The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-12-30

a Silver Convention was bl,a
York City On the 18th ultinfb, prel;m;.
nary to another meeting o4& still larger
scale in January, which. it IS understood
viii give forth no uncertsin sound upon
one of the vital issues Of the day. A
number of senatsfs and Representatives
VINO were unable to attend, responded
by letter expressing their cordial con-
currence in the movement. From the
published letters, we have reproduced
the following extracts which may be
takea as fair indication of the posi-
tons of very large majority of the
Democratic members.
Senator Isham G. Harris, of Tennessee
writes:
Cessation of coinage means further
depreciation and ultima e demonetiza.
uon OF silver Demonstration of silver,
means the reduction Of the volume Of
currency to nearly one-half of the pres
ent volume, and that means a d4precia-
ton OF property and Labor tegthe same
N@AlN%s3 VI III tAAC SAME FtAlta0A 1G4RGAlVH
OF the amount of circulating medium.
A reformation, havisg the option Of
two methods OF payment, cannot afford
to relinquish eithsr. The largest silver
producing couatry in the world cannot
afford to dsPreciate one of its great
products,
Sen~tor Maxey, Of Texas, writes:
No one understands better than pro
dueers that shrinkaee in the volume
OF money enhances The purchasing mower
OF the volume of money left and CORES
pondingly diminishes the selling prize of
their produce. This would doubtless
swell the Golfers of the capitalists. but
increase the burden of the people. An
inspection of recent official reports shows
a diminishing production of gold. whilst
the population and needs of the people
are on the increase. If this single gold
standard folly Is persisted IN, no man
can estimate the ever-increasing evils
that will result, not Only to this people.
bat to ali people.
Hon. John II. Reagan, representative
~ Congress from Texas, and formerly
postmaster general of the Southern Con-
federaey, writes a long and exceedingly
able letter on the silver issue, from
winch we have space only to CLEAN tie
following:
The scheme which is now being pushed
| forward by the bondholders, bankers.
| money lenders and persons receiving fixed
| incomes in this and other countries. to
destroy half the metal money of the
world, is the most gigantic fraud which
has ever been attempted to be perpetra-
| ted in modern times. The effects of
this crusade may be substantially set
down as follows: l. To greatly increase
the many billions of dollars of the
bonded debts of nations, states, munich
| palItles and railroads and other CORPORA
lions. To double the days of WORK and
| quantity of produce required to paw
them off, and to require double the
amount OF labor and property to pay all
| private debts. 2. In this country, to
! give the national banks the control of
the volume of the currency, and to
enable them to contract and expand it
at VIII, In order to force or prevent leg
lslatl0u, and to make corners upon
any OF the great commodities of the
country. 3. To make rich people richer,
and poor people and those in moderate
circumstances poorer, which would lead
to the establishment of an aristocracy
and multiply the miIlionaires ana
iniseries Of the country.
Hon. E. Barksdale, Congressman from
Mississippi, writes:
The proposition of the gold spectators
to overturn the traditional policy of the
country, which was wisely ordained and
established by the venerated trainers OF
the Government, however artfully dis
i gulsed, can have but one effect, and that
Is to aggrandiZe the favored class and to
pauperize the great mass of the people
whose toll creates the wealth OF our
country-in imitation of the plutocratic
| countries of the old world whose bad
examples we are asked to follow.
Representative R. w. Townshend, of
Illinois, writes:
Instead of yielding to the arrogant
demands of Europe tor decentralization
of silver, the better policy for us to
pursue is to cultivate closer and freer
relations with the silver-using countries
south and west of us, constituting three.
! fourths of the people of the world. A
monetary union should be formed with
| Mexico, Central and South America.
Thereby we could greatly facilitate and
Increase our trade with those countries,
and extend the market for our surplus
agricultural and manufactured products.
Hon. John Swinbourne, Representa-
tive from the Nineteenth New York
Albany district, and who is Secretary
Manning's Congressman, writes:
am in hearty sympathy with the
sentiments OF. the meeting, as | under
stand your circular. The stability and
welfare of the nation depend on the
producing populace and not on the
money spectators, and hence I am
opposed to the dangerous experiment of
a stringent money circulation or the
discriminating in favor Of gold, or max
ing only the latter the recognized ele-
ment of trade