People's Pilot, Volume 5, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 January 1896 — Republican Party a Gold Party. [ARTICLE]

Republican Party a Gold Party.

The recent action of the House of Representatives in passing a bond bill furnishes conclusive evidence that the republican party adheres to the crime of 1873 and is for the single gold standard without qualification. Mr. Cleveland, who lias succeeded in being a conspicuous radical in the ranks of gold monopoly and as towering above his fellows on both sides of the Atlantic in his efforts io increase the value of gold in the possession of his associates and depreciate the value Of property in the possession of his suffering subjects, commanded congress to authorize the issuance of goid bonds to assist him in maintaining the English gold standard. He said in his annual message that there was no necessity to sell bonds for any purpose except to maintain the gold reserve in the treasury, and that the great importance of maintaining the gold standard induced him to demand legislation authorizing gold bonds; otherwise he would continue to sell bonds without the sanction of Congress. Immediately after the outburst of patriotism which indorsed the American sentiment uttered in his Venezuelan message, the President told Congress that they must have no holidays, but must continue in session and execute his command to give him bonds to maintain the gold reserve. He said: “I ask at the hands of the Congress such prompt aid as it alone has the power to give to prevent, in a time of fear and apprehension, any sacrifice of the people’s interests and the public funds or the impairment of our public credit in an effort by executive action to relieve the dangers of the present emergency.” The effort by the executive “to relieve the dangers of the present emergency” of course meant more bonds for the gold bugs, and this appeal to congress for authority to issue bonds was made without a doubt for the

purpose of creating an excuse lor the coming bond deal. How did the republican Congress respond to Cleveland’s demand for bonds to maintain the gold reserve? Did they tell Mr. Cleveland the truth that there was no necessity for a gold reserve, and that the Treasury notes and greenbacks were redeemable in coin, and that all that was necessary was to have the coin in the Treasury for that purpose? Did they tell him that there were over £50.000.000 of idle silver in the Treasury belonging to the government, consisting of the seigniorage or the excess of the coinage value of the bullion purchased under the c herraan act over jtnd above the actual cost of that bullion in bherman notes? Did they propose to pass a law requiring him to comply with these existing statutes and use the silver belonging to the government as a coin reserve for the redemption of greenbacks and Treasury notes? In short, did the republican Congress insist that Mr. Cleveland should use silver as money as declared in its platform and in the platform of the democratic party? No; they did none of theSe things. On the contrary, they passed a bond bill for the purpose of aiding Mr. Cleveland to maintain the gold reserve and thereby to maintain the English gold standard and English commercial supremacy over the United States. The republican Congress did not pass the kind of a bond bill that Mr. Cleveland recommended. This was not necessary. It was simply necessary to indorse his position that a gold reserve must be maintained, and such indorsement wogld be a full warrant to him to sell bonds under existing law and enable the gold syndicates to reap the rewards of another bond deal. If there is anything that Cleveland democracy and Reed republicanism agree upon it is that the only legitimate business of Congress and the administration is to plunge the United States into debt to aid gold gamblers and impoverish the people. No suggestion has come from Caligula Cleveland or Czar Reed of any legislation in the interest of the people, but every move of each of these magnates is in favor of English gold gamblers. “More Debts, More Taxes, and Less Money” is the mot,to at both ends of the Capitol. The people should observe these object lessons as they pass. —Silver Knight.

A call for a silver party convention for the purpose of nominating a presidential candidate, has been issued. It is set forth in the call that free coinage is to be the only issue. Such a course will only tend toward the defeat of that much desired object. Millions of voters, who are in favor of the free and unlimited coinage of silver, will never attempt to reach the port of success on a ship that has only one sail. If the gentlemen who are at the head of this movement, really wish to accomplish the purpose for which they profess to labor, why do they not issue a call to all the free coinage elements, in all the parties to meet them in conference, for the purpose of agreeing upon a platform which all sensible men in all the parties can conscienciously support. In this<way, the constitutional dollar of our daddies may be restored to its rightful place in our monetary system. If each party and each faction persists in trying to accomplish free coinage in its own way, and alone, we will succeed in doing nothing. No party has ever been able to unite a respectable following on a single Issue, nor has any party won permanent success on a “universal” platform. Let us have union, for therein lies success.