The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-07-21
Savoyard's View
Of the IsSuer
Washington Post.

the public credit shall be in no danger,
until November s, whether or no,
| though they have had more than seven
years to conserve It. If they are sim
| cere in their expressions of alarm in
| this behalf. 1t is only a confession
that they have been faithless to their
trust when 1t was committed to them to
establish the gold standard. Is there an
Intelligent man who believes, and an
honest man who will say, that Alton B.
Parker is a menace to the gold stand
ard? And yet that Is what Republican
organs and Republican leaders pretend
to think and try TO insinuate. The Re-
publican platform declares the gold
standard is firmly established" Judge
Parker says 1t is 'frrvocably establish
ed" and If the people want a President
to disestablish 1t. he is not the man
they are seeking. Then the Democratic
convention in response to Judge Par
kerr resolved that they thought every
body knew the gold standard was es-
tablished and that was the reason they
did not make a fuss about 1t. or words
to that effect
1t looks like history is trying to
repeat itself We all recollect that in
| 1896 the Republican party fixed to
make tariff fight of it. The tariff
nominated Mckinley because his name
was more closely associated with the
dogma of protection than any other
then among the living. Hanna expect
| ed to make the campaign on that issue.
and, indeed. 1t was not until the last
half of October that Mckinley dropped
the tariff as a leading feature of his
speeches. Every Republican spellbind-
err was prepared to visit opprobrium
on the Wilson tariff that had not a sin
gle friend in the world. Just before
| frost the G. o. P. found out exactly
what the paramount issue was, and 1t
proved to be the silver question. Then
| they dropped the tariff like hot pota-
| to.
| And here Is 1904. The Republicans
are trying to make believe that Is to 1
| Is the issue That Is a mistake. There
is no such issue that they can avail
| themselves of to their possible advan-
tage They will have to drop 1t just
as they had to drop the tariff eight
years ago. They will find that out be-
fore the dog days are fairly begun
Their present programme is bound to
collapse.
They say themselves that the menace
to the public credit Is in the fact that
the silver dollars are not redeemable In
gold on the demand of the holders. and
| that a hostile administration could put
| the country on what would be vir-
tual or a partial, at least, silver basis
| by redeeming greenbacks in silver
when gold was demanded. or paying
out silver on other obligations of the
| government when gold was demanded.
Very well. And who is responsible for
| that condition of things? The Republic
cans have had the power for more than
seven wears to make the silver dollar
redeemable in gold. Why have they
| not done it? There is but one an
swer-they are opposed to 1t. If there
is a Is to issue in this campaign
there IT Is to the amount of above half
| a billion silver dollars that now form
| part of our circulating medium. And
the G. o. P. is 16 to Ter to that ex-
tent.
The Republicans are not satisfied
with the work of the Democratic con-
vention and they appear to feel out
ragged at the conduct of Judge Parker
Their own convention had lodged eve
rything and they thought the Demo-
cratic convention ought to be allowed
| to dodge one thing. And that is why
they pretend to fear Judge Parker. II
elected President, would take advan-
tage of their blunder-or is it one of
| their iniouities ?-and redeem green
backs in silver.
This campaign is somewhat of re-
| minder of that of 1892. 1t will be re-
called that President Harrison sent to
Congress most emphatic and a some
| what blood Thirsty lingo message lev
eled against Chile this year the bonn
bastic Raisouli- Perdicaris ultimatum
at the precise opportune moment to
| split the ears of the groundlings in the
Republican National Convention Pres
ident Roosevelt was at the time hold
| ing by his proxies, Root and Cannon
| in the CitV of Chicago.
| Again there was the Homestead
strike that embarrassed and plagued
the Harrison administration in 1892.
In 1904 there are strikes and rumors
of strikes, front, flank, and rear. For
tunately. 1t so turns out that we have
| a President who is an expert judge OF
| strikes and an eminent authority as
to the way. to handle them, and what
to do with them. And so anxious is he
| TO exploit his will in this behalf that he
undertakes the management of strikes
that do not fall within the jurisdiction
| of his ofncial duties. There seems to
be disposition in labor circles to give
him ample opportunity to exhibit his
dexterity as a strike-buster. In the
State of Pennsylvania he was a hand
and "a half at that business.
But the campaign of 1904 will resem-
BILE that of twelve years ago in nothing
so much as the paramount issue. which
IL the excessive protection OF the pres