The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1904-09-23
They Nominated Candidates
Who Voted for Free Silver.
PEOPLE CAN FORGIVE ERROR
Which Is Now Prac tically Admitted,
but Will Not Trust the Party with
Power Because Of the
Blunder.

When an Individual makes and reit-
crates startling statements which later
On are proved TO be absolutely false,
his further utteranceS On any subject
whatsoever are liable not 70 be taken
seriously, and this is putting the case
mildly. Even though the statements
were uttered in honest belief as to their
accuracy, the fact that they were later
on proven to be wrong. furnished evil
Ience Of mental capacity to make fur
ther gross plumbers from time TO time.
In this respect the record Of the DEM
ecratic party on the silver issue has for
that party the same sinister significance
that Illustrations from an individual.
who is found out, would have for that
individual.
We may all be willing to charitably
admit that in its advocacy Of the great
free silver error in 1896 and 1900 the
Democratic party was honestly wrong.
There is no patriotic American who
would like to think, hint, or suggest,
that Bryan was not actuated by hon.
est and sincere belief in his cause when
he uttered his famous Gross OF Cold"
and Grown OF Thorns" speech in 1890,
nor is there any American with opti-
mistic faith in the honesty and patriot
ism of the leading public men Of the
United States who would want to think
for a moment that Alton B. Parker, the
candidate of a great political party for
President of the United States, voted
against his honest convictions as to what
was for the good OF his |oJntry when
he voted for free silver in 1896, and
then. again voted for free silver in 9OO
Cannot Be Trustei.
But while the American people will
never ilnpute dishonorable motives to
the leaders Of the silver cause in 1899
and 1900, yet nevertheless it will hesi-
tate in the future to place implicit trust
in those who sought to lead them into
a disastrous error in those years. Had
the majority of the voters Of the coun-
try in 1896 and 1900 not been of bet
ter judgment than Judge Parker was
during those two years the United States
would have had the silver standard, all
the currency Of the country would have
been debased TO the bullion value Of sill
yer; just debts would have been scaled
off over fifty per cent; the laborer,
whom the Bible says is worthy of his
hire" would have been paid his wages
h4 NheaY dollars Or no; nais the value OF
the honest dollars based on the gold
standard; the country would have SUI
fered unparalleled hard times; it's credit
would have sunk as low as that of Tur-
key, Venezuela, and Of other nations
which repudiate their just obligations.
1t was for such calamity as this that
the Democratic free silver error stood
in 1896 Ind again in 1900, and Parker
and Davis both times stood with this
error, contributed money to further i
along, and voted for it.
Now the error is practically admitted.
Both Parker ald Davis. while refusing
to say that they now believe in the gold
standard, nevertheless say that it II
'~irrevocably blished by law"-that
is when on December IS, 1899. the gold
standard was esta blished by a vote Of
179 Republican yeas and only IL Dem
%ocratic yeas, against 142 Democratic
nays and no Republican nays, in the
| House of Representatives, and by a vote
Of A Republican and 2 Gold Democratic
yeas against % Democratic and only one
| Republican nay in the Senate, 1T WAS
| SO WE'LL ESTABLISHED THAT
PARKER AND DAVIS NOW CON-
SLIDER IT ''IRRE,OCABLY ESTAB-
LISHED."
"Silence IL Confession"
The American people will be willing
to forgive the Democratic record on the
| silver question. They will not demand
humiliating verbal confessions from
Democratic leaders of the fact that they
were terribly wrong in 1896 and 1900.
AS Daniel Webster once Subsistence
Is confession"-and the fact that the
Democrats now want silence on the
paramount" issue of 1896 and the tan
tamount'' issue of 1900, is sufficient con-
fession of past error.
But while the American people in re-
ceiving Democraey's silent confession OF
past error, can forgive, yet it canno for
get. 1t will not be in haste to put into
the White House the representative Of Z
party whose free silver principles
put in jeopardy the business stability Of
the country. 1T WILL NOT VOTE TO
HONOR WITH THE HIGHEST
OFFICE IN THE LAND A CANDI.
DATE WHO IN 1896 AND AGAIN
IN 1900 VOTED FOR A POLICY
THAT WOULD HAVE FINANCIAL
LY DISHONORED THIS COUNTRY
AND MADE 1T LOWER THAN TUR-
KEY AND VENEZUELA IN INTER-
NATIONAL OPINION AS TO IT'S