Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1904-06-10
Friday, June 10, 1904.
SILVER NOT MORE DEAD THAN OTHER
ISSUES.

We believe there is a determined
effort on the part of the Reunited De
mocracy to compel the Democratic
party to renounce their allegiance to
the Fundamental principles of the plat
forms of 1896 and 1900, and admit that
In those two campaigns the Republi-
cans were right and the Democrats
wrong. This grows out of the fact
that most of those who went with the
Republicans in those fights and became
sick of their company, in coming BACK
must have some excuse for having
gone away. If they can convice the
party that five and one-half million of
them were wrong, and they, a few
hundred thousand, were right, then
they may claim to have known it all
and the Democratic masses will take
back seat. 1t must be remembered
that the financial laws are just the
same now they were in 1896. Not one
lot or one little of them having been
changed. When. therefore, we are told
that with the aid of the gold bug ele
ment of our party the country was
placed on gold basis, we are told a
positive. wilful, malicious, and direct
falsehood, because there is no change
in the monetary laws. In the face of
this ''gold basis'' deception. silver is
the money metal used In the Philip
pines, and out there they cannot get
on without it.
1t is we'll known that the constitu-
tion of the United States expressly
recognizes gold and silver coin'' as
money. and prohibits any State from
declaring anything but "gOld and sill
Yer coin tender in payment of debts. .
1t is further known that the unit OF
silver was first declared, and that gold
was admitted to free coinage, but in
doing 80 it was measured by the Sill
YER UNIT. With the fact that silver
is recognized by the constitution and
in every monetary law passed by Con-
gress since the foundation of the gov
eminent, there are ignorant people
who wish to tell the public that ''silveI
is dead" They think and assert that
we will never hear of silver and SO
soon as the present dollars We see float
ing around are worn out Or drawn in
We will never see any more of them
Hour al vorla ond how foolish ap6 hnu
ignorant. The fight on silver is sim
ply in ahyance. 1t is as certain to
reassert itself as hard times are Ger
tain to come again. The people have
been told that under gold standard
hard times will be impossible, but that
rot will soon be exploded. We are glad
In sense that the free coinage of sill
Yer did not triumph in 1896. Had it
done so, it would have been followed
sooner or later by hard times and then
all blame would have been saddled ON
it. If hard times come as they GER
tainly will under what is pleased to be
called the gold standard" silver can
not be accused of the crime, and when
silver is restored to its proper position
as money metal, as the people sooner
or later will demand that it shall be-,
then it will have come to stay, and
National bank currency and other shin
plaster stuff, will have to take it's
chances, and not be the fayorite of the
nation as the Banking influence has
made it at present. 1t will therefore
be interesting to see the money planks
in both the national platforms. They
will both be lying and deceptive, be-
cause the Republican platform will
tell of an established gold standard.
and the Democratic platform will
doubtless express satisfaction with
monetary laws. Those who think,
therefore, that Silver is dead, had just
as we'll consider the Tariff dead, OF
Imperialism dead, or any of the other
national issues dead. All have been
defeated, but we do not know wherein
an issue can be called dead except
those decided by arms, and not by the
ballot.