The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1900-08-17
sKULKlNG FR THE TRUE
ISSUES.


printed in the New York World Sunday,
"are far out of their reckoning when they
assume that the people will decide the
election this year on a commercial issue
or commercial basis" General Collins
is one of the leading Democrats of New
England and was the friend and adviser
of Tilden and Cleveland. On the cur
rency question he is, as are most New
England Democrats Of distinction,
strong advocate of the gold standard.
General Collins is of the opinion that a
majority of the Gold Democrats will this
year support the ticket nominated at Kan
sas City. He is convinced the silver issue
is dead. The Republican party" he says,
'both in the Philadelphia platform and in
the acceptances of the candidates and
through the party press, has declared it
settled and that the promises made in 1896
have been kept. If the question is settled
for the present and the near future we
may dismiss it. If it is not settled the Re-
publican party is Boosting of having done
what it promised to do and has not done.
1t must hang on one Of the other of the
horns of the dilemma. Personally l con-
slider the currency question is disposed of
for long time to come, but if it were not,
and if all predicted calamities were sure
to visit us as a result of changing to a new
standard of value should still cheerfully
choose temporary injury to mere bust
ness, rather than push still further on the
road to empire. The integrity as
well as the honor of the Republic is in
peril, and all minor questions disappear
or wait until the safety of the state is as
sured."
In these pithy sentences General Collins
expresses the views of many voters who
opposed the election of Mr.. Bryan in 1896.
Four years ago the paramount issue was
a commercial question: question of
finance. Men voted then in accordance
with their views upon the merits of gold
or silver as the standard of value No is
sue involving our form of government,
the sacredness of the Constitution, the
consent of the governed, or territorial ex-
pansion, by conquest, was presented to the
people. In that great battle of the stand
ards it was evident that whichever party
won there was no menace to the Republic,
and that the spirit and form of our gov
eminent would remain the same. whether
our national finances should be established
on gold basis or on silver basis. So in
1896 the voters divided on purely bust
ness proposition-and many Democrats,
believing that gold is the only practical
standard of value, voted for the candidates
who were pledged to the maintenance of
that standard. They settled business
question, without regard to previous party
utilization, in businesslike way
The paramount issue of 1900, however,
is not a commercial question. 1t is in an
other way, it is true, battle of the stand
ards-but conflict this time between the
standard of government established by the
founders of this Republic and the standard
of government which President Mckinley
and Mark Hanna propose to substitute in
its place. Every man who believes in
republic must array himself against the
party which advocates territorial eXpan-
sion by force and the administration of
conquered territory as provinces outside
of our Constitution. This is the new bat
tie of the standards-an irreconcilable
conflict beside which the battle of 1896
was mere trife-a simple disagreement
over commercial or financial principle.
And as General Collins pertinently OBJ
serves, The commercial men who are
running the Republican party are far out
of their reckoning when they assume that
the people will decide the election this
year on commercial issue or on COM
mercial basis"
1t cannot have escaped the attention of
intelligent voters that the Republican party
is making desperate effort to evade the
issue of Imperialism The leaders of that
party know their only hope of victory is
to obscure that issue and to present as the
most important question one which has
already been settled, according to the lead
ouGholilJ vi hhuuSC Ill GuC
ADMINISTRATIONS of the Treas
ury Gage. If the Republicans were not
afraid of the issue of imperialism they
would not display such astonishing una
nimity on the stump and in the press in
refusing to discuss it, They are alone re-
sponsible for it, they created it, the Re-
publican Administration is committed to
it and yet the party leaders are making the
not only political cowardice, but it is poor
policy as well. If the Republican party
does not come out into the open and de-
fend itself from the attacks upon the I'M
constitutional system of territorial expan
sion with which it has identified itself, the
people will suspect that its motives are
even more sinister than they now appear
to be. A policy of evasion is one of con-
fession. In the 1900 battle of the stand
ards the chief issue is whether our stand
ard of government is to continue to con-
form to the standard Of our forefathers or
whether we are to push along the road
to empire Men who believe in IL repub-
lican form of government will not be
frightened by the harmless ghost of 1Gto l.
They are not going to settle the question
of constitutional government and human
rights on commercial basis Baltimore
Sun.
The leaders ofthe Republican party, says
the Cincinnati Enquirer" are not going
to develop their intents by an open d.
the mode in which assaults on liberty have
been made. The destruction of republic