The Opening Gun

The flrst gun of the democratie canipaign of 1896 was fired at Louisville on Wednesday. The engagement resulted in the ntter rout of the advocates of free silver. The victory for sound money was complete. The victory has a significance and political bearing extending far beyond the bounds of the blue grass state. It was the first regular democratie meeting since the money question became an issue. Then Kentuckey is a democratie state belonging to a section which the free coinage advocates have alleged to be deeply impregnated with that seutiinent. An intensely warm campaign was waged throughout the state by the most eloquent and popular champí ons of the white metal. The guage of battle was accepted by the adherents of sound money and Secretary Carlisle, than whom there is no more lucid and forceful advocate, went home and gave the force of his wonderful logic to their side. The contest was continued in the state convention with no effort to dodge or traddle the issue. This action was in marked contrast with the recent doings of the convention of republican clubs at Cleveland. The battle termiuated in the overwhelming defeat of the silverites by a vote of three to one . The resalta of this victory will be far reaching. It will have a greater influence thau a dozen such victories as that recently held in Illinois. To be gin with Illinois is not a democratie state and as the convention was recognized as irregular and without any ligitimate purpose - there being really uothing at stake - no con test was made. Had it been the regular democratie convention for nominating candidates for state offices, a purpose which would have interested the party as a whole, no doubt a contest for delegates would have been made which would have chansted the composition of theconventiwu. Had sucli a contest been waged tbere as was pnt uy Ijy the frieiids of sound money in Keutncky, they vronld nnquestiouably have been equally snecessfnl. , -■ Tiie result in Kentucky shows th;it the movemeut in favor of flfty cenf dollars bus passed the hifh .water mark and is now on the decline. If business continúes to iniprove nntil general prosperity abounds, it will not cnt a large figure in the canipaign of next year. There are abundant evidences that many of the leaders already see the handwriting on the wall and are getting out froni under. Sibley, for instance, is no longer a candidate for the free silver uomination for the presidency. The only hope they ever had for the cheap money scheme lay in the coutüiuance of depression and hard times. The rapidly rising tide of prosperity has dispelled that hope and from this time on it will dwindle as rapidly as it developed.