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Show DEMOCRACY AND THE SILVER QUESTION The attempt to organize a party on cue idea the silver party on the eilver question alone will prove a dismal - failure. Should it so accrete ea to win one election it would die suddenly and very dead, aa all one-idea parties be fore it ha7e died. Doubtless considered consi-dered alone with regard to finance there is peBtifi cation enough to attempt, at least, the formation of a silver party, but we are not to forget that there are other interests, and other great principles princi-ples at stake as well as the silver question. ques-tion. The anti-slavery party, it is true, effected the destruction of that institution. That was a great work, doubtless, but after the war closed it was found that Biirply striking the shackles from the limbs of the negroes was not all. Something else was demanded. de-manded. The republican party had no history and no principles save only as the successor ot the anti-slavery or free-soil party, undying hatred to the oligarchy as it was called. Then it turned to the old whig party and took up protection, centralization, liberal construction and the thousand and one issues and crotchets which went to make up the faith of the lineal descendant de-scendant of the old federal party. So it would be with a eilver party, if one were organized alone upon the, single idea of free coinage. Happily this new party is not necessary. neces-sary. From the foundation cf the democratic party, which is also the foundation of the government, one of its first and most dearly prized tenets of faith has been the double standard, or gold and silver, each equal with the other, at the exchange ratio of sixteen to one. They can say what they pleaBe, democratic leaders of the Cleveland school and the republican foes of democracy, yet It is indubitably true that four-fifths of the democracy is today founded.upon and irmly planted upon the time honored old faith of hard money, the double standard, or, if you please, bimetallism. Whenever a thoroughly fair test is applied, ap-plied, the nation, the party and its foes will all see that thi8 ia true, true in everv sense and to all extents. The democracy is now in sack cloth and ashes bewailing its folly for having elected Grover Cleveland to a second term In the face of the declaration which he made after his first election and before he was inaugurated. Why do they repent? Why are they sorry for sinning the second time? Simply and only that they did not believe him when he wrote of his gold bug principles. Out of the love they had for him as a true democrat on all other points of the faith, they extracted enough confidence to warrant the belief that he would ultimately return re-turn to the true creed which embraced tfce double standard as well as tariff reform. Find a dozen true blue old democrats who do not look at the whole j question in this light and we'll give up. All know it and feel that this is true. Take this army of true silver men, '. add to it all the other elements of hostility to goldbugiBm and we would have twice aB many votes as would be necessary tojelectjthe next president Let us go into the fight and let the free silver republicans and populists vote with each other or with the proposed new Eilver party, and the gold bug ele-ment ele-ment of republicanism will elect another an-other Ben Harrison for president. We can't afford that, and by rallying to the free silver democracy we would take the south solid with us. There is now no unprejudiced man of sufficient intelligence to count the lingers upon his two bands that can't see its utter truth. Silver men of the west, here is our opportunity; here is cur chance, and here is our policy. If we will pursue it for the next two years we will not only win at the polls but we will see the next new congress re-monetize re-monetize eilver with hardly a diseeut-lng diseeut-lng voice. Every consideration of prudence and patriotism beckons u3 to this course, and every certainty exists that we will succeed with bilver. We cannot afford to throw the chance away unless we are willing to make our present panic condition permanent and become only the hewers of wood and drawers of water for the bankers cf New York and London. |