? jt8. ;
Conservative.
A reunited dem-
THK GOLD . . .
DEMOCRATS.OCra ° y Wlth
is impossible. The
statement issued by the conference of
gold democrats of Indiana , indicates
quite accurately the feeling among the
Paliner-Buckner men. It reaffirms the
platform adopted by the national demo
cratic convention at Indianapolis in 1896 ,
denounces Bryan as an unsteady , dan
gerous man , and declares an unwilling
ness to support him upon any platform.
Relative to the humiliating position in
which populism has forced the party ,
the platform says :
"There was a time when the demo
cratic party would not oven have thought
of accepting its candidate at the hands
of another party. But now it is ex
pected to take not only the presidential
but the vice presidential candidate as
well , and also its platform , from the
populists , who recently met at Sioux
Falls. "
The conference was not less unfriendly
to McKinley. The following resolu
tion indicates the
IMcKlnloy.
feeling toward Me-
Kiuleyism : "We fully realize and
admit that there seems at the present
time to be no practical way of applying
the principles in which we believe to
the administration of the government.
For McKinleyieni we have nothing but
abhorrence. There is hardly a demo
cratic doctrine which the republican
administration has not violated or threat
ened to violate. The Dingley tariff law
embodies as brutal an abuse of the taxing
power as the American people have ever
seen. The denial to the Porto Ricans of
the rights of American citizens , the
imposition of a tariff on the trade be
tween the United States and Porto Rico ,
the frankly avowed purpose to treat
Porto Rico and the Philippines as subject
provinces , the threatened passage of a
ship subsidy bill , which is known to be
favored by the republican leaders in
congress , the levying of large assess
ments on industries that have been or
are to be benefited by special legislation ,
for which they are expected to pay by
yielding to the demands made on them
by campaign committees , and the
flowering of Hannaism and spoilsism in
thievery and corruption recently un
earthed in the Cuban administration
make it impossible , as it seems to us , for
any democrat to support Mr. McKinley. "
Gold democrats are able , to commend
the MoKinley administration only in its
course upon the financial question.
The republicans adopted the policy
insisted upon by Grover Cleveland of
maintaining the gold standard and pre
serving the national credit unimpaired.
Their sole claim to statesmanship is thus
indebted for its inspiration to that fear
less , courageous and patriotic presidetu
whom they vilified , persecuted and
denounced because he resisted the im
portunities of demagogues among whom
was our present executive and stood
firm as a rock for sound money and
national honor.
The following from the pen of the
iridescent and effervescent ex-statesman
of Kansas affords
Iridescent Statesman. . , . , ,
an idea of the
republican conception of ex-President
Cleveland :
"In 1898 , upon the cry of demagogues
that the rich were growing richer and
the poor were growing poorer , Cleve
land again became president , with both
houses of congress democratic. It is
within bounds to say that the four years
of his administration , from ' 93 to ' 97 ,
will never be recalled by Americans in
any age without blush of indignant
shame. The self-complacent ignorance ,
the vulgar egotism , the bloated conceit ,
the hypocritical affectation of moral
superiority , the brutal sneers at the
patriotic defenders of their country , the
ruffianly interference with the preroga
tives of congress , the prostitution of
patronage under the pretext of civil
service reform , have their only parallel
in that ignominous period of English
history described by Macauley as an
epoch of servility without loyalty , of
dwarfish talents and gigantic vices , the
paradise of cold hearts and narrow
minds , the golden age of the coward ,
the bigot and the slave. "
Is there in this a suggestion of a reason
why gold democrats should rush to the
rescue of the Hanna-McKiuley combine ?
The Indianapolis conference wisely re
frained from the announcement of a
definite policy , as to political action ,
until after the meeting of the national
conventions. THE CONSERVATIVE com
mends to its readers the thoughtful let
ter written by William Everett , which
appears elsewhere in this paper. It
voices the sentiment of the gold democ
racy throughout the country.
T1IE ST. IXJUIS
STRIKE. augurated by the
employees of the
St. Louis Traction Company has been
in progress for nearly three weeks.
There is no apparent indication of a
compromise on either side. Thus far
the other labor unions have not become
involved in a sympathetic strike. They
have confined the expression of their
sympathy to contributing to the support
of the strikers and boycotting the street
cars.
cars.Resolutions
Resolutions have been prepared and
forwarded to congress asking that the
appropriation for the World's Fair at
St. Louis be made conditional upon the
satisfactory adjustment of the strike.
The strike has been characterized by the
usual lawlessness , the destruction of
property and loss of life. Streets have
been barricaded and traffic impeded. A
day or two ago a car was attacked by
strikers e nd a number of shots fired , one
of which killed a police officer , a veteran
of the Mexican war , and another danger
ously wounded a little child three years
old. This is but an illustration of the
inhumanity and cowardly brutality of
the methods employed by the St. Louis
street car men to win public sympathy.
It is gratifying to note that Governor
Stephens appreciates the responsibilities
of his position and
Governor Stephens. , , , . , .
the obligation of
his oath to uphold the law. In the face
of a maudlin sympathy , that seems to
exist in every community , with crime ,
when committed for the alleged purpose
of righting the wrongs of labor , he has
had the courage to steadfastly do his
duty by making an effort to suppress
riot and disorder.
No matter what the grievance of the
employees of the traction company may
be , it could not justify the destruction
of property and cowardly shooting of
innocent people , who are in no way re
sponsible for the wrongs of which the
strikers complain.
Thus far three persons have been
killed , sixteen wounded by bullets and
thirty-one otherwise injured.
Governor Stephens has given out the
following statement concerning the
strike :
"I am satisfied the trouble along the
street car lines and in the whole spirit
of anarchy which I find prevails so
largely in the city of St. Louis at present ,
is being fomented and extended by the
machinations of a certain coterie of
democratic politicians who hope by their
course to in some manner make gains in
the approaching party primaries. This
element is sending speakers to meetings
held to express sympathy for the strikers
all over the city , and if not counseling
disorder it is at least materially en
couraging it.
"I desire to say , further , that if , as
governor of Missouri , with all the power
vested in that office for the purpose , I
can put an end to the disgraceful I
may say abominable condition that
prevails in St. Louis today , I shall em
ploy every iota of that power.
"The shooting down of innocent citi
zens ; the stoning of cars ; the cutting of
wires ; the loading of lines with effigies ;
riot and disorder of every unlawful kind
must cease. "
THE CURRENCY
Yates , president of
the Nebraska Na
tional Bank of Omaha , contributes a
lucid exposition , in this issue of THE
CONSERVATIVE , of the new currency law.
He discusses briefly and logically four
points of interest in finance. First ,
credit money. He believes that gold is
the only "real" money and , if credit
money must be used , no better can be
devised than that stipulated in the law
which is based upon gold and has the
security of the public debt back of it.
Second , the national debt. He would
limit taxation to the legitimate expense
of government and , if a surplus results ,
apply it to the reduction of the national
& &
