12 Conservative *
AVOID THE TRAP.
The "trap" that has proved fatal in
one presidential campaign , and is more
than likely to do so again this year , is
the free and unlimited coinage of silver
at the ratio of 10 to 1. The worst of it
is that democrats set the trap. But
because they have committed supreme
folly once offers no reason why they
should do so again in the same way.
The one thing above all others that
the party managed by Senator Hanna
wants the democrats at Kansas City to
do , is to set a trap for themselves. Hav
ing put themselves in the "hole , " Hanna
and his friends will see to it that they
are kept there. With the Chicago plat
form reaffirmed this year by the demo
cratic national committee , the so-called
"paramount issue" will be fixed. It
will be the policy of the party of trusts ,
tariff and imperialism to subordinate
every other question to the currency
standard. This is what they are longing
to do and some democrats are so short
sighted as to be willing assistants.
With the campaign fought on the
i lines already made by President Me-
Kinloy's administration ; with the
dangers and the blunders kept constantly
before the people , the end is in sight ,
and it will be victory for democratic
traditions.
But with the money standard forced
to the front and kept there ; with busi
ness demoralized as it always is during
a presidential campaign ; with all the
arguments of 1896 ready to be arrayed
again , it will be impossible to fix the
mind of the voting masses on other
questions to the extent they deserve.
Mr. Russell presents the case calmly
and with force. He knows what he is
talking about. He is a democrat , and
one in close touch with the leading dem
ocrats of New York. A few years ago
he was a resident of Mnscatine , a repre
sentative from that county in the Iowa
assembly , and President Cleveland's
* * postmaster in that city. Now Mr. Rus
sell is a successful lawyer and an active
politician in New York. He savs in a
_ v
private letter that there will be no reaffirmation -
affirmation of the Chicago platform by
the New York Democratic state con
* r * vention. There ought to have been
'
" > none at the Iowa Democratic state con
vention.
Appeal of a Democrat.
To the Editor of the Democrat :
Through the columns of an exchange I
noticed your very timely and wise com
ments on the action of the Iowa demo
crats at the state convention in the
platform by them promulgated. In the
editorial referred to you said :
"With the reaffirmatioii of the Chicago
platform of 1896 the Democrat does not
agree. It has never accepted the demand
of that platform for unlimited coinage
of silver at the ratio of 16 to 1 , and it
does not now accept it. "
J ap. thoroughly in accord with your
views and I am sure that any democrat
who wants his party to win in the com
ing contest should also take the same
position. It is not yet too late to save
the party from defeat and humiliation ,
but it may be after July 4 , 1900. All
depends upon what is done at Kansas
City by our national convention.
The New York papers announce that
Chairman Jones in his conference with
Mr. Color , of this city , has practically
agreed that the silver men will be con
tent with a simple declaration in the
Kansas City platform reaffirming the
Chicago platform of 1896.
This will not do. We can not afford
to go to the country on the silver 16 to 1
issue. We con not successfully defend
it and with a reaffirmation of the Chicago
cage platform it will be the paramount ,
and , I might safely say , the only liye
issue in the campaign. Many democrats
will think' me strangely in error by
making this statement. Nevertheless , I
am sure that if we affirm our former
demand for free coinage at 16 to 1 , what
I now say will prove , to our sorrow , to
be only too true. And why should it be
otherwise ? Is it not fair to presume
that if one is about to fight a duel with
an intelligent antagonist and he deliber
ately delivers to him. in advance , the
only weapon the enemy can successfully
wield , that he will make good use of it ?
We must all admit that the republican
party is not wholly lacking in brains ,
that it can command an abundant supply
of money for campaign purposes. About
a week ago a very prominent democratic
stump speaker , whom I had met while
on the stump during the last mayoralty
campaign in this city , said to me :
"Won't we have a lot of good issues to
talk on from the platform this fall ? " I
said : "No , we shall have nothing but
free coinage at 16 to 1 , if our party
foolishly reaffirms the Chicago plat
form. " To this he replied : "Why will
we have but the silver issue ? " "Be
cause , " said I , "the republicans won't
let us have any other. They will force
us to try the case upon the issues made
by our pleadings or they will take
ndgment against us by default. "
A few days after the above conver
sation I saw in the action taken by the
republicans of Iowa at their state con
vention a fulfillment of my prophecy.
The first two paragraphs in their plat
form are as follows :
' 'In the light of today it is apparent
that the attempt to debase the currency
as a remedy for the hard times then
prevailing was a monstrous blunder ,
which , if successful , would have involved
the country in lasting humiliation and
shame , and proved disastrous to its
industrial interests.
"We insist that no issue can be para
mount to the maintenance of the public
credit and the stability of the money for
which all labor and products are sold.
So long as a political party stands com
mitted to the overthrow of the existing
monetary system we call upon all con
servative men to act with us in keeping
that party from power. "
Must the Party Surrender to Populism.
Can any thinking democrat fail to see
the issue we will have to defend in the
face of the above platform ? Can any
one doubt that the republican national
platform will be on any other than the
above lines ? Then why should we drop
into their trap ? Why not fool them by
exhibiting a modicum of common sense ?
We hold the winning cards if we but
play them intelligently.
To have eyes and see not on the part
of a political leader is unpardonable ,
because those who do see are made to
suffer the consequences of the leader's
optical illusions. It requires very little
vision to see Mr. Bryan's finish , and also
the final disastrous plunge of the demo
cratic party toward disintegration unless
something be done , and done quickly to
avert the catastrophe.
On the subject of the ratio of coinage ,
Jefferson said : ' 'The proportion between
the various gold and silver is a mercan
tile problem altogether. Just principles
will lead us to disregard legal proportions
tions altogether ; to inquire into the
market price. "
The populist party has now declared
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