Show THE REAL RESPONSIBILITY ltESrOX5IBILITYc c > The endeavors of our Republican contemporaries con-temporaries to make party capital out of I ths action of Congress on the s11v rques lion are very ill advised The exhibit I ail much lack of wisdom as want of truth Wln they talk about the treachery of the Democratic President towards silver sil-ver and c therepudiation by Democrats of their platform they provoke examination exam-ination of the Republican record on silver sil-ver It must be remembered first that the demonetizing act of 1873 which is universally uni-versally decided among silver men to have been the original cause of all the financial troubles of the country was a Republican measure from beginning to end Also that the trick by which the treachery to the silver dollar was worked into the body of the bill was a Republican trick and therefore the act was Republican treachery Second it must not be forgotten that the SHERMAN makeshift of 1890 which is believed by multitudes of people in all circles and parties to be an additional source of financial disorder and disaster was a Republican conceit invented by a Republican voted for entirely by Republicans Repub-licans and signed and approved by a Republican 1 Re-publican President It was confessedly concocted to prevent HARRISONS being be-ing put into a hole by his known determination deter-mination veto a free coinage bill Not a Democratic Senator or a Democratic Representative voted for the now obnoxious obnox-ious SHERMAN law President HARRISONS movement form for-m international bimetallic conference was recognized at the time he appointed commissioners to go to Brussels san evasion of the free coinage question an intentional shuffle between the free silvej men and the ultra goldites designed to postpone an issue on the question which would have compelled him to stand where he belonged on the single gold standard basis which Is the ground of his convictions convic-tions The difference between CLEVELAND and HARRISON on the financial question is simply that the former has the courage of his convictions and has no use for the shifts and expedients of his Republican predecessor He stands today where he has always stood on the coinage problem and there is not a taint of treachery in his language conduct On the question of the relative positions of the two parties in Congresa when the vote was taken in the House we will here insert a letter from a resident of this city which makes a critical and correct comparison com-parison He says The Republicans of the west have repeatedly re-peatedly intimated that if Harrison had been elected there would have been a much better chance for silver than there is with Cleveland at the head of the administration ad-ministration because he is so dogmatic and set in his way that he would intimidate intimi-date and coerce timid Congressmen into voting his views which are diametrically I opposed to free coinage or of even giving silver any recognition whatever An analysis of the vote will show how much force there is in that argument There was no goldbug Republican president pres-ident vicepresident cabinet or evenSen ateto iniluenCB the vote of the Republican Repub-lican members of the House They I would have kept just as close in touch with the platform of their party and much nearer in accord with their constituents by voting for free coinage as to vote for a single gold standard and a little closer if there was any truth in the charges just referred to Again were there any grounds for the insinuation that had the Democrats been as free to cast their votes as if the uncrowned un-crowned Czar of Buzzards Bay had been exchanged for the Grandson of His Grandfather the vote would have been much more Democratic Lets seeThe see-The Republicans out of a total of 125 cast 14 votes for free coinage on a ratio of 16 to lor 112 per cent The Democrats out of a total of 215 cast 100 votes for free coinage or 469 per cent Now if the Democrats had only cast 112 per cent and the Republicans 469 per cent there might have been some excuse for their dubbing Cleveland Czar of Buzzards Bay IJ and some reason in their assertions asser-tions that had the Republicans been victorious vic-torious we could and would have given I the country free coinage But again had the Republicans cast 46 per cent of their votes for free coinage their vote would have stood 58 for and 63 against it and this with the Democratic vote would have given 158 for and 178 against and with the 10 Populist votes would have scored 168 for and 178 against which would have lacked but 10 votes of a tie On the contrary had the Democrats cast but 118 of their votes for demonetiz ation their vote would have stood 24 for silver and 191 against it and with the Republican Re-publican votes would have footed up 302 in favor of a single gold standard and only 38 against it without countingthe 10 Populist Pop-ulist votes which would have still left an overwhelming majority of 254 for the goldolitious plutocrats of Wall and Lombard streets How would these figures do for the foundation of a campaign document for the Republicans to go before the country I in the next great political contest Asto the financial plank of the Democratic Demo-cratic platform it is no mora pronounced on bimetallism than the Republican plank If there is any departure from it in the votes of members of one party i there is the same kind of departure In the votes of tho other party the chief difference differ-ence in the documents being that the Democratic is the more pointed and emphatic em-phatic the principle in both however being the same Ic is folly for the Republicans to try to attack the Democratic party on the silver question There are friends and enemies to free coinage in both parties But the responsibility for the ills that have arisen from the debasement of silver and I the need for any fight for its restoration I are chargeable to the Republican party I and its organs ought to keep discreetly I still present as to theresponsibility both past and I |