People's Pilot, Volume 4, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 May 1895 — THE SILVER QUESTION [ARTICLE]

THE SILVER QUESTION

DISTURBING THE SERENITY OF THE POWERS. The Gold Bogs Bending Heaven and Earth to Head It Off —Bat the Cool Silence of the People I« Ominous. The silver question has broken out again with increased malignity. The Illinois democrats have scratched off a scab and the gold bugs seem to fear a relapse. The chairman of the Illinois state central committee has called a convention with the avowed intention of making a declaration on the money question. It is known that if the people control that convention they will declare for free silver. Hence the effort on the part of the gold bugs to defeat the object of the convention. It is argued that a declaration in favor of free silver, at this time, by the state, will be construed as a repudiation of the administration policy and hurtful to the democratic party. Senator Palmer, Comptroller Eckles, Col. Morrison, aad others who belong to the cuckoo tribe, are hurrying and scurrying about to side track the convention. The east is looking upon this matter with more seriousness than it ever has done. At the same time it is confident that the movement is only ephmereal and can be sidetracked in the near future. Mr. John De Witt Warner, who is at the head of the New York Reform club, and a member of the “Sound Money association,’’ and who is willing to “jine hands” with anybody to crush the silver movement, says: “There appears on the surface to be a tidal wave in favor of silver in some of the states east of the Mississippi river, but the craze will die out before the. assembling of the next national convention. The worse the drunk and the harder the jag, tke more certain the victfm will Bign fny kind of a pledge for his future good behavior. He will even be willing to take the gold cure. That will te the condition of the Illinois democrals after they recover from their silver jag.” There Is no doubt but what the east confidently believe thtt they will be able as usual to “whip in ” the west and south on the money question. Whatever may be the attion of the next national convention of toth old parties, it is certain that thej east will join hands —both republicans and democrats—to prevent any legislation that will curtail the power vhich the bankers now hav,e over the currency question. The hope of thejgold bugs is to preserve‘the organizations of the republican and democratic parties intact. Their only fear & a stampede of the voters from the twj> old parties to the People’s party. Secretary Morton, who seems to be interested in behalf of the gold bags, as are 41 of Mr. Cleveland's household, baa vrftaen a letter

to a Mr. Buchanan, general passenger agent of the Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley railroad, asking him about the growth of the silver sentiment in the west. Mr. Buchanan replies as follows: “I am able to see, and to an extent apreciate, the very evil effect being exerted by the so-called free silver Interests in this country, and I hardly think this is appreciated in great centers. The wave of the baneful idea has almost reached an epidemic condition, and unless fully answered in kind both great political parties will be obliged to either incorporate a substantial free silver plank in their platform, or else a disgraceful straddle. “Coins School of Finance” has reached an edition of over 100,000, and recently another book of the same kind has been issued. They pretend to quote eminent financiers of Chicago and elsewhere —as for instance, Lyman J. Gage, Joseph Medill and others —as injecting objections embodying their most formidable arguments, and then proceed to answer them effectively. This book is sold ten to one of any other. It is an entertaining little volume. In my opinion, it should be answered by some one who fully understands the subject. This book has been purchased in large numbers by silver people and distributed gratuitously. The banking interests should take steps to publish a reply in equally attractive form, and put it on the market at the lowest price. “To show the effect of this book, a rather intelligent country banker called on me recently and asked me if I could answer it, saying he was nearly convinced there was hope in the policy suggested, and this against his will; he said it was making votes mqre rapidly than anything he had ever known. I referred him to our bankers here. He said later he had talked with some, who had passed it over lightly and did not reply.

“My judgment from the present outlook is that eastern conservatives of both parties are likely to unite, and possibly renominate Mr. Cleveland, who would carry the east and south, no doubt. The East, on his able, honest conservatism, and the south, because they could never vote other than the democratic ticket, thus insuring a vote which would elect, and the west would undoubtedly support a Populist or freesilverite, unless there is a great change. If this is not done, I feel the election will be thrown into the house as the result of three tickets being in the field in wfiich case the balance of power would be with the free silver interest. I believe a vote to-day on the naked question of a 16 to 1 silver platform in Nebraska would give it a majority of 5,000, or near it.” Mr. Buchanan seems to think that the “eastern representatives of both parties are likely to unite, and possibly renominate Mr. Cleveland.” Recent developments go to show that there te more of the public attention than any other phase of the money mimThiii It

is not because of its own importance, but on account of its involving the question as to who shall issue and control the currency, the banks of the government. This is the bone of contention. The banks are fighting to retain their grip on the currency system and the free silver question is only a strategic point which they feel they must combat. If we have free and unlimited coinage of silver it effects the bankers’ control of the currency that much. As a strategic point it is well for the People’s party to fortify this position, not as a sole issue, but as one to be defended whenever attacked.

W. S. MORGAN.