10 t/bc Conservative *
A FREE SILVER SKNATE IF BRYAN
IS ELECTED.
In order to back the contentions of
the democratic plank stating that "im
perialism" is really the "paramount
issue of this campaign , " the oracles of
the democratic party in the doubtful
states are laying increasing stress on the
argument that the passage of the cur
rency bill has practically eliminated
silver as an issue.
This argument is curious in its pro
gressive deductions. From the follow
ing three premises it proceeds : First ,
the new currency reform law removes
from the option of the president the
maintenance of the gold standard and
makes it a perfunctory duty of the sec
retary of treasury to keep up the gold
reserve. Second , so long as the republi
can party keeps control of the senate
the new currency law cannot be repealed
and no free silver bill or any other infla
tion scheme recommended by Bryan , if
president , can become law. Third , the
republican party cannot possibly be
wrested from control of the senate dur
ing the next four years , whatever may
be the political complexion of the state
legislatures in the meantime. Ergo , the
guarantee , through the republican sen
ate majority , against any legislative ac
complishment of Bryanism removes the
menace to the prosperity of the country
that the election of Mr. Bryan 'would
otherwise mean.
As Theodore Roosevelt so pithily said
in his speech at the Philadelphia con
vention : "We have passed suoh wise
laws on finance that they ( the silver
democrats ) actually appeal to the patri
otic , honest men who deserted them at
the last election to help them now , be
cause , forsooth , we have done so well
that nobody need fear their capacity to
undo our work. I am not exaggerating.
This is literally the argument that is
now addressed to the gold democrats as
a reason why they need no longer stand
by the republican party. "
As to the above three premises of
democratic reasoning , republicans can
with pride admit the absolute truthful
ness of both of the first two. The third
premise , however , can be used as a basis
for safe argument only by assuming as
a positive fact the probability that Bry
an cannot carry this fall enough states
from the group comprising Maryland ,
Kentucky , West Virginia , New York.
Ohio , Indiana Michigan and Illinois to
get elected. If the unexpected should ,
however happen through a "landslide"
in Bryan's favor and nothing but an
unlooked-for landslide conld carry
enough of these states necessary for
Bryan's success then it is difficult to
believe that the republicans would re
tain control of the legislatures of those
states whose electoral votes were thus
lost. By losing a few legislatures of
states deemed surely republican , because
they went republican in 1890 , the repub
licans would probably lose control of the
senate. If control of the house of rep
resentatives were also lost , as would
most likely happen in event of the gen
eral election being lost , there would be
no barrier whatever to the legislative
accomplishments of every populistio fad
and fallacy that Bryan as president
might propose.
To prove this it is only necessary to
analyze the composition of the senate
vote on the currency reform bill last
March of the present year. That bill
was passed by a majority of 17 votes.
Had nine of the votes cast in the affirm
ative been cast instead in the negative
the bill would have been defeated.
Should nine of the sound money sena
tors who voted for this bill be succeeded
during the next four years by the silver
democrats or populists the new currency
law would almost certainly be repealed.
Free silver successors to two of them
have already been chosen. The Ken
tucky legislature has retired William
Lindsay , honest money democrat , and
elected to his place J. 0. Blackburn , the
boon friend of Bryan and one of- the
most rabid members of the school of
free siiverism. The Louisiana legis
lature has retired Donelson Oaffery ,
honest money democrat , and elected to
succeed him M. J. Foster , silver demo
crat.
Following is a list of those senators
with terms expiring in 1901 or 1908 , who
supported the bill and who represented
states normally democratic or fusion , or
which gave Bryan their electoral vote
in 1896 :
Baker ( Kan ) 1001 Shoup ( Idaho ) . . . . 1001
Caffery ( La.a ) ( ) . 1001 ThurBton ( Neb ) . . 1901
Carter ( Mont.1901 ) Warren ( Wyo ) . . .1001
Deboo ( Kv. ) 1903 WellinKtoniMd.1903 )
Lindsay ( Ky.a.1001 ) ( ) Wolcott ( Cole ) . . . 1901
PritchardN.C..1903
( a ) Sound-money Democrat.
J. O. Blackburn , silver democrat , is
now senator-elect to succeed Lindsay.
M. J. Foster , silver democrat , is senator-
elect to succeed Oaffery.
From states where democrats say they
expect to have good fighting chances in
coming elections , are the following :
Cullom (111) ( ) 1001 PlnttN ( Y ) 1903
Fairbanks ( Ind ) . . 1903 Platt ( Conn ) 1903
Foraker ( Ohio ) . . . 1003 Perkins ( Cal ) 1903
Hansbrouph ( ND)1003 ) SowellNJ ( ) 1901
McBride ( Ore ) . . . . 1901 Simon ( Oregon ) . . 1903
McBlillen ( Mich.1901 SpoonerWIs.1003 ( )
Mason (111) ( ) 1903
There are thus eleven sound-money
senators whose terms will expire within
the next four years and who , even in
the event of McKinley's re-election ,
may quite possibly or probably be suc
ceeded by senators of Bryan's political
persuasion. In addition there are thir
teen senators with terms expiring in 1901
or 1908 who come from states whose
electoral votes and legislatures the dem
ocrats profess strong hopes of carrying ,
through the aid of the German vote and
of the vote of those gold democrats be
guiled into thinking that "imperialism"
is the "paramount issue. "
From California a vacancy has since
. been filled by the election of T. R. Bard ,
taxwtstst
republican. From Delaware , Pennsyl
vania and Utah there are still vacancies
through failures of legislatures to elect.
All three of these legislatures are at
present republican , though those of Del
aware and Utah may quite possibly
have their political complexions changed
through the next elections , even though
McKinley is re-elected president. If we
add four votes from these states to the
present sound-money strength of the
senate it will be raised from 51 to 65.
If the republican state of New Hamp
shire elects a sound-money senator to
succeed Chandler we may add one more
vote to the strength , making it 56 , and
also cut down the free silver strength by
one vote , making it 88.
If then , there should be a "landslide"
drift of sentiment for Bryan , his party
in the senate would most likely gain
before the end of his term of office every
one of the above eleven votes from
Louisiana , Montana , North Carolina ,
Kentucky , Idaho , Nebraska , Kansas ,
Wyoming , Colorado and Maryland ,
while it would also be practically cer
tain to gain several and possibly all of
the above thirteen votes from Illinois ,
Indiana , Ohio , North Dakota , Oregon ,
Michigan , New York , Wisconsin , New
Jersey , Connecticut and California.
Democratic gains from all of the eleven
on the first list would change the rela
tive strength from 56 sound-money
republicans and 88 democrats , to 45
sound-money republicans and 44 demo
crats. Gains from the second list , some
of which under the circumstances would
be certain , would turn the sound money
majority into a free silver majority. If
all of the thirteen votes on the second
list should be gained by the democrats ,
the relative strength would then be
sound money 82 , democratic 57. If New
Hampshire should allow Senator Chan
dler to continue to represent it , and if
Delaware and Utah should fill present
vacancies with democrats and South
Dakota elect an out-and-out silver man
to succeed Kyle , the relative strength
would then be : Sound money , 29 ; free
silver 61. By a majority of thirty-two ,
fifteen greater than the present sound
money majority , the senate could then
vote not only to repeal the currency
reform bill but to pass a free silver bill
for Bryan to sign.
The democratic platform calls specif
ically not only for 16 to 1 but for the
repeal of the currency law the very law
which gold democrats are now being
told prevents silver being a "paramount"
issue. If Bryan should be elected presi
dent through the aid of the gold demo
crats who deserted him 1896 , he could
with small doubt be able to sign not only
a bill for the repeal of the currency law ,
but a free silver bill passed by the fifty-
eighth congress , if not by the fifty-
seventh.
If Bryan should be elected , but the
senate kept republican , as has been alto-
