
still shouting for 16 to 1. We must
not reform the currency, because In
various parts of the West numbers
of greenbackers still survive. Because
financial heresy remains in a minority
of the people, the proper thing is to
do something for silver and promote
"bimetallism.' What becomes of the
treasury or the currency in the next
panic is not worth consideration,
compared with the paramount duty of
placating the, silver sentiment. We
take it that if Senator Thurston was
Board of Health, he would propose
to fight smallpox by catering to the
prejudice Of the ignorant against vac
cination. He would stamp out yellow
fever by placating the sentiment
against isolation and quarantine. He
would suppress brigandage by having
all pedestrians give up their vauables
promptly at the first demand. He
would put out a fire by throwing kero-
sene into it. He would abate a flood
by tearing down a few more dams.
He would save the fruit trees by
gratifying the inclination of mossback
farmers who hate sprays and bon
fires. For measures against prostitu-
ton he would consult the brothels:
against thievery, he would consult the
pickpockets; . against homicide. he
would consult the assassins: If he
were called in to prescribe for a man
with the jirnjams, he would urge him
to go and swill down few more
quarts of whisky.