The Courier. (Genoa, Nev.) 1899-1904, 1902-01-31
Instructive and Entertaining.
Hon. H. F. Bartine Reviews the Political Situa-
ton, Demonstrating that the Silver
Issue is Neither Dead
Nor Sleeping.

1870, ana Wnere the 16epuDllcan party
would ultimately land upon the ques
ton have been verified to the letter.
ATTITUDE OF SILVER REPUBLICANS.
In the advocacy of free coinage the
Republicans of the Mountain States
took the lead, and when the break
came,in 1898, they left their party al
most in body. Some of them have
since returned to it, and why they have
done SO has never been explained to
my satisfaction. If it be urged that
silver is dead issue, good and suf-
| ficient answer is that the Republican
party killed it; and while a forgiving
spirit is, in itself, a quality to be adj
.mired, when we carry it so far as to
embrace and fondle those who have
given the death blow to our dearest
political hopes it conveys the. idea of
weakness rather than Christian virtue
In this connection it should be remem-
bered that in "killing the silver issue,u
the Republican party never fought in
the open, but always under cover, pre-
tending to be for bimetallism while
sliding constantly toward the gold
standard, all the while casting the
amenities of political debate to the
winds and characterizing the advocates
of free coinage either as hair Drained
fanatics or as unprincipled knaves bent
on swindling the widow and the orphan
with dishonest dollars.
| But further No man who left the
party on the silver issue, is justified in
returning upon the theory that the
issue is dead, for the reason that he
cannot know to a certainty that 1t is
dead. 1t may be only sleeping; and
it's foremost champions, go over bodily
to the enemy the effect may easily be
to convert what is merely sleep into
actual death. 1t may be true that the
issue is not Immediately pressing, and
that with the proved business con-
ditions resulting from the enlarged
output of gold, less interest is felt in
the question now than formerly.
| Nevertheless, it is also fact that con-
ditions may change again, and in such
manner as once more to bring up the
issue with greater intensity than ever.
Nothing is much more uncertain than
the worlds future gold supply, and
the money question is not one of day,
or year, but of all time.
DEMOCRATIC SILVER SENTIMENT.
1t is perfectly apparent that what
ever of silver sentiment there is in the
country at this time is to be found in
the ranks of the Democratic party and
its allies. The platform declarations of
these parties are still their accepted
creed, and even though interest in the
question has waned and new issues
have arisen, the fact remains that the
great bulk of the Democrats in public
life would vote for the free coinage of
silver without moments hesitation,
while upon this question the position
of the Republican party is infinitely
worse than it was in 1896.
Therefore it Is to me Incompetent
fsible political philosophy which now
carries any sincere silver man, and
particularly one from Nevada, into the
ranks of the Republican party. That
party is the more to be condemned in
its present attitude because it was not
assumed as a matter of earnest eonvie-
ton. AS have already stated, the
party slid to the support of the gold
standard while vehemently protesting
its undying fidelity to bimetallism. It
is doubtful if majority of the rank
and file of the organization ever had an
idea that they were in favor of the gold
standard until they suddenly learned
from their platforms that it's mainten-
ance WAS a fundamental article of their
party creed.
The simple and obvious truth is that
the great monied interests have con
trolled the leaders of the party, and
the masses have obediently followed
the leaders, being held to their ale
glance mainly by fervid appeals based
upon the past glories of Republicanism.
DOMINATED BY MONEY POWER.
The course of the Republican party
upon the money question shows that
it is completely dominated by the great
financial influences, and this circum-
stance affects its action upon every
other economic question. It is at this
time difficult TO imagine anything in
the way of legislation which the Re-
publican leaders, or the most of them,
are not willing TO grant at the behest
of the banks and the trusts They may
not grant it all at once. A few of them
will make show of holding
back, but in the end they will yield
entirely TO the demands.
THERE Is NO TARI1r,s TSSl-s