The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1899-09-08

make silver twice as valuable as it is by
simply saying so. 1t means rearrange
ment of society on basis which woulo
seek to enhance the market price of in
capacity. 1t Is true that Mr.. Bryan, in
order to carry out his social reorgani-
cation, would be obliged to have both
houses of congress behind him, and
besides, would have to remain of the
same mind after the responsibility Of
office rested upon him. We make thi;
qualification because we are we'll aware
that some of his best friends have sought
support. for him on the ground that he
will not be so mad after election as his
tongue has sounded before.
Notwithstanding the fact, however,
that Mr.. Bryan cannot do much without
congress, the question which will invol-
unfairly pre- sent itself to the country is
going to be not what will he do, but
what does he stand for, and what effect
will his mere triumph have upon the
credit of the government? Now Mr.
Bryan was essentially the product of
bad times. He received the six million
votes of which he boasts because he was
the candidate of, among others, the
bankrupt the unfortunate. and the un-
employed. The country has become
immensely prosperous since Mr.. Bryan
had his day. Its farmers are not now
complaining of small crops and low
prices. They have never had so pros
porous time as that which has follow
ed the opening of the year 1897. Mort
cages have been paid off and home
steads are freed from debt. Trade has
revived. Exports have enormously in
creased. Factories are busy. The in
ternal taxes are paid without grumbling
Speaking generally, the unemployed
are those who, like Mr., Dooley's Cub
ian," rejoice only when they close their
job" 1t isa bad time for Bryan and
Organism, and next year promises to be
no better. Moreover in view of the
amount of our sales abroad, it is an es-
pecially unfortunate time to ask us to
60 to monetary basis which differs
from that of the principal countries
with which we deal.
If Mr.. Bryan shall be nominated by
the democrats-and there Is no good
reason at present to suppose that he
will not bet will not matter what his
platform may be. He will stand for all
the fo'lies we have named, and his cleo
ton would be disastrous to the national
credit Probably this may be said of
any leading democrat who remained
loyal to his party after its capture by the
silverites and socialists in 1896 But it
is especially true of Mr.. Bryan. He
will be as much his own platform as Mr..
Cleveland was his own in the cam.
paigns of 1888 and 1892. He was writ.
ten into the platform, and he has not
changed. Even if the platform of next
year should declare for the gold stand
ard, men who really believe in the gold
standard, and hold the issue paramount,
would certainly vote against Mr. Bryan
because they would hold the assertion
of his platform to be fraud and an
attempt to swindle. Even if Mr. Bryan
himself may finally be induced to de.
clare, in the superfne language of the
politicians, that he will "relegate the
freesilver issue to the rear" that will
not avail him. He and his party can
not escape their dilemma, try as hard
as they may, and it will require so much
retraction on their part, and if they even
obscure the silver issue, such radical
departure from their present pro-
gramme for the nomination, that they
would better cease to try. Their efforts
to win confidence in Bryan on ''other
issues" are absurdly feeble, and simply
serve to distress unnecessarily the real
silver men, including the mine-owners,
who are now the bone, muscle, and sus-
tanning pecuniary grace of their party.
The recent discoveries of gold in different |
parts of Alaska give promise of the de- |
velopment Of richer diggings In that quarter |
of Uncle Sans domain than anybody a |
few years ago expected. Gold has been |
found in Alaska ever since that region was |
annexed to the United States. but the
chances now are that the yield in 1899 will |
be greater than In any FIVE years preceding.
A gold discovery in the Philippines at the |
present date would be timely. Ever since
the early Spanish days there was a belief
that gold existed in the Philippines, and |
some of it was said to have been found on
several occasions. A gold discovery in
in Luzon would send enough white men to
that country In a few years to permanently
solve the Filipino problem by making the
whites the dominant element in the civil
government of that region. Just as soon
as American authority is established In the
Islands prospectors from all parts of the
world will make-a thorough exploration of
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