Fair play., 1899-06-24
MAKING A CURRENCY ISSUE
abandonment Of the Principle
of Self Governments.

The republicans, we are told, will
hold series of conferences t6
discuss not only the house caucus
scheme of currency reform, but all the
different projects of financial reform
with view to the creation of n gen.
eral financial policy for the next scs-
sion of congress-
The Importance of this" we are
told, will be seen at once when it is
remembered that any legislation on
the currency at the next session will
necessarily become ali issue before the
national conventions and in the preSi-
| Dental campaigns of next summer"
Yes. this will be seen at once by peo
pie who have not seen it before. What
is more suggestive is the fact that it
has been foreSeen ever since Mckinley
| was inductcd into Office, and that every
thing like n serious attempt at currency
reform has been deliberately postponed
to the last hour.
The currency question was the one
upon which the last presidential cleo
tion turned. 1t was the burning issue"
of the campaign of 1896. yet it has been
pcrsistently lodged ever since. In
stead of urging currency reform at the
outset Mckinley called an extra scs-
sion of congress before he was fairly
warm in his seat to give the country
n tariff worse than the one which bore
his name and he rcle"atcd the currency
question to Il back seat in the top gal
lcry and has kept il there ever since.
This was about as deliberate an in
suit as hc could offer to The men with
ont whose votes by his own admission
he could never have been elected. lie
did precisely that to which the democrats
who supported him, directly or indi-
rcctly. We're most opposed. and made
no effort to do that which they wished
to have done. and for The sake of which
they sundcred old party ties.
Now another presidential election is
approaching. and the leaders of the Me
Kiulcy party are holding long confer
rnces for the purpose of manufacture
ing Il currency issue for the coming
They manifcstly have no
of settling the question an,!
taking it out of national politics. as it
ought 10 he. Their intention evidently
is to patch mp some coforlcSs measure
out of which they hope to get an issue
through indiScrect dcmncratic oppoSi-
ton. But il is farthcSt from their pur-
pose to do anything decisive and dis |
pose of the currency question in a man !
ner likely to be final.
The fact that they have done moth :
ing all this time sufficiently proves that |
hey do not care to do anything. They |
IRE mortally afraid to face the people ,
:quarely on the issue of Imperialism !
he abandonment of the fundamental
upon which the republic is !
BASED as enunciated in the Declaration !
# Independence, the principle of self
They are mortally afraid .
o meet the people on the question of .
he war of subiugatinn which has been .
la"ed for four months and which. APP !
has Just begun. in which our |
oldicrs are required not only tn shoot |
lown people whose only crime is that .
II our revolutionary fathers, but to
hout To death that very doctrine of self !
which until now has al !
Ways been that in which Americans
lavc most gloried and for which they
save occn ready to lay down their lives.
fcarimg to meet the people on this.
he most vital issue which has appeared .
ince tie revolution of no. the rcpub-
lean leaders are hoping TO get them
idly excited once more over an empty
Irrcncy issue. and they trust To the
oily of the democratic leaders to help
hem on with that vicious enterprise
'hicago Chronicle.