The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1891-11-28
DENVER CONGRESS- RESOLU-
TONS.

having delegates at the Denver mining
congress, represent the views Of a major
ity of their constituencies there can exist
no possible doubt about the propriety OF
embodying an out and out free silver
coinage plank in the national platform OF
the democratic party. The congress
adopted resolutions touching upon the
subject which cannot possibly admit OF
two interpretations. There is no am
biguity of language, no mincing of words
no concealment of sentiment behind
meaningless phrases, no %''glittering gen.
eralities" in the resolutions. They say
just what they mean. in plain. every day
language, and the unanimity with which
they were adopted bespeaks the earnest
ness of the congress and it's fidelity to
the cause of the white metal.
They say that the demonetization0of
silver was a practical violation of every
contract then existing in the United
States. 1t was. The congress could
have gone further and declared that it
was a violation of every contract exist
ing between the United States and the
holders of its bonds. Let us see if this
is not true. The country incurred IA
great debt in suppressing the rebellion.
1t amounted in 1866 to S2,78 100000
The debt was represented by bonds held
by banks and individuals at home and
abroad. The greater portion of this
immense debt was made payable in law
full money of the United States. the in
tcrcst being payable in coin. Silver was
lawful money and a lawful coin. In
1869 the bondholders prevailed upon a
republican congress to make the princi-
pal payable in coin as well as the inter
est. This was done. All the pins being
now set the next step of the bondholdcrs
was to dcmonctizc the silver dollar SO
that the principal and interest of their
bonds must be paid in goH coin. This
was done in 1873 by AN act entitled
IAN act to revise and amend the
laws relative to the mints, assay
offices and coinage of the United
States" The bill looked all right
upon its face but it concealed a knife
which stabbed silver to its death. This
was done in onitting the silver dollar in
the list Of coins to be minted by the
government. IL was claimed to be ac-
cidcntal. 1t was. however. %purposcly
eliminated. after the bill had passed the
Silver was dcmonitized by
The b~Ondholders then had their inn
ings- They held government securities
which they bought under contract that
the bonds should be paid in the lawful
money of the United States. They had
now fixed matters so they should be paid
in gold coin. Therefore we say hat the
Denver Congress- could have gone farther
and charged that the decentralization of
tween the United States and it's creditors
by which violation the creditors swindled
the government and the people of the
They enhanced the purchasing
power of their gold by making money
dearer, and it was only by the Bland
coinage act of 1878 that bankruptcy and
ruin were averted. That act, however.
was only a partial relief and the silver
men are nov fighting to make the relief
complete in which endeavor they are OPP
posed by the gold bugs of the country.
The resolutions Of the Denver congress
should be read and preserved by every
miner, every farmer and every other
man in the country. They
should be framed and suspended over
the h%earthstone Of every toiler in the
and. Here they are and only one soil
tary dissenting vote was recorded against
them:
Whereas. The decentralization of silver
a practical violation of every con-
tract then existing in the United States.
uncounted losses. reduced
prices more than 30 per cent and its ef-
feet is practically to make debts pcrpct-
ual as it takes from the debtor ability to !
pay, that it caused a contraction in the
currency, that we believe the certificates
Of the government backed dollar for dol
lar by gold or silver coin on deposit in
treasury of the United States is a
safe and sound currency and has been
approved by the people, be it
ReSOiccd. That the first national min
ing congress is unalterably in favor of
the principles of bi-metallism as approved
by Jefferson and Hamilton enacted into
law by congress in 1893 and accepted by
the country for all public and private
business for the first eighty years OF our
country's history, that We believe gold
and silver not n to the exclusion of
the other are the money metals of the
constitution. that we are opposed to any
law which treats silver as a commodity,
that w believe gold and silver should have
by law equal rights and uses for monetary
purposes and to that end we demand of
congress the enactment Of laws by which
shall be coined free in all the
mints equally with gold and to have with
it full and unrestricted monetary power
and that they be in the ratio Of lG to !,
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