The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1899-06-30
MANUFACTURING AN ISSUE.
-Abaaaonmsnt at the Principle
OF Self Government.

Il he .spunlicanS, we are tolu, Will
hold a series Of conferences "a
discuss not only the house caucus
scheme OF currency reform, but all the
different projects OF financial reform,
with view 10 the creation of gem
eral financial policy for the next ses-
sion Of congress"
The Importance of this" we are
told. Twill be seen AT once when ii is
remembered that any legislation on
the currency az the neNt session Will
necessarily become an issue before the
national conventions and in the presi-
dental campaigns of next sumner
Ycs. this Will be seen nj once by pco-
pie who have not seen il before. What
is more suggestive is the fact that it
has been forcsccn ever since Mckinley
was inducied into Office. and that every
thing like 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
ton turned. IL was the burning issue"
of the campaign Of 1896. yet il has been
persstently lodged ever since. In
stead of urging currency reform AT the
outset Mckinley called an extra ses-
sion Of congress before he was fairly
warm in his seat 10 give the country
q tariff worse than the one which bore
his name. and he rclegated the currency
question to back seat in the top gal
lery and has kept il there ever since.
This was about MS deliberate an in
suit as he could offer TO the men with
out whose votes by his own admission
he could never haze been elected. He
did precisely that TO which the democrats
who supported him. directly or indi-
rectly, Were 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-
Knlcy party are holding long confer
ences for the purpose OF manufacture
ing currencr issue for the coming
campaign. They manifestly have no
intention of settling the question and
taking il out of national politics as il
ought 70 be- Their intention evidently
is TO patch up some colorless measure
out OF which they hope to get an issue
indiscrcct democratic opposi-
ton. But il is farthest from their pur-
pose to do anything decisive and dis
pose Of the currency question in a man
ner likely to be final
Tho g. .bn.- I.,. H..
ing all this time sufficiently proves that
they do not care TO do anything. They |
ire mortally afraid to face the people |
squarcly on the issue Of Imperialism
the abandonment of the fundamental |
upon which the republic is |
based as cnunciated in the Declaration |
Of Independence. the principle OF self |
government They are mortally afraid |
10 meet the people on the question OF |
the war OF subiugation which has been |
waged for four months. and which. ap- |
has just begun. in which our |
soldiers are required not only to shoot |
down people whose only crime is that |
of our evolutionary fathers. but to |
shoot TO death that very doctrine Of self |
$500 hiH'Hi NHich uiltil now mas nj
ways been tina, in which Americans
have most gloried and for which they
have been ready to lay down their lives
Fearing TO meet the people on this.
the most vital issue which has appeared
since the revolution of ZIG, the rcpub-
lean leaders are hoping to get them
wildly excited once more over an empty
currency issue. and they trust to the
oily of the democratic leaders to help
them on with that vicious enterprise
Chicago Chronicle.