New-York tribune., 1900-09-25
A TRUE BRTANTTE.

oF the lending lights among the Gold Democrats
of Kings County who have returned TO the
fold of Bryanism. 1t has gone out or 1ts way
and used up it's valuable space by printing III
the same column two pictures of Mr.. Patter-
son. one as a Bryanite saying that there Is ho
danger of cheap money IN case ME-. bTyah
should be elected. the other as n money lender
nominating in the bond the payment of his debt
and interest in standard gold coin of the pres
ent weight and flneness 1t may be conceded
that "The Eagle" has clear case of incon-
sistency to expose. It seems that few days
ago Mr.. Patterson, in an interview, made the
remarkable statement that 1.-The New-1ork state
Democratic organization is plainly for the gold
standard and declared;
II power be given to the Democrats the silver
question will be dead because 1t Will appear
that the party as whole does not favor the 1ree
coinage of silver. The claim that democratic
Secretary of the Treasury could, under eNlstlhS
laws, put the country a silver basis by paying
the Government obligations in silver ls plainly
unsound: Under the financial bill passed ,5 las9
to maintain the silver dollars upon parity
with gold The United States guarantees that
every silver dollar issued by the Government
shall be maintained at equal value with each
gold dollar. Payment in silver thus guaranteed
is practically payment In gold.
Three days before that this same Mr.. Patter-
son. who says that silver payments are practi-
less preferred the gold payments to their prac
tical equivalent by having two mortgages, ag-
gregating $4,000, recorded which call for gold
payments. Therefore 1t appears that Mr.. Pat
terson, while willing to risk other peoples
pocketbooks on the chance that Mr.. Bryan's
dollars will remain as good as gold, prefers to
insure himself against the political change he
advocates Nor is his gold clause mortgage the
usual business form which he might lnadvert-
emily adopt. In list of several hundred mort
cages recorded along with his only four other
lenders are found who demand gold, the aver
age Brooklyn mortgageor being perhaps lulled
to carelessness by Mr.. Patterson's assurances
which he himself apparently does not believe.
As we say Mr. Patterson seems TO be con-
vlcted of inconsistency, we should hesitate to
think insincerity. Nevertheless we fear The
Eagle" is a little too hard on him when it ex-
hibits his plight to the extent Of a column
with two pictures which look just alike. If 1t
adopts that system it will have to duplicate
It's pictures of the whole Bryan contingent. Mr..
Patterson Is no worse than the rest and does
not deserve invidious distinction. Take his
noble leader and master of the State organiza-
ton Mr. Croker, for instance. Mr.. Patterson
says that the organiza IN Is against free silver.
Nevertheless it is on record as favorng it. 1t
once. and then indorsed the Kansas City plat
forms Endorsement of the Chicago platform,
and has supported Mr. Bryan in his insistence
that free silver doctrines must not be abandoned
or even concealed. If Mr.. Patterson is right
the whole organization is a fraud, and he only
follows his leaders in being inconsistent Mr.
Croker and the Van Wyck outfit went into the
Ice Trust and got all they could out Of the poor
of New-York by doubling the price of ice last
summer, but after fixing things up for their
own pockets just as Mr. Patterson does. they
turned around and denounced the Ice Trust
as gravely as Mr.. Patterson announces that he
does not fear free silver-being himself we'll
fortified against 1t.
Mr. Stanchield can also do his little turn
A few months ago he declared that he was
enough Of a Republican to stand by the Admin
istration in holding the Philippines. Now he is
running on an anti-imperialist platform, doun-
derng about most ridiculously trying to lose or
explain away that speech Nobody has pictured
the horrors of free silver in more extreme
phrase than Mr.. Carl Schurz and Mr.. Edward
N. Shepard both Of whom never do anything
by halves, but they are setting Mr.. Patterson
an example which convinces his political CON
science. even if it does not touch his private
financial Judgment. Mr. Bryan himself favored
the treaty making Jne L fulllPplHes OHlIeu states
territory. and now he abuses President McKin-
ley for doing his constitutional duty of defend
ing the sovereignty Of the United States where
Mr. Bryan said It should be extended It
doesn't do to hold Bryanites to too close an
account in the matter of consistency. The
established doctrine of the Democracy Of this
State as announced by Mr.. Croker in discus
sion Of his ice stock Is that you cannot expect
a mans political principles and his business
conduct to agree We don't see why Mr.. Pat
terson. in spite of his Bryanite politics, Is not
entitled like his associates to work for his
own pocket all the time" and draw his interest
in gold If Mr.. Bryan can put gold to a pre-
MUM Mr. Patterson will be all the better off.