The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1892-10-15

eaned and the result has been almost

defined and the result has been almost
known at the beginning Of the cam
paign. To-day we are confronted by
new conditions. There has sprung into
existence in this State and in some
other Western and Southern States a
new party, a new party that in some To-
calities seems almost to have entirely
absorbed one of the old parties, or left
so slight remnant that it is not worth
considering. They tell us that they
have done this here in Colorado. OF
course the question cannot be absolutely
determined until the votes have been
counted, but many of the chiefest lead
ers of Democracy have hurried into the
ranks of the Peoples party, have
crowded themselves to the front and
have attempted to present themselves
to the people of the State as the leaders
of the new party There has been some
opposition from the members of that
new party to this influx OF unruly and
disappointed members of he old party,
but to little avail. Exactly where we
be, we cannot now determine. But
there is a new condition. We are
compelled now to consider not only the
men who have been placed at the head
Of the several tickets, but we must con-
slider principles, platforms and enuncia.
tons of views that are being put forth
by these several parties; and they are
all bidders for support before the peo-
pie of this State with regard to the
question that is chief amongst us, and
it becomes a duty that we owe to our
selves and to our neighbors to determine
carefully just exactly what is best to be
done in order to advance the cause.
II am going to assume that every one
and honestly n friend of the cause of
silver; that every one here is anxious to
do that which will best advance and
promote this interest; that this is the
object he has in leaving the old party
and going into the new one. | am GO
ing to assume that there is no one pres
ent here that has left either of the old
parties and gone into the new for the
purpose of acquiring an office; am go
ing to assume that the motive of every
man has been fixed upon this question,
and from that standpoint | propose to
discuss it for a few moments.
First, / propose to consider the pc.
sition of the nominees of the People S
party, and the propositions involved in
their platform. propose TO consider
the record of that party and of its nomi.
nees upon this question first because up
on the surface they hold out the great
est promise, and are deserving of the
first consideration. The platform
adopted by the Peoples party has one
bright and shining spot in it. This is a
plank of about three lines that declares
for free coinage or silver. General
Weaver, in all of his speeches through
out the mining States, declared in favor
of the free and unlimited coinage of
silver. Wherever the echoes of his
voice reach in this State they are repeat
ing the words, free and unlimited
and South where General Weaver has
spoken, You could place your ear to the
ground, and YOU could leave it there
until it grew there and became part
of mother earth before you would hear
the echo of one single word in favor of
the free and unlimited coinage of silver.
[Applause.l General Weaver in a
speech made in Illinois or in Iowa some
years ago declared that both gold and
silver were relics of barbarsm and
should be retired as money metals. In
a speech delivered in Iowa he submitted
to his hearers this proposition The in
trinsic value idea is a fraud; the specie
basis system is crime We. 1--WE the
grandfather of the Peoples party of to-
day, the Greenbacker of that day. pro
pose ultimately to demonetize both gold
and silver and make absolute paper
money the coin of the realm without
professed advocate of the free and UNI
limited coinage of silver, he who has
been chosen as par excellence the leader
of this great and grand cause, declaring
not long ago in favor of the absolute
decentralization of both gold and silver,
and yet | am confronted by the fact
every day from the mouths of those of
my friends who have gone into the Peo-
pies party that am not the friend of
silver because | am not proposing to
vote for Mr.. Weaver.
How are we going to serve the cause
of silver? How are we going to accom-
plish its restoration as one of the money
metals upon absolute parity with gold ?
Where are we going to have this act
done? Here in Colorado, in Nevada,
in Wyoming, in Oregon, Idaho,
Arizona or New Mexico? Is there
place or power here in which or with
which to do it? Where are we GO
ing to get the power necessary to
do it, and where are we going to
exercise that power? Not here, not
within the sound of the voice of such
great silver champions as Mr.. Weaver
or Mr.. Waite of Aspen. No, we have
got to go into the Eastern States; we
have got to seek the people who arc
residents of those States and we have
got to strike the blinds from their eyes.
We must open up their mental vision
and show them the truth as we see it,