The Wheeling Daily Intelligencer

McKINLEY'S RECORD

On Finance Shows He is for Sound Money.

HIS OPPONENTS ARE RATTLED.

Ohioans Testify that Their Favorite Always Did and Always Will Stand for Sound Money--Was in Line with Windom and Stands Shoulder to Shoulder with John Sherman.

New York Press:

Those few political leaders who, blinded to the popular will, still insist that Major McKinley cannot be nominated for President, are preparing to launch a broadside against the Ohio man whom the people have selected as the standard-bearer of the Republican party in the next campaign.

This is their plan of attack. They say that a majority of the delegates-elect to the national convention are bound to endorse a gold standard platform. They go on to say that McKinley's record on the financial legislation of Congress is such that he cannot be committed to a gold platform.

They point to the fact that he voted for the Bland Silver Dollar act, but seem to lose sight of the fact that so good a sound money man as Secretary Windom of the treasury department sided with him in that matter, Windom was then a senator from Minnesota.

In voting for the Bland act, he said that while he did not believe that act would effect all the good results claimed by its advocates, on the other hand he did not believe that it would be such a baneful measure as its opponents predicted. "Let us try this legislation," he said, "and see who is right."

Major McKinley's friends say that their candidate is perfectly willing to stand with that famous advocate of "sound money," the distinguished William Windom.

The anti-McKinley combination insists that McKinley's nomination can never be attained, because a majority of the free silver states, which have elected delegates have declared for him as their favorite. The truth is that a majority of sound money states also have declared for him, too, so that the free silverites may be counted only as a part of the great majority which have declared for the apostle of protection.

This attempt is an evidence to the large majority of Republicans that the anti-McKinley combination has been driven to the last ditch in its opposition.

All Republicans know that protection and sound money will form the chief planks in the St. Louis platform, and that William McKinley will be nominated on that platform.

General Grosvenor's recent declaration as to McKinley's attitude on the financial question is apropos in this connection: "When Major McKinley says that he advocates gold, silver or paper money--good the world over," said General Grosvenor, "he means only one thing--a gold standard on which to base the relative value of all money."

E. S. Wilson, editor of the Ironton (Ohio) Register, who was a public official during McKinley's term as governor of the Buckeye State, was in town yesterday. Speaking of McKinley's financial attitude, he said:

Those of us in Ohio who know the governor well are sure there is no man in the nation who would oppose with more vigor any measure calculated to lower our currency below the gold standard; and we feel it is unreasonable, as well as unprecedented, on the eve of the convention to demand of him an expression upon an issue where his whole life and thought and character have made decided and right declaration. It is not just to suspect him of unsound financial views.

"When his competitor for the governorship, Mr. Campbell, referred to the Democratic declaration for free coinage, said he could change it." Governor McKinley quoting the remark declared, "I will not. When the St. Louis convention resolves against free coinage, 16 to 1, independent of international agreement, no man will more sincerely and unreservedly agree to it than Major McKinley."

The attempt to conjure up a financial spook in McKinley's pathway excites the derision of those who know McKinley best.

James H. Hoyt, of Cleveland, O., who was the candidate of the Western Reserve for the Ohio governorship before Asa S. Bushnell was nominated, and who was Bushnell's most eloquent champion during the canvass, gave his opinion of McKinley's financial views while in town yesterday.

"Hasn't Major McKinley gone on record on the financial question?" he said. "Did he not in his speech before the Marquette Club, of Chicago, in February, declare positively that he favored sound money, every dollar the equal of any other dollar, the world over? Twenty odd years ago, when the Ohio idea of the Democracy was flat money and Rutherford B. Hayes canvassed the state for sound finance against 'Old Bill Allen,' Hayes, who was one of the clearest est thinkers this country ever produced, made a speech on honest money which lingers in the memory of financiers.

"McKinley was shoulder to shoulder with Hayes all through that campaign which resulted in sending Sherman to the senate, McKinley to the house of representatives and Hayes to the white house. They were side by side for honest money then, and McKinley and Sherman stand side by side for it now."