Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-05-21
cAmv pArresoN on SILVER.
His Reply to Major Holmes Conrad i"
the Convention.

| the Convention.
Owing 10 the lateness of the hour at
which Captain Camm Patteson MADE
his speech in the convention, III reply
TO Major Holmes Conrads remarks on
the silver plank in the platform, II was
impossible to get into the paper sallS-
factory presentation Of Captain batte-
sons argument. Below we give his re-
marks in full. He said:
am profoundly astonished at the po-
si.ion taken by Mr.. Holmes Conrad our
elector at large, in antsgonizlng the Tree.
coinage plank of our platform agreed
mon unanimously by the Committee on
| RESOLUTIONS | do not believe that TINS
convention is composed OF men the ma
iorjtv Of whom are gold monometallists;
: sound himetallic currency OF goa
and silver was devised by Hamilton ana
Jefferson and approved by Washington
For centuries upon centuries the Two
metals had been kept upon parity ihe
one with the other, and no human being
had ever dared to divorce them
and place the stigma Of disgrace
mon either 1t was done in 1873 IN the
solemn hour Of midnight 10y an infamous
band OF consplrators, whose acis no inan
has ever dared to sustain. FIVE years
AGO II was stated in the columns Oh the
Njycfccufh CcnhlrV as coming from MI.
Alexander Demar that the demonetiza.
t;nn was concoctod 10y a syndicate OF
bankers in London. who PAID an ehor-
nous sum of money to have IL
done. There is no other rea-
sonable solution of IT. VIII
convention OF Nirginlans condone
such an infamous conspiracy ? what
has been the result , Every agricultural
rroduct has fallen 30 per cent. IN price
and land perhaps more. 1t has desc
lated Southside Virginia anu brought
into life the Farmers Alliance, whose
aims and objects have my deepest sym
pa,hv. They are struggling to retain
| their homes and frcsides and TO educate
their children. They are Democrats
! loyal and true, who mean to restore the
great white metal to its proper nights IN
side the Democratic ranks The Constr
tuition Of the United states says
cold amt silver shall be lawful money, !
and nat gold 0r silver. Democracy IS
progressive. and through It's leaders III
| Congress has spoken in no uncertain |
| .ono ON this subiect. No. Mr.. Conrad, |
Won were never moro wrong in your lie
than IN stating that the free coinage OF
silver would divide the Democratic party |
in Virginia.
1T WOULD DEFEAT WASHINGTON.
here state that in M honest jndg- |
ment if George Washington, the greatest
man the Misunderstanding race has ever
produced. could come back from his last
resting place and advocate gold mono
nctallism in Virginia he would be de-
ieated, even If he had Demosthenes and
Cicero as his delegates at large . PM
ciples are eternal and lmuutaole, and
the principle of bimetallic currency Is
Obliged to be tie basis 81 al SoUnd
Ha0ncc. No great writer on the subject
has ever denied this, and never will.
Gentlemen. can take the bank clearings
made every Saturday IN the United
States and with pencil IN a moment
show YOU that wherever IN the North and
the f.ast there is large amount of
capital you will find them gold mono
metallists. and wherever III the South
and the great West you find there is
scarcity of money, you will find them
advocates of the free coinage OF silver
1 warn you, gentlemen, that if you do
not put 1t in your platform you will
drive Off thousands of the best Demo
Gratis in The state, because you will de-
priye them OF hope. We have always
claimed to be a hard-money party. But
| am firing you too much. l would that
had the time and you the patience for
me 10 discuss the question so as TO show
Won the enormous amount OF nonsense
which has been written on this subject
bv the hirelngs of CAPITALISTS
whose ignorance Of the question IS only
eoualed 10y their audacity in pro-
mitigating false doctrines OF finance.
4 STERN AND MELANCHOLY FACT.
The poverty OF the agricultural class
of Virginia is a stern and melancholy
fact. Gold monometallists taunt them
with laziness Idenyit. | have known
them TO work from starlight to starlight,
wear in. year out, only to he poorer at
the end OF the year than at the begin
ming. From 1860 to 1878, the date OF
the fatal act of decentralization, 1t Is true
that they were comparatively prosper
ous. Since that time wheat has been
| lower than it has been for 100 years, and
with caunt famine to-day III Russia, the
greatest country in Europe, both wheat
and corn are steadily falling IN price.
Can any man deny this Surely 1t needs
some remedy. Gentlemen, ! make, after
careful reflection, the statement that the
act of demonstration of silver has cost
the South more loss OF money and pro-
perty thsn the great civil war through
which We have passed. Astonishing
AS Won think this may be, it IS
nevertheless true. Who made the gold
monometalists infallible? Are they in
infallible? The Sherman act OF 1890
first degraded and then disgraced
silver by making it a mere COM
modify, aud then they made 1t a
legal tender. And vet that act has done
and is doing vast amount of good and
no man, either Democrat or Republican,
would dare attempt to repeal 1t except
by substituting free coinage.
WOULD ACT AUTOMATICALLY.
Free coinage would act automatically
! IL MOuli uol bNAAAi' liANiNu'S INV 'NNN"A
amount of currency, but 1t would re-
move the ban OF disgrace upon silver,
and in an instant all the silver bullion in
America would be made capital and
good bank reserve, and while not adding
to the actual number Of dollars TO any
great extent would in an instant double
the capital OF the country, and 1t would
be the soundest money III the world.
The desolate fields of Virginia, now
rank with briars and weeds, would
soon be waving with golden grain,
new enterprises would spring into
life, and Virginia. like some seed, wonla
shed her vestments of decay and start
anew in the great race OF life.
| was the author OF the free coinage
plank ia the platform of 1885, and | look
on il as the best political act OF my life.
Forty thousand majority upheld me IN
it. But, gentlemen, am speaking too
long. conclude with words of hope
The fight is on all over this Union and
| + L !