| Show THE SILVER QUESTION I 1 IN q the democratic caucus held on friday evening in the capitol at washington the fact was disclosed that the representatives of the democratic party are even more irreconcilably divided on the silver question than has been claimed by their opponents it should however be remembered that the republican party to is iu in the selfsame self iseff same condition except that a greater pro n of democrats than of of re republicans p are bi that is in favor of a double standard for money the circulating medium to consist of gold and silver at parity in this respect though what the re republicans b lack numerically to place tre them M on an exact equality with their antagonists ts they fully make up in the zeal and energy of the leading silver advocates on their side aide look for instance at the two neva da senators jones and stewart the two colorado senators teller and wolcott not to mention those of montana and a number of congressmen each a host in himi himself jelf on that question and radically in favor of the white metal who could have the temerity to say eay with such a showing that silver Is ie or can be made a party question it is purely and altogether a sectional question the far west a and d the solid south being for it as a rule the remainder of the country being against it except IrLi in spots but even this gives very slender ground or even pretext it if in fact any ot of either for the assertion made by mr harter a democratic congressman from ohio at the caucus spoken of that the tb silver question would split the democratic party just juet as the slavery question had loue lone if this were to occur from such a cause how bow could the republican party hold bold together with the same influences operating upon it and does it not thus manifestly appear that if the silver democrats democrate were to flock by themselves because of that issue and the goodites gold ites were to go the other way at least one new party would spring into existence to receive one or both and then it rationally follows that the financial question being made the basis of a political organization it would attract to itself all who endorse such position in whatever present following especially it if as seems able the platform of present party declared in favor of one standard one basis one metal for money all others to be gauged by it and take the same place as any other merchandise it should be considered that the question of what should constitute a measure of values and circulating medium is not pro properly e aly a political question that is aorl political in its partisan american sense it pertains primarily to the domain of philosophy and its diffusion throughout the body politic to is guided and directed by science and controlled measurably by local requirements perhaps the best bed argument which can be advanced against silver being a party question is in the one already presented that no party in existence is has been or ever can be unanimous or even harmonious upon the subject and in saying this we have due regard for the creation of a silver party so to speak whose adherents and supporters would act together on that question but it would not be a party in the accepted sense of the term any ny more than the fireproof fire proof tick ticket ett of chicago immediately after the great fire was or represented a party we weare are not prepared to concede just now that either of the great parties is going to permit itself to be dragooned enticed or wheedled into either the open advocacy or denunciation of oil silver they never were so near together numerically as now and the change of a very few votes in but one state the one that Is if most moist sensitive to the money question new york might determine the result the leading spirits or some of them on either side have already shown a disposition to not act very differently to what they have all along been doing on the silver question they see or claim to see in it the rook on which their party would w uld split and go down tend and so we are likely to have the same glittering generalities about honest bonest money a dollar worth cents it the faith of the gatior 23 no inflation and so on that we have had ever since silver was de by the sherman act of 1873 unlike mr harter we do not think either party will go down because of silver not nor do we think either will win this year because of it |
