Evening star., 1924-07-09
IN TODAY'S SPOTLIGHT
BY PAUL y. COLLINS

controlled the government until beat
en- by Grover Cleveland in 1884
Both parties contained adherents Of
the divergent views of sound or in
Hated money. Indefiniteness of party
attitudes upon that live question fol-
lowing the resumption OF specie pay
ments in 1879 led to agitation chiefly
| among. the distressed farmers Of the
west, in favor of Cheap money This
started the Populist, or Peoples
Gratis In 1896, when Mr.. Bryan, the
boy orator" swept the Democratic
national convention off it's feet with
"cross Of gold" speech as he urged
the free and unlimited coinage of
silver at a ratio with gold of sixteen
to-one, although it took more than
th1rty-two ounces of silver to equal
one ounce Of gold, in the world mar
ket. President Cleveland was repu-
dated by half of his party because
he stood firmly in opposition to coin
silver as of value more than double
Its world market value.
r X x
In the campaign of william Nc
kinley-to open the mills instead of
the mints'-Mr. Mckinley appreciat-
ed the financial distress of the
country, which he attributed partly
ing cheap-labor products of Europe
into competition with our own pro-
duction, and partly to the timidity
of capital to invest in industry or ex-
tend credit when the threat was
made Of debasing money so that ST.
600 of obliga tions could be paid with
about $3.50 Of silver. Throughout the
years of free coinage of silver" agi-
tation every city in America main
tanned soup houses, feeding total of
millions of able but idle laborers,
rot in the ground for want of
market, because idle workers had no
money to buy food.
Recent experiences in European
countries which have inflated their
currency and "cheapened their
money" are now pointed to as veri-
fication and demonstration of what
Mckinley taught in 1896, of the dis
astrous effect upon wage earners and
the common man" when money is
depreciating value Of money has en-
able capitalists to grow enor-
moUsly rich through speculations, but
has necessitated the humiliating cry
feed our children or millions will
perish"
The next third party arose in Con-
gress in 1911-12. when nine sena-
tors and thirteen representatives
combined against party bosssm,
known as "Cannonism," and against
certain measures advocated by Presi-
dent Taft--particularly Canadian
reciprocity on farm products This
revolt was at first led by Sena tor
La Toilette, but when five Republic
an governors appealed to former
President Roosevelt to take the
leadership ne superseded Senator La
Toilette, who returned to the G. o. P.
allegiance.
succeeded in an electoral college
victory, but the minor parties have
exercised great influence upon sub
sequent legislation. and many of the
laws which have been enacted by the
old parties in the last fifty years were
first agitated by the radicals of
third parties, although that cannot be
construed as meaning that all that the
radicals" advocate is later found
acceptable to the conservatives of
the nation. Most of the planks of the
minor parties today have to do with
social reforms" while the idea that
the government should support the
people with pensions or guarantees
of prosperity, rather than the people
should support the government as
self-reliant peace-loving, orderly
citizens, are urged by the radical
leaders.
tCopyright. 1924 by Paul V CollinsD