Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-02-24
CERTAIN OF VICTORY.
Senator James Z. Jones on the
Democratic Outlook.
Says That Issues VIII Be the Same
Next Year as They Were in 1906
deductions from Last
Years Elections.

X Jones, chairman of the democratic
national committee, in an authorized
interview to-day was asked If in his
opinion the democratic national con-
venaion of next year would reafhrm
the Chicago platform. He said:
ITO say that the next democratic ma
tional convention Will reaff1rm the po-
sition taken by the convention in 1876 is 10
assert what every candid man. even slight
Iv familiar with existing facts. knows TO
be true. It is as certain as anything hu-
man can be that the question OF oimetailism
will be the leading issue in the campaign
next year. And it is reasonable TO expect
that the majority of the people Will next
time declare for the party which means
what it says and will redeem its pledges.
and that they will not again be tricked into
casting their votes in favor OF the enemies
of the principles in which they believe.
ION what grounds do you base your
hopes for success next year? was asked
Some of the reasons why am strongly
hopeful of the future of our cause are as
follows: In the campaign OF 1896 both
parties declared for bimetallism: the DEM
ocrats for independent action by the Onfteu
States; the republicans for an international
agreement. which they pledged themselves
to promote.
.-True, this declaration on the part of
the republicans was only made to catch
votes, and because the party leaders DID
not dare to go TO the polls without it. L
think that now no one any longer doubts
that the fixed purpose OF those VINO con-
trolled these leaders was to MAINTAIN the
gold standard, and to prevent, not pro-
mote, an international agreement. The
declaration, however, served its purpose.
and vast numbers of sincere bimetaillsts
were persuaded to vote the republican
ticket in the belief that they were voting
for an honest effort to secure international
bimetallism. The leaders who were re-
sponsible for this trick have already COM
mitted their party to the single gold stand
ard, so far as they can, and il they dare
speak out honestly in their next national
platform. it will declare for the single gold
Standard
On being asked if he. believed that
the cause of bimetallism was improv'
ing, he said:
There are as many believers in bimet-
allisnl to-day in the United States as there
ever were, and all these doubtless are now
convinced that the only way to accomplish
bimetallism is through the action or the
democratic party. The great effort to stop
the fall of priceS-the shrinking OF values
and to relieve the distress of business re-
sulting from these great evils. without
doing injustice injury TO any class or
business, is being more and more under
stood, and commands the respect of honest
and fair men always when understood, ana
another campaign or ridIcule ana ABUSE
such that of 1S96-whether dictated by
ignorance or Venality-cannot succeed
against temperate arguments and appeals
for simple justice. when the people have
time 10 Ia1rly weigh tne anu
form a deliberate judgment.
There was great unrest and dissatis-
faction in 1896 throughout the country, re-
sulting from falling prices and shrinking
values. The republican party promised
that if they were intruSted with power all
this would be changed. and that prosperity
should succeed existing conditions. Mr..
Mckinley and the gold press now assure
the country that we have prosperity There
is quite boom in stock speculation in
Wall street, but Wall street is not the
country, we believe great famine
and a short crop of wheat all over the
world. except in the United States. nat
uraIly raised the price of wheat while these
conditions lasted, and the beneffcent eff
feet of this Increase in the price of wheat
is still widely felt The beneficial effects
of this temporary advance in the price of
a single article, which marked in
the short period it continued, are likely tC
stimulate a desire for return TO that con-
dition permanently and an extension of it
to all other products. This is our purpose,
and was our purpose in 1886, when the re-
publican party denounced any effort 10
increase prices as a crime"
Asked how he accounted for the ac-
tivity in business, he answered:
There has been necessarily N increased
demand for labor within the last few
months, as the result of the withdra wal
of large numbers of American citizens from
the ordinary walks of life to be employed
in the army, whose places had to be filled.
In6TG mas also Deen an increased activity
in and demand for all products which
were necessary to the maintenance and
support of a large army. But all these
conditions are in the very nature of things
temporary. and all of US know that they
must pass away with the end of the con-
ditionS which brought them into life Max
ing due allowance for the influence of these
three causes, on the present condition OF the
country, there is to-day as much diSSa It's
faction and as much cause for it as there
was in 1896. No relief was or is to be eX-
pected under republican management, eX-
cept such as comes by famine abroad and
war at home. a condition of constantly
falling general prices is everywhere recog-
nized as condition of distress and hard
times. and speculation excitement in Wall
street does not change this We believe
that a small volume of money forces prices
down, hence we have urged the coinage
of our silver well as of our goId-not
only to check this grinding fan IN prices.
but to promote steadily advancing prices
Then you think that the Chicago plat
form is gaining ground?
Il most certainly do. In the elections
of last year the principles OF that plat
form were not the leading and exclusive
issues in all sections Of the country THESE
were partially obscured in many states
and districts. The question of bimetallism.
the republican effort to retire the green
backs and to confer upon the national banks
the absolute control of the volume OF pa
L per money, and to surrender the country
to the trusts, were. in many sections, for
the time-being lost sight of in the excite
ment OF the war and its resulting ques-
tons: and in others they were sidetrackeo
by efforts to substitute local issues In their
stead The result was great loss OF IN
terest and a large falling off in the vote,
with apparently unfavorable results 70
the democratic party In Colorado, Where
national issues were at the front and DOM
inant, the interest in the election was in
tense, the vote large and our majority
overwhelming. In states where it was
stated, whether truly or not. that there
was an intention on the part of the demo-
cratic managers to SideIrack the great
issue, with the purpose.of ultimately bring
ing the party in national convention back
to the practice of shutting and evasion: so
long persisted in by both political parties
and still kent I'D by the republicans, the