The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1899-01-05

that the Republicans have everything
to gain and (since the South is Sc
cure) nothing to lose by helping to
elect the Southern candidate. To /
make a fair gift fairer, the House
ought to be Democratic. The one |
advantage for which the Republicans
must necessarily strive (and which |
will not conflict with the present
purpose) will be to secure the legis-
latures in States which are to elect
senators. In this the credit for gen
crosby will aid them. To what eN-
tent they should abstain from the
contest in other matters, it would be
difficult to point out.
In this rivalry in moral grandeur,
at least in appearance, will belong to
the Republicans. Though the credit
of the initiative must of course go to
the Democrats, yet their motives. no
matter how generous, will on the
surface appear selfish, since a splen-
did material victory is to be theirs.
The action Of the Republicans, on
The contrary, will appear as gener-
Gus unselfsh abnegation Thus the
loser will win more than the winner.
Certainly the losers glory will be far
greater than if he won. Elected, he
would only be link in long and
uniform chain which even now taxes
the memory; his name would be for
ever associated with the defeat of a
patriotic and humane purpose, a de-
feat which the nation would before
long remember with shame and re-
greet. By helping to elect his oppo-
nent, he will at once don the radiance
of immortality. His administration,
like that of his opponent predecessor,
will be lifted out of commonplace by
the beauty Of an immortal deed.
Thus on the highway of history we
shall set up the marvellous monument
of an election in which both parties
win. AS this will not be possible
unless both are highminded (circum-
stances being such that they cannot
afford it), the greatest victory of all
will be that of the nation-a victory
greater than that over Spain, and,
unlike the latter, beyond the sheer of
envy or malevolence. That the nation
may reap the full credit, the meas
ure should be the result, not of sud-
den impulse but of deliberate, we'll
considered choice.
The silver men ought to be pleased,
since bimetallism, no matter how at
tanned, is the same thing Of the ratio
is the same); in fact, the defense of
free silver rests on the assumption
that it will bring the commercial
ratio back to the old figures, which
of course is practically Synonymous
/ with international bimetallism; and.
with a silver man in the White House,
as the result of general love feast,
foreign nations may be less coy, and
may express less doubt concerning
the sincerity of our proposals than
they did after a campaign in which
the arguments against free silver
were generally arguments against
all bimetallism. England, in partic-
ular, may be reluctant to spoil the
present good feeling by another re-
fusal. To Republicans who favor in
ternational bimetallism, the adop-
ton of their plank by heiropponents
will be signal triumph. The out
and-out gold men, holding that the
..silver craze" is transient fad
that the business depression had
nothing TO do with the money stand
ard and will disappear, if time be al
lowed. without any legislation to
make money cheaper, ought to be
pleased with the assurance of four
more years in which to prove this
(since they are no doubt convinced
that foreign nations will again de-
cline our proposals.)
In the platforms, it will be advisa-
BILE to omit the customary denuncia-
ton Of opponents. To complete the
harmony and to acknowledge Repub-
lican chivalry, it will be appropriate.
ii such thing be possible, after the
unanimous election, to share the
prizes, improving on recent examples
! By dividing the Cabinet exactly be-
! tween the two parties. To reassure
, the financial interests, the Treasury
should be placed in the hands Of a