The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-01-21
SAYS SILVER is DEAD
RICHARD CROKER, OF NEW YORK,
DISCUSSES THE ISSUE IN A
PUBLISHED INTERVIEW
is MERELY A LOCAL IDEA
Has Been Passed UpOE by the Amer
lean People, Urges Mr. Croker,
and Pronounced Not Wanted
Defends New York as a Money
Center-Cites the Disappearance
of Cash in the Winter of 1896.

Center-Cites the Disappearance
of Cash In the Winter of 1896.
NEW YORK, Jan. 20.-Richard Gro
ker, in an interview tonight. said:
1.-The sixteen to one question is a
dead issue. This was proven conclu-
sively by the expression of the will OF
the people in 1885, when they elected
Mr.. Mckinley president of the United
States. Now the Democrats of the
West and other sections of the country
ere trying to foist this dead issue upon
the Democratic party and to make the
old dead cry of 16 to L the Democratic
slogan in 1900.
why should we carry dead weight
in that campaign? The times of four
years are past. Today the times are
different, and the issues are not the
same.
Speaking for this section Of the
country, I say, If the 16 to 1 question
is again brought before the people,
there will be felt again throughout the
nation the same distrust that prevail
ed in 1896. During the fall of that year
while the campaign was In progress
every man with a dollar Of surplus,
whether he was millionaire or work
ingman, boarded his savings; in fact,
laid them up so securely that there
was actually no money in circulation.
AS natural consequence the times
then became we'll nigh desperate. Look
back at the winter of 1896 and see what
the mere rumor Of silver coinage at
You could not get money in the banks.
You could not raise money on any
kind of security, and the result was
the very hardest kind of hard times.
From the South and West there al
ways comes the hue and cry against
New York because it is the money
center Of the United States. But, when
ever there is any great public improve
ment to be made in any section of this
country, the first look for help is to-
wards abused New York. They rush
to our great city to seek funds; they
ask us to build railroads, to construct
water works, to erect the plants for
gas and electricity and bond their sites
for any kind Of Improvement. Then,
no matter how much benefit is derived
from this section Of the country, there
is always the same howl against the
great city, because it Is the money cen
ter-that very center without which
public improvement would be an i'm
possibility.
"If this silver question comes again
before the people and is made factor
In the national platform, the moneyed
of To Fn,
ment outside of this country, and the
banks in other sections of the country
will be unable to borrow money in the
East. The result will be that the poor
will be the greatest sufferers.
1.-The present winter Of 1S98-99 has
been free from the scenes Of starva
ton and suffering that were so pain
fully characteristic Of the time when
the financial strength Of the country
was threatened. Everybody seems to
be making living, and to be content.
The reason for this Is evident. The
moneyed men have loosened their purse
strings, and money is being plentifully
spent for public improvements. Labor
is not idle and money is in circulation
because there is a feeling Of financial
security.
'The free silver issue is merely a
local issue. In the sections where free
silver will benefit the residents it is
but natural for them to declare for six
teen to one. However, in my opinion,
the money question should be settled
by congress.
"But here in New York we must see
+o If that the nositiOn of our party on
the money question must meet the re-
quirements not only of any one section,
but every section of the United States.
When in convention assembled the ma
jority of the delegates demand a cer-
tain standard or a certain reform New
York will, as she ever has. fall faith
fully in line without a moment of op-
position or murnlur or protest. But
the Democratic platform Of 1900 has
not yet been written"