The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-09-17

women and children OF every home.
When onriopPoneRts champion free sii-
yer at sixteen to one they are ,eitherin-
sincere or sincere In their attitude E1f
inslncere in their Championship they,of
course, forfeit al! right TO belief or sup.
port on any ground. II sincere, then
they are q menace to the welfare Of the
country. Whether they shout their
sinister purpose or merely whisper It
makes put little difference, save asst
reflects their own honesty. No issue
can 20 paramount TO the Issue they
thus make, for the paramountcy OF
such an issue IL to be determined. not
by the dictum OF any man or body of
men. but by the fact that It vitality. ar
fects the well-being of every home In
the land. The financial question IL al
ways or such far-reaching and tramen-
dons Importance to the national wel-
fare that 1t can never be raised In good
faith unless tl:is tremendous import.
.anee is not merely conceded, but insists
cd on. Men who are not willing to
make such mn Issue paramount have no
possible justification for raising 1t at
all. for under such circumstances their
act cannot under any conceivable cir
cumstanccs do nnght but grave harm,
First Find the Facts.
. 9 = o ) +. . d !. IS q
The success Of the party representing
tho principles embodied In the Kansas
City platform would bring about the
destruction Of al. the conditions neces-
sary TO the continuance of our prosper
ity. 1t would also unsettle our whole
governmental system, and would there
fore dlsarrange all the vast and delicate
machinery of our complex Industrial
life. Above all. the effect would be
ruinous to our finances. II we are to
prosper. the currency Of this country
must be based upon the gold
dollar worth one hundred cents.
The stability OF our currency has been
greatly increased by the excellent
financial act passed by the last Con-
gress. But no law can secure our
finances against the effect Of unwise
ana disastrous management in the
hands OF unfriendly administrators. No
party can safely be entrusted with thu;
management. of our national affairs I'M
elss 1t accepts as automatic the truths
recognized In all progressive countries
as essential 70 a sound and proper sys-,
teni or finance. In their essence these
must be the same for all great civilized
peoples. In different stages OF devcl-
opment, different countries face vary
Ing economic conditions, but Mt every
stage and under all circumstances the
most Important element In securing
their economic well-bcing Is sound
finance, honest money. So Intimate Is
the connection between Industrial
prosperity and n sound currency that
the former Is jeopardlzed. not merely
by unsound finance. but by the very
threat OF unsouRd finance. The bust
ness man and the farmer are vitality In
terested In this question; but no mans
interest Is so great as that OF the
wage-worker. A deprecated currency
means loss and disaster to the busi-
ness man; but 1t means grim suffering
to the wage-worker. The capitalist will
lose much Of his capital and will suffer
wearing anxiety and the loss of many
comforts; but the waseworker who
loses his wages must suffer, and see his
wife and children suffer, for the actual
necessities Of life. The one absolutely
vital need Of our whole Industrial sys-
TEN is sound money.
I Thrust at Trusts.
One of the serious problems with
which We are confronted under the con-
ditions Of our modern Industrial civil.-
cation is that presented by the great
business combinations, which are gem
eraiiy known under the name OF trusts.
The problem is an exceedingly diff
cult one and The difficulty Is Immensely
aggravated both by honest but wrong
headed attacks on our whole Industrial
system In the effort to remove, some Of
the evils connected with 1t, and by the
mischievous advice OF men who either
think crookedly or who advance reme-
dies knowing them to be ineffective, but
deeminS that they may, by darkening
counsel. achieve for themselves a spur
ious reputation for wisdom. 10 good
whatever Is subserved by ind!scrimi-
nate dcnunciation of corporations gen.
orally, and OF all forms Of Industrial
combination In particular: and when
this public dcnunciatlon is accompanied
by private membership in the great
corporations denounced, the effect is,
OF course. to give an air OF insincerity
TO the whole amount. Nevertheless,
there are real abuses, and there Is am
pie reason for strivlns to remedy these
abuses. a crude or ill-coRsidered ef
fort to remedy them would either be
absolutely without effect or else would
simply do damage.
The first thing to do Is TO find out the
facts; and for this purpose publicity rs
to the capitalization. profits. and all
else OF importance to the public, Is the
most useful measure. The. mere fact
OF this publicity would In Itself remedy.
certain evils, and. rs TO the others. 1t
would in some cases point out the ren-
cdies, md would at least enable US to
tell whether or, not certain proposed
remedies would be. useful. The state
acting in its collective capacity would
thus first find out the facts and then
be able to take such measures as wis
dom dictated. Much can be done by
taxation. Even more Gun be done by
regulation, by close supervision, and
the unsparlng excelsior OF all unhealthy.
destructive and anti-sociul elements.
THE separate state governments can do
n great deal. and where they decline TO
cooperate the national government
must step In.
While paying heed to the necessity OF
keeping our house in order at home, the
American people cannot. II they wish to
retain. their self-respect, refrain from
doing their duty as great nntlonfin
the world. The history OF the nation is
in large part ;hc history of the nations
expansion. When the first Continental
Congress met IN Liberty hall and the
thirteen original states declared them
selves n nation. the westward limit OF
the country was marked by the Allie
sheny mountains. Even during the
Revolutionary War the work OF eS-