Evening star., 1909-08-21
Mr.. Bailey and the Currency.


Senator Bailey is at home and explain
ing to his constituents the part he took
In the recent democratic reputation Of
the doctrine Of free raw materials. He
confessed in a speech the other day that
the doctrine was adopted In an effort to
bring New England into the democratic
column, and that the effort failed. Ex-
planning, he said:
1.-THE trouble is that you could get New
England to vote the ticket only OCCASION
ally-you cannot make real democrat
out of a man whose grandfather burned
witches. daughter and applause.) For
twelve years the democratic party did de-
fend the doctrine of free raw material,
and for part Of the time 1t did support
the doctrine Of single gold standard, but
that was an aberration-that was not de-
mocracy, that was mugwumpery. Laugh-
ter and applause)" r.
To this the New York Tribune makes
reply:
Now, If supporting the single gold
standard was an alteration, just as advo-
eating free raw material was, is Mr..
Bailey enlisted in an effort to accomplish
q double reyersion of democratic policy?
Is he going to cut loose entirely from the
descendants of witch burners and revive
the doctrine of Bland as well as the doc
trine Of Polk? 1t seems so. Yet Mr..
Bailey did not breathe a word Of that
purpose in his recent speeches in the Sen
ate. What he hid from Washington he
has revealed to Pilot Point. His program
will interest the other democratic leaders.
For, as he coyly confesses, when he begins
to wrestie with an idea of that caiiber he
never stops until he overthrows 1t or it
overthrows him. Perhaps he thinks that
there Is another democratic presidential
nomination in 16 to 1?''
.
in this matter. he will soon have an op-
portunfty to show It. The currency prob
lem may come up In Congress next winter.
and is likely to revive the whole financial
question. Not improbabIy, the debate will
range over the record of the past fifty
pears as respects our finances, beginning
with the steps taken to provide the means
for fighting the war for the Union, and
including the greenback act, the national
banking act, and, later. the several acts
relating to silver coinage. - g.s-.g-i
In that debate Mr.. Bailey should appear
as prominently as he did in the tariff de-
bate. He Is a member OF the Senate
finance committee. and the subject will
appeal to him.
How ardently the Texan senator sup
ported 16 to 1 in 1896 is not known. He
was not very ardently for Mr.. Bryan,
considering him a populist. But Mr.. Bry-
an gave his whole soul to silver that year.
and has never recanted. He is still for
the double standard; and it will be sur
prising if when the battle about the cur
rency opens in Congress the Nebraskan
does not take part in his newspaper
and on the stump, and restate the ease Of
silver as changed by the developments of
the past twelve years. He was not very
aggressive during the tariff debate. but
the currency question may give him an
opening, and bring him forward in his old
form.
1t is assumed that next years congress
sional campaign and the presidential
campaign Of 1912 will turn solely ON the
tariff. They may not The currency
problem IL so important, and the discus
sion relating to new legislation will so
stir the country. we may see that prob
lem take precedence, and especially If
the new tariff fulills the predictions of
its friends and satisfies the country. Con-
gress at the regular session may hold
the public attention more closely than 1t
did at the extra session.