Potosi journal. (Potosi, Mo.) 1894-1929, 1900-07-25
Shall the Question Close!

ember to end the long continued
attack on a sound currency. With
the reelection of Mckinley and &
Republican House the issue of mon
ey debasement will have met with
two national defeats. All the pow
er Of the government, executive
and legislative, will be positively
against it, and the subject will be
dismissed as political topic. But
the election of Bryan, carrying
with it Democratic House, would
unquestionably revitalize the qucs-
ton. In that case there would be
a free coinage victory following
a sound money victory, giving to
the reactionaries the vantage
ground. They would need moth
ing additional except majority III
the Senate to alter the laws of the
United States at pleasure. After
reversing the great verdict of 1896
the party of free silver and unlim-
tied paper might confidently look
forward to getting the Senate at an
early day. 1t would be small
achievement compared with the
election of Bryan after his first de-
feat. All the prestige of success
would be ON the free coinage side,
and the people would prepare for
a flood of cheapened dollars, re-
alizing that the loss of the second
battle had swcp, away utterly the
expectations inspired by winning
the first.
Sound money men should be
careful not to form conclusions on
the currency question on the idea
that ''the Senate is safe That
is a false point of view, fatal
narrowing Of a subject of the
broadcst national scope. Though
the membership of the Senate
changes less rapidly than that of
the House, & few years will suf
fee to break down it's strongest
majority. There arc some who
figure that Bryan's election would
not be followed by control of the
Senate. But all such analysis is a
quicksand. With Bryan as Prssi-
dent and Democratic House the
talk of holding on to the Senate as
a ''citadel'' is a palpable absuFdity.
If the whole free coinage pro
grammc can not be defeated in
| November the cause of sound mon
ey will meet with a crushing blow.
The Senate is a minor detail. 1t
could no more be held after Bryan S
election than Napoleon after Wat
erloo could have rallied his army
to defend some bridge or village
and roll back the tide Of defeat.
Secretary Gage has been asked
if Bryan as President could, with
out fresh legislation, disturb the
existing gold standard law. The
secretary believes the law to be
strongly fortified. But that is not
the main point. The ovcrturn by
the people of their judgment of
1896 would Instantly produce dis
trust abroad, anxiety at home and
conditions of panic. This situation,
should Bryan win, would come the
day following the election, COM
pelling the present administration,
as Secretary Gage says, ''to use to
the uttermost the powers conferred
by the new law to maintain the
gold standard and the parity of all
our forms of money until the new
administration entered Office. The
business community wCuldnatural-
ly look for a vigorous message
from President Bryan, recon-
mcnding the repeal of the law, in
conformity with the implied and
direct demands of the Democrac-
ic and silver Republican platforms,
and prudent men would take steps
to hoard gold and prepare for the
hurricane obviously gathering in
the financial heavens" And this
calamity would happen as early as
next November. Sound money
men should be drawn into no de
bate about the complexion of th.
next Senate. The currency cues
tion will he closed by Bryan: