El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-10-15
New York. July 18th. 1900.

pOiSy VI SuC Oi ob'hCS.
New York. July 18th. 1900.
Dear Mr. Schnitzer:-
| | am very glad to be reminded by
your letter of the 9TH inst. of the pleas
ant intercourse which | had with you
some years ago and of the fact that you
were good enough TO ask my advice in
the political eXigency which then exist
ed
The political situation at this time
is of very different character from
that which presented itself four years
ago. At that time il seemed possible
to maintain distinct democratic or
sanization. based upon the fundamen-
tai principles enunciated by Jefferson,
and which had continued to govern the
party in all previous presidential cleo
lions. The nomination of Palmer and
| Buckner was not made with any idea
that they could be elected. but in order
to preserve an organization about
which sound democrats could rally. in
case the heresies of the Chicago plat
| form should be Yepudiated by a sub
| sequent convention protesting to be
| democratic. The recent convention held
at Kansas City has however rendered
| all such expectation hopeless. The
party which calls itself democratic is
| in reality populistic and based upon
| doctrines which. if carried into effect
would produce political anarchy. No
doubt you are familiar with Taines
| History of the French Revolution. In
| the second volume, entitled "Democ
| racy." you will find all the heresies of
| the Chicago platform practically an
nounced and the dreadful consequences
| of striving TO put these false doctrines
into operation are recorded in language
which should become the text for all
political education.
Ii seems therefore that there is no
longer any room for doubt as to the
course which should be taken by men
who believe in true democracy and de-
sire to preserve its principles for the
benefit of those who are to come after
us. We are compelled by every con-
sideration of honor. of duty and of
interest to repudiate Organism and all
that il represents. The coinage of
silver at the ratio of 10 to / is the
least of the false doctrines in this
platform. but it necessarily occupies
the first place. You ask whether | be-
lieve in the coinage of silver in the
ratio of 10 to l. You might as we'll
ask ME whether | believed that an
ounce should be made to pass for
pound in the ordinary transactions of
commerce. The value of silver meas
ured by gold is. as every one knows
not 10 to I. but 81 to |. The PROPOSE
ton therefore of the platform is to de-
clare that fifty cents shall by law be
made equal 10 one dollar. This alb
Surd proposition is based upon the pro-
fessed belief that in 1873 when silver
was demonetized a crime was commit
ted. by which creditors benefited at
the expense of debtors. The fact is
that silver was than over valued. and
hence its decentralization was a relief
TO debtors and of no benefit to credit
ors. The extraordinary thing is that
hA al,
commit the very crime in which il
falsely denounces as having been per-
petrated in 1878. II proposes to substi-
tute fifty cent dollar in payment of
debts which ought to be discharged
with one hundred cents to the dollar
This is robbery and therefore a crime
in which no honest man can have any
part. The pretenSe that the bullion
value of silver could be raised to its
coinage value by the fiat of the gov
eminent is ridiculous. In fact we
have tried the experiment by chasing
more than six hundred millions of dol
lars worth of silver in order to pre-
serve the parity between silver and
gold at the ratio of l6 to l. We have
seen the price of silver steadily fall
in the face of these large purchases.
The United States strained its ability
TO the last thread of tension in this eff
fort. Universal distress existed and
we were only relieved from general
bankruptcy by the repeal of the Sher-
man act. To repeat this experiment
in a time when business is good is an
act of folly so glaring that il is diff
ficult for a sane man to understand the ,
proposition could have received sin
gle vote in the convention.
You ask me whether the present ad-
ministration is likely to establish an
imperialistic form of government over |
this country or in its new possessions. |
| answer that the constitution of the
United States is too strongly entrench- |
ed in the affections of the people to |
permit its possible violation by the ad- !
ministration. and that if such an at !
tempt were made. the supreme court |
of the United States will surely inter- |
pref the constitution in the spirit of its !
founders and for the preservation of /
the constitutional government to |
which we owe our stability and our ;
prosperity. Personally | regret very
much that we have acquired the Phil
ippine Islands. and so far as | might
have any influence | would exert it for
the purpose e divesting ourselves of
the ownership of these islands. | be- /
lieve that our system of government
was not designed for the administra-
tion of colonial possessions. So far
as Cuba Is concerned. we are under
pledge to- refrain from it's acquisition
except by the will of the people of
Cuba. As to Porto Rico and the Ha-
waiian Islands. they happen to be geo i
graphically so related to this country !
and i'll themselves are of such small !
area. that do not think any danger to
our political institutions will come
from the possessions and their admin
istration. With the Philippine Islands
however the case is altogether differ