Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 May 1895 — FAVORS FREE SILVER. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FAVORS FREE SILVER.

SENATOR VOORHEES READY FOR FREE COINAGE. - J. He Averse tha “Arrognqt Anoetlea of Gold” Mean 111 inth? People, and Demands White Metal at 16 to 1 — flan We Shoa Id Not Wait for England Wants No Straddling. Senator Voorhees, of Indiana, in an interview on the silver question said: I do not regret the agitation of the silver question. Sooner or later it had to be definitely settled whether the labor producing” people of this country can be bullied out of hair of their debt-paying money or that they will stand up like free men and protect and defend tne money named and provided in the Constitution—gold and silver, or both—not one of the precious metals alone, but both, and on terms and conditions as to coinage and use of absolute equality. That' is the question immediately before us, and no bettertime than now wllleverbefoiind for its settlement. The Sherman aet, which was conceived in rancorous hostility to sliver and brought forth into a Taw by an inlqultious betrayal of silver free coinage, has been burled In an unhonored grave, over which no lament will ever be heard. I have never been willing to admit that our system of currency should be dictated by England and other foreign countries, aud I repel that idea now. The real and vltal'*lssue now presented to the American people is tire-pro—-posed elimination of, silver from our currency. . This movement means the destruction of half of the debt-paying money of the United States and of the world. If it should be successful it will doutfle the burdens on every debtor and, multiply the gains and income of every creditor wherever the sun shines. The debts of the American people at this time, both public and private, are appalling in amount. They have been contracted on a bimetallic basis and it Is now.proposed to make them payable on a basis of gold alone. The two metals also, constitute the specie basis for such paper currency as may be put in circulation. If silver money is destroyed paper*clrculatlon must be contracted In that proportion. Every form and kind of money must become that much scarcer and harderto get in exchange for labor and the products of labor. Such a policy Is to my mind simply horrible. I have not a particle of doubt as to the result of the contest now going on. The enemies of silver will be driven to the wall. Silver money will not only survive but it will be fully restored to its old place as a leading and controlling factor in the development and the progress of the country. Danger from the coinage and use of silver as money in this country never occurred to the sane mind until greed, avarice, unholy speculation reared its serpent head and aimed a vicious, deadly blow nt the honored dollar of the fathers In 1873. Since That

time we have had nothing but financial vexation. distrusts, business depression, ruinous panics, and confiscation. . If 1 am told 'on this questlon that-silver’ bullion as a marketable commodity at this time commands a low price, my answer is that if gold had been conspired against, persistently assailed by foul means as well as fair, stabbed in the dark and in the daylight,' and in the back and under the fifth rib, and wherever else a dagger could be planted for nearly a quarter of a century past, it would be in a far worse crippled condition thwj silver. No other form of mbney on the face of the earth could have withstood as silver has done such a malignant, unsparing crusade as the lasfi twenty-two years have witnessed in this country. 1 It still holds its place in the affections and confidence of the people. Battered, bruised, and tattered as It has been, yet It will buy to-day all that gold will buy, and pay all the debts that gold will pay, unless a special contract has been made for gold. The American people will never give it up, aud the sooner the minions of aggressive, indolent, consolidated wealth and the arrogant apostles of gold monometallism realize and act upon this fact the better and safer it will be for them in the future of this country. The need of the white metal In the hands of the people Is even greater now than ever before. There is scarcely a speck of gold in sight of, the laboring classes. In round numbers there are nearly four thousand millions of gold money lu the world and about the Baine amount of silver. With silver demonetized the plain people, the wage workers, and those who raise and sell the produce of the soli will handle specie money no more forever, and will catch even a glimpse of It but seldom. I wish to impugn the motives of no one and to avoid hard words in discussion as much as possible; but the time has coine when speech, though temperate, should be very plain. Party platforms from this time forward will not be framed to cheat on this subject, whatever may have been done heretofore. If the free and unlimited coinage of silver as full legal tender money and as a standard of statutes and the unit of account and payment, without a word of International agreement on the subject, will put this country on a silver basis, then we were on such a basis every day and hour from the passage of the first coinage act In April, 1792, until the demonetization act of February, 1873, a period of elghty-one years, during which we rose from weakness to the foremost rank among the nations of the earth. I commend to all croakers in regard to a silver basis a careful reading of tire act of April 2, 1792, formulated by Hamilton and Jefferson and approved by Washington.

ALLISON FOR SOUND MONEY. lowa Man So Expresses Himself to n Chicago Newspaper Interviewer. Senator William B. Allison, of loyva, passed through Chicago the other day on his way to Washington. In response to

the quiries of an interviewer he said: “I am in favor of sound money. Gold and silver have been the money ,of nations for centuries, and all that is needed is to establish the relative value of the two metals. The question now Is how can we place Silver in eircu-

l&tion and pass it current with gold ? It is gratifying, is it not, to know that a few men can save our country by loaning us gold to pay our current expenses?” Proposed Republican Policy. Washington dispatch: Certain elements In the Republican party will endeavor to obtain a definite declaration regarding silver at the national convention. They think it useless to attempt to commit the party to free and unlimited coinage, but they will try to secure Insertion in the platform of a provision for coinage of silver to a considerable amount They are even willing to change the ratio and make it 18 to 1, or thereabouts, but they want the Republican party to commit

itself to the coinage of $400,000,000 hi silver. There are Republicans in ths East who call themselves friends of silver, and this is the kind of policy they are counseling. A ’ ■ FOR FREE COINAGE. Ex-Speaker Crisp Says tfie 1896 Democratic ConventionShonld So Declare. In an interview at Atlantaex-Speaker Crisp gives his views of the coming presidential campaign and the politics which will enter into it. He says: - “From the time of the tariff commission of 1880 down to a year ago tariff reform had its varying fortunes, resulting at last in a revision acceptable to the people. Ths silver question is going through the same course of public discussion. Just as in that fight the silver men will have their battle royal, when the American people

will award the victory. The majority of people in both parties are in favor of the free coinage of si 1 ver. They are today behind the free silver movement, and they will push it on to success and have silver re-established to its old equality 'with gold, in the next campaign the re-' habilitation of silver will be the controlling issue upon which Democracy will appeal to the people. Party platforms- should always be plain and direct. Whatever reason existed for different constructions of the platform of 1892 should no longer exist, and for this purpose that to be adopted in 1896 should be so plain that even a school boy caniunderstaud it. The platform should declare for the free coinage of silver. “Of course,” said Mr. Crisp, “there is a contingency in which the people might not be called upon to settle the question—that is the probable action of an international conference. .That would be the best and method of re-establishing silver, and with less of the element of e£> periment in it. If such a conference should bo called, and it took action restoring silver so that the people would be satisfied, we would have no financial issue for 1893. I am in favor of its free coinage, as I have always been.” 3

BECRETARY MORTON’S VIEWS. ‘ Dcclares-Himsclf for Gold Supply and Demand Regnlates Value. Secretary Morton, in an interview on the silver question, said: “I do not believe that an international conference can establish permanently a commercial ratio between gold and silver any more than it can establish a permanent commercial ratio between rye and wheat. But if an international conference can fix the price

of gold and silver it can also fix the price bfwheator any commodity, and "thereby avoid all possible Shrinkages* in value; which tend to caus< < panics. i “Aly own judgment is that we must sooner or later declare that the United

States recognizes gold as the best and least fluctuating measure of value and medium of exchange which the commerce of civilization has thus far utilized. .The time for straddlers is passed. Those who are for sound currency on a gold basis ought to have the courage to say so and abide by the results ot their convictions. I have no hesitation in declaring myself opposed to all free coinage fallacies. My judgment is that silver cannot be restored to its former monetary place in tha commerce of the world, because the supply of silver has outgrown the demand for silver in the exchanges of civilization. The relation of supply to demand is the regulator 'of value. This axiom applies alike to salt, silver, sugar and soap. All the legislation of the law-making bodies on the face of the globe can neither mitigate nor annul the operation of the inexorable law. The relation of supply and demand is the sole regulator of value."

Tennessee Bimetallic League, The first movement of the friends of free silver coinage in Tennessee to organize was made when, in response to iF call, a gathering of the supporters of the white metal was held in Memphis, at which the nucleus of a Bimetallic League to embrace the entire State was formed. Before organization was perfected the meeting declared its principles in a brief resolution favoring the free and unlimited coinage of silver at the ratio of 16 to 1, independent of the action of other countries. , t Trials of the New Party. Washington dispatch: When the Bimetallic League, which has headquarters in Washington, organized the new silver league on a 16 to 1 basis, it was with the expectation that both Populists and free coinage Democrats would go into it. The Democrats refused to have anything to do with a new party movement, and now the League people have been informed that the Populists will decline to join them. Sixteen to One Move in Texas. At a caucus in Austin, Tex., of the members of the Legislature, at which Hon. John H. Reagan, ex-State Comptrollers Brown and Swain and other prominent citizens were present, resolutions were adopted looking to the organization of the free silverites in Texas on the 16 to 1 basis. Carlisle to Speak ut Memphis. Secretary Carlisle has confirmed the report that he is to address the soundmoney convention at Memphis. He sent a formal acceptance and will at once begin the preparation of what he is to say. —e The eyeball 18 white because the blood vessels that feed Its substance ace so small that they do not admit the rev. corpuscles. Some men would rather not pray than to have their trousers bag at the kneea

SENATOR VOORHEES.

EX-SPEAKER CRISP.

SEC. MORTON.