The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-29
A Question That Cannot BE Evaded

The Democrats and the Democratic news
papers now engaged in an attempt to get
rid OF the silver issue OF the Chicago plat
form are not suggesting any positive dec
laration on the currency in place Of 1t.
Senator MORGAN, representing advocates
OF the policy OF 1896 has proposed that the
question he relegated to the Congress dis
tricts for settlement and the candidate for
President be pledged to approve any cur
rency measure that a Democratic Con-
gress might pass. That is n definite prop
osition, at any rate, but nothing definite
comes from the other side. II seems to
have no other policy to suggest than that
the whole subject he dropped by the Dem
ocratic National Convention as cause Of
uncomfortable controversy.
or course, ii Is not supposable that the
Democrats would turn square about and de-
clare for gold in 1900, when more than
$500, 900 OF them voted for silver in 1896,
or about a million more than voted for Mr..
CLEVELAND in 1892. The dissdents from
the Chicago platform therefore, are not
wasting their time in efforts to bring about
that impossible revolution. From none OF
them, individuals or newspapers, is the de-
loi u gnu Pidti'i IIcs
have here in New York two or three
newspaper organs, but they are all ST.
lent on the subject Of a gold stand
ard so far as concerns the Democracy.
They are captious in complaining of the
Republican party, on the ground that it
does not go so far in the gold direction as
they ask Of it, but they do not ask or ex-
pect their own party to take any steps at
all in that direction. They insist that the
Republican Congress shall establish the
gold standard by specific law, though it is
already established legally and can be over
thrown only by the popular will as ex-
pressed at the election of next year. Yet
they make no demand that the Democratic
party shall declare positively for its main
tenance in their platform of 1906 they are
simply begging the silver advocates to
leave the question open.
That means leaving it open for decision
in the election, with the Republican party
taking an affirmative and positive posi-
ton on it and the Democrats refusing to
meet the issue. or course, that is practi-
cally impossible. If the Democratic party
does not declare for gold it will obviously
he for silver, as it was in 1896 when it gave
for silver the greatest number Of votes by
nearly million it had ever cast.
Nor can any Legislation possible to the
Republican party previous to the election
assure the maintenance of the gold stand
ard. Only the people can settle that ques-
ton and remove it from bacful contro-
versy The jury is the American people, not
the Republican Congress. Whatever Con-
grcss may do one year the people can undo
the next year. tits impossible. therefore, to
keep out this great and pivotal quest ion from
the Presidential campaign Of 1900, how
ever deXterously the Democratic party may
attempt to evade it,
Whether this country is to maintain or
to displa"e the gold standard will 10 de-
cided at the mOmentous election of 1900,
and the question cannot be decided until
then. The political parties will hav" to get
on one side or the other Of 1t by positive
declaration, for it will be square fight.