The Irish standard., 1899-04-08
RICHARD CROKER.
The Tammany Boss is Far From Being
a Statesman,

New York was reported as having an
nounced for publication that the six
teen to one issue was dead; that ex-
pansion or non-expansion was the living
American issue of the day, and that he,
Croker, was in the favor OF expansion;
that is, of holding all the provinces that
we have bluffed and bullied Spain out
OF, plus those that we have already ac-
cepted from thieves. and others that we
yet steal from any OF the weaker races
III the American tropics or in .Asiatic or
other seas.
MIR. Croker is not great man. except
in the enormity OF his reputcd ill-gotten
wealth. which is enough to make any
fool appear great in these days, and he
is the farthest removed IRON a states
man: but as leader OF the local democ-
racy OF Greater New York, he is man
OF vast local political influence. The
Democrats failed to elect their candidate
for governor OF New York last iall.
however. because Richard Croker was
an imprudent local manipulation rather
than statesman, and like all men of his
clasS-tllat is. the class OF local heavy
weights-hc is too confident OF his own
powers to consult those who might give
him and his party greater influence by
giving them greater intelligence
In the present instance MIR. Croker is
right on general principles but utterly
wrong i'll his particulars In word.
he is mere clap-trap politician. trying
to see which way the popular winds are
blowing and resolved ii possible to sail
the Democratic ship with those winds.
Unfortunately Tor him and others like
him, the nation is i'll choppng sea just
now with pretty strong gales blowing
from various directions, and all he can
be sure OF, if indeed he can be sure of
that much longer. is the wheel OF the
local craft called Tammany Hall. rot
ten craft, but still. like the old phantom
ship. much dreaded in political seas.
AS to the real merits OF Croker's Janu-
airy oracle they are. like the merits OF
the utterer OF the oracle, a minus u,lan-
tty.
The so-called sixteen to one prob
lem has not been an issue before the
American people these many years.
Congress settled that matter by law
years ago when it decreed that sixteen
to one should be the ratio OF our stand
ard silver dollar. That silver has since
been legal tender in the United States.
You can buy your food. your clothing,
pay your taxes and purchase postage
stamps with silver dollar to the same
extent that you can with gold dollar.
Only the hlreling newspaper hacks OF
the east and the lireling hoodlum hacks
OF the west have tried or pretended to
revive the sixteen to one" issue. and
their efforts have all been plainly
enough at the bidding OF the European
money-lending power OF the world
MIR. Croker sat on the fence quite a
while to see which way the country was
swinging. 1t does not seem to have I'M
pressed him that very nearly half the
voting population of the country recent
ly voted in recognition oil the honesty OF
cur silver dollar and in favor of the free
coinage OF silver He clearly thinks that
the war has brought new issues, and
that there are less Objectionable candi-
dates than Mr. Bryan for the next pres
idency. As to the silver dollar problem.
he is a woodenhcaded fool.
The man who tyaduccs the standard
money OF his country is traitor to the
financial honor OF his country; further.
the money which passes as current coin
OF the realm and is recognized as worth
one hundred cents i'll all the markets
and at all the counters OF the United
States, is in fact good enough as
measure OF value for interest due the
usurers OF Europe, who are slowly but
surely getting this sublime land in their
grip, just as they have long had the
nations OF Europe in their power. by
controlling all the movements OF the
one metal they choose to impose upon
the world as the sole measure of value
for all the business transactions OF the
world.
Croker is utterly wrong and proves
himself mere posing mountebank, in
assuming that the sixteen to one issue
has been before the country; and he is
just as wrong in supposing or presum-
ing that the question of the free coinage
Of silver and the question whether we
shall have bi-metal coin standard or
simply gold standard is dead On the
contrary the education of the American
masses on this subject is only just be-
gun, and it is my judgment that when
they fairly get hold Of the merits OF the
question they will put some such man
as w. J. Bryan in the White House at
Washington and clean out forever such
corrupt slaves of the money power as
Grover Cleveland and Richard Croker.