Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-08-01
DESERVING FREE SILVER.

One by one, thus early in the nation
al campaign, the democratic leaders
are DESERVING the free silver banner
and making a plea that the party use
the conduct of the war and the trusts,
and other howls, as paramount issues.
The latest of these is Mayor David S.
Rose, the democratic chief executive of
Milwaukee, and one of the strong men
in the party of Wisconsin. Mayor Rose
believes that it is dangerous to attempt
to reform the financial system when la
Dor is employed and the country is
PROSPEROUS. In this statement the
Milwaukee mayor is admitting that re-
publican prosperity has come, and for
doing so is to be commended. 1t is
more than many of the Iowa free sill
yer papers will do. although practi-
cally admitting it in their news col
umns. Going further Mr.. Rose says
the balance of trade has brought plenty
of gold to this country, and "a gold
standard republican senate stands as
an obstruction to any remedial bimst-
allie legislation" In his belief the
tariff, Imperialism and the trusts
should demand the attention of the
party.
The opinions of Mayor Rose are ex-
plotted in letter to M. w. Meagher,
secretary of the National Jeffersonian
Democratic league, of which the fol-
lowing arguments form part:
eff 16 to / is the natural commercial
ratio, then why should we concern our
selves about it? IL we secure bimetal-
ism do we not thereby set the natu-
raj forces in motion, and will not the
natural result follow? If is to 1 is the
natural commercial ratio it is. SO. be-
cause it is right. 1t is the ratio which
commerce-the law of supply and de-
mand-will bring to it's natural status
the moment that silver is entered as
an honest competitor in the open mar
kets.
.'If 16 to is not the natural COM
mercial ratio, then it would be wrong
to arbitrarily make the ratio. If
would be ruinous to our industries,
destructive of business, a boomerang
that would strike hardest the party
that launched it.
"Mr. Bryan and all the other eminent
bimetallists of the country are right or
they are wrong, for they are in per-
feet harmony upon the proposition
that the ratio stated is the natural ra-
ito. II they are right, then logically
ratio is only a detail from a political
standpoint, and why should the great
principle of bimetallism be hazarded
by fight over mere detail? There
fore. from standpoint of right, I ia
vor making no mention of ratio in our
next platform. IL we declare in favor
of bimetallism it is in effect declara-
ton in favor of ratio, for ratio is as
much part of bimetallism as are the
metals.
"For upwards Of a quarter of a cen
fury there was only one great issue be-
tween the democratic and republican
parties. Time after time we went into
convention and in one form or anoth-
er declared in favor of tariff for rev.
enue oniv.' and yet no one ever
thought of attaching tariff schedule
to the platform. It was never sug-
gested that the platform should state
what duty should be laid upon iron or
lumber or manufactured goods or on
other given products or commodity
That was matter OF detail; the prin-
ciple was whether low tariff was right.
Why does not the same rule apply in
the case before us9"