OCR Text |
Show STEPH. ELKINS' IDEA. A brief dispatch from Mr. Elkius at Leadyille on the 1st, states explicitly that gentleman's opinion that if the republicans do not compromise with the gold men the republican party will be beaten in '96. When here Mr. El-ins posed as a free coinage man. What compromise with the gold men could be made other than that which would weaken silver? We need and will accept no compromise ehoit of full restoration of silver to its old pla-.e as a money metal, the full equal of .old as it existed up to 1873. Nothing else would be fair, honeBt or just. We battle bat-tle alone for that and not to save any party from defeat or to insure the triumph tri-umph of aDy, nor would the silver party, (the true democracy, recede from this position or accept aoy other settlement of the money difficulty. The democracy democ-racy has compromised and the republicans repub-licans have straddled so long and so often that now it is supposed that a settlement can be forced upon some other line or subdivision of the question, ques-tion, which would recognize something less than the full restoration. We are astonished at Mr. Elkins or rather at his claim preferred in Salt Lake that he was and is a free coinage man, in favor of the full re&loiation of silver. Any compromise now must be at the expense ex-pense of silver and upon the direct advantage ad-vantage of gold. We cannot aflord that. Ai we said a few days since the restoration of silver mast be on a ratio ra-tio of 16 to 1, to start with, and If either metal fluctuates sufficiently in price or supplv with an appearance of permanent changed conditions, we could then alter our ratio to suit such changed conditions. This we would do iu deference to the interests of all the people, but not as a compromise to save republicanism from defeat or even for democratic advantage. It is purely and simply a question of restoration, d restoration on any other ratio than 16 to 1 would not be restoration at ail, but compromiee of a weak and cowardly nature. We have the light well-nigh won now, and certainly it is no time for armistice or surrender when the enemy i on the run. We have been for many years a great admirer of Senator Elkins and mainly because he has been all through a warm friend of the west and of silver, but if this is the beBt he can do for silver now, reluctantly we Ehould be forced to reverse and reconatruct our regard. No, sir. The blow which was struck at the west in the demonetization demonetiza-tion of silver was the lightning's stroke from a clear sky and it was for blood and keeps, too. At one stroke silver went from the position of a full equal of gold to the position of a mere commodity com-modity i base metal, and any suggestion sugges-tion of compromise can only come from the enemy. The result muBt be full restoration or else silver has gained nothing. Mind, we do not seek or want silver monometallism any more than gold. We would fight the one as eagerly as the other, because either metal alone would not give us a sufficient sum of the money of ultimate redemption. Both are necessary and we must have both in order to be able to procure money enough to restore the trade and the business to what it was when Mr. Elkiua' republican party bj completely com-pletely destroyed it in 1873. |