pw!3
Commoner.
man fights for the millions of dollars belonging
i;o tho plutocrat -which is now exempt from tax
ation. - , "Second I would make the principal issue of
the campaign of 1904 stern and unyielding, opposi
tion to the trusts and syndicates which are now
crushing out individual enterprise of the country.
3 Ten years ago a young man with $15,000 or $20,000
'capital could start in some legitimate business
'with fair chance of success, but now he has no
; more chance against the trusts and department
' stores than an Infant against the champion prize
lighter of the world. I was told recently by a
prominent broker of New York Citya very earn
est republican that nine men in New York, four
of whom, J. Pierpont Morgan, George Gould, John
B; Rockefeller and James J.. Hill, control the
finances of the United States, and, as he expressed
it, no onov could go into a new enterprise or re
main' In an old one without the consent of these
nine men.
"Third 1 would declare against Imperialism
and the colonial' system, for while this issue was
before the country in 1900 everything else was
subordinated to the fact that the country was do
ing very well. and. ought to. bo. left alone;. If the
people of the- United States see proper to indorse
the foreign policy of President M'cKinley, that
of course is tho end of it, but no democrat should
give his' approval to the colonial system of Eu
rope:"
"What about the silver question?" was asked.
"As to the free coinage of silver I have always
bean an earnest blmetalllst and have not changed
my opinions in the slightest I do not believe
that there is enough gold and- silver in the. world
for the just and fair transaction of business,, and
I look upon the single standard of either gold or
silver1 as doubfittg the power of oppression by the
riclr at the expense of the middle and pcjorer
classes; I do not think the question of the free
coinage of silver Is deadi, but the abnormal and
unexpected production of gold, and especially im
provements in the processes of extracting, gold
from the earth, have given us more money in this
country than any one could have anticipated.
We have a larger per capita circulation than, any
other country in the world except France; and
there is no immediate prospect of any decrease."
"Do you think that bimetallism will, ever bo
. the paramount issue again?" the senator was
asked..
"T believe that the time will again come when
bimetallism will become the paramount issue, but
It is not now a question upon, which the demo
cratic party can; go into the contest in. 1904," was
tho reply. "There are thousands of good demo
crats who refused to support Mr. r.yan in, 1896
and 1900 because they did not believe this coun
try could mafntain free coinage of silver at the
ratio of 16 to 1 against the opposition of the great
nations of the world. It seems tor- me suicidal for
ire: to thrust this issue; again upon them;, when
they are anxious to come back to the party on all
other questions. I have no fear that the gold
advocates will take possession of the democratic
party,, but I do fear that if we continue to quarrel
over silver when there Is no necessity for it we
will again go through a, slaughter house inta an
open grave
"The democratic party must come together on
some honorable adjustment of the money question,
for it will require the vote of every man. who has
ever been a democrat to defeat the republicans
ii. tho next contest"
The income tax is all right, but it would bo
easier to secure a uniform rate than a graded
one.
Mr. Ycst will find, however, that the income
tax is not a harmonizing fssue.
mt. Jim foughtthe income tax; Mr! Cleve
land was opposed to it, and nearly alL ther.gold
men are as hostile to it as they are to free
silver.
Mr. Ycst emphasizes the trust issue, but
that- is not ai harmonizing issuer either,, for the
financial influences stand beliind tho trusts as
solidly as they do behind the banks; The Hew
York Sun is already declaring: that free silver
would do but little damage compared with the
widespread demoralization, which would be
produced hy effective anti-trust legislation.
The question of imperialism is rightly in
cluded among the issues in fact,, its import
ance cannot be overstated. Mr. "Vest is-right
in saying that the election of 1900 cannot, bo
considered a settlement of the. question; of im
perialism, hut why doe Senator "Vest try to
drive, away the allies who are willing; to help
us to secure all needed reforms? Why does-ho
prefer gold democrat who- supported there
publican ticket to populists who supported the
democratic: ticket?
He says:
"We must stop hunting, around in corners and
up canons for populist,, socialist and single tax
votes and go baok to the doctrine of MrT Jeffer
son, upon which' alone we can achieve victory:"
The senator should he a little more- definite.
To what planks, does he refer? The only
plank he speaks- of discarding is the silver
plank, and yet that is not nearly so populistic
as the income tax plank. The Senator was
voting for free and unlimited coinage at the
ratio of 16 to 1 without waiting for the aid or
consent of any other nation before the popu
list party came "into existence. Tho income
tax was advocated hy the populist party sev
eral years hef ore it found a place in the demo
cratic platform. In fact, a graded income tax,
sucli as Senator Ycst and many ,populists ad
vocate, never has been endorsed by a demo
cratic national platform. This is, no argument
against the proposition hut it shows how in
consistent the Senator is when he condemns
free silver as populistic and then advocates a
graded income tax.
Senator Test insists that he is stilla bi
metallism and declares that the money . question
will again become important, hut he: is willing
to abandon it temporarily inL order to "har
monize" with, men who voted the republican
ticket even, at the risk of destroying; industrial
independence and converting a republic into
an empire.
Senator Test's platform contains no refer
ence to the question of paper money. The re
publicans and gold democrats favor national
bank notes; while the democrats' favor green
backs. This question is entirely separate and
distinct from the silver question. Why is it
abandoned? The national bankers are in favor
of a paper money trust which will issue arid
control tho paper money of tho country -tho
most dangerous of all trusts; is the senator
willing to wink at this conspiracy in order to
"harmonize" with the reorganizes? If we are
to go back to Jeffcrsonian doctrines, what is
more Jeffersonian than the greenback? Jef
ferson was the deadly enemy of banks of issue,
and yet the Senator's platform is silent on tlif.
question.
If the silver question is going to be im.
portant. again, why turn tho party over to tho
reorganizera and allow them to aid tho repub
licans in making the silver dollar redeemablo
in gold?
."The Senator is anxious tosecure "harmony"
but he will find that there can be no harmony
without the surrender of -every essential prin
ciple of democracy. Tho men who voted tho
republican ticket on account of the silver
plank are as a rule opposed to the-income tar,
and are also opposed to any effective anti-trust
legislation. They are in favor of national
banks of issue, and aTe also in favor of gov
ernment by injunction (a subject whfch Sena
tor Test did not mention in his proposed plat
form). Even on imperialism many of the gold
democrats have no fixed or definite convictions.
In fact, the only way to harmonize with tho
reorganizes is to' allow them tc control the
organization and write a republican; platform.
How much i& Senator Test willing to give up
in order1 to bring the gold corporation element
back?' His platform is entirely too populistic
to entice the deserters into the fold. Perhaps
they might allow him to- writer the platf orm if
they are perrartted to select a; candidate who
will disregard the platform asMh. Cleveland
did. ' .
W
, An Absurd Rumor.
A cable from London emphatically denies
the rumor that Joseph H. Choate, the United
States. Ambassador, had left London for Hol
land for the purpose of visiting President Kru
ger. It had been reported that Mr. Eruger
desired Mr. Choate. to act as a mediator in
bringing- about a peace settlement. All of
these rumors are contradicted and muck trouble
is taken to explain that with the exception
of "a week-end visit to Sussex, Mr. Choate had
not left London."
The denial and the explanation were hardly
necessary. When the late Adelbert Hay was
on his way to South Africa to- act as United
States Consul to the South. African republic,
he stopped over in London and paid a visit to
Lord Salisbury. But it would not do for a
representative of this government to call upon
a representative of the stricken republic of
South Africa.
As a matter of law, tho relations of the
United States toward Great Britian and tho
South African republics are similar. This gov
ernment has official relations with' the re
public of South Africa as well as with the
empire of Great Britian but we have lost no
opportunity to express our kind feelings 'for
Great Britian. This has been done by our
British minister and by many of our commer
cial representatives abroad. But we have care
fully avoided giving to the Dutch-republic of
South Africa any indication that we entertain
for her and her people the slightest sympathy
in the hours of her tribulation. For the first
time in tho history of this republic it has como
.id?KL:
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