The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-06-18
REPUBLICAN SILVER PLANK.

lhC pOoitiOH VI tho ICpuDiiCuh puit.
upon the silver question as defined b,
its platform adopted at Minneapolis vii
not meet the endorsement OF the people
Of Montana. 1t is equivocal, uncandit
and ~evasive. AS the TRIBUNE predicted
it may be interpreted one way by the
Massachusetts republican orator and an
other way by the Montana republican
demagogue. Here is the party's silver
plank:
The American people, through interest
and tradition. are in favor of bimetallism
and demand that both metals shall be
used as standard money under such reg
ulations and provisions as may be estab-
lished by the legislative department OF
the government to establish and main
tain the parity of the metals, and to
make each dollar, whether of gold, silver
or paper, the equal of any other dollar.
This is all about as clear as mud. 1t
starts out with the undeniable PROPOSE
ton that the American people favor BIZ
metallism and demand that both metals
shall be used as standard money. The
logical corollary of these admissions. if
expressed in words, would be that the
American people favor free and unlimit-
ed silver coinage, but the makers of the
plank were very careful not to say any
thing of the kind. They compromised
their consciences-if politicians have
consciences-by RELOCATING the subject
to the legislative department of the gov
eminent with the understanding that
each dollar, whether of gold, silver or
paper, should be made the equal of any
other dollar. For instance the gold dol
lar should equal the paper dollar, or the
paper dollar should equal the silver dol
lar, or an iron dollar, or a copper dollar
or 'any other dollar" The platform
makers could have said our dollars
should be equal in value and thus covered
the case without borrowing Harrison's
rot delivered at Albany about lone dol
lar being as good as any other dollar"
There is not one single word in the
platform in condemnation of the demon
citation of silver in 1873; not one single
word in condemnation Of those silver
laws which have degraded the metal to
the level of pig-iron and onions-to
bring what it may in the market; not
one single word in condemnation of that
hostility to the white metal which has
been shown by the legislative and exec
utive departments of the government;
nor one single word that could be tor
tured into "a pledge that the republican
party proposes to deal honestly with sill
yer and in the interests Of the laboring
masses. For aught that appears to the
contrary the republican party would not
object to a much cheaper standard dol
lar SO that all their dollars should be Of
the same lower value. 1t is left to be
conjectured whether it would recon gold
with more alloy and less gold so as to
equalize the value of the white and yell
low metals or whether it would aGd sew
eral grains to the silver dollar SO as to
bring its value up to the gold standard.
The same narrowing uncertainty exists
as to the purpose of the republican par
ty in dealing with the paper dollar.
There are %5l0O,00O,OO0 in gold in the ma
tional treasury for the redemption of be
tween S~30O,00O.OOO and SlOO,OOO,OOO of
treasury notes, or ~greenbacks. Each dol
lar issecured by IA deposit Of twenty-five or
thirty cents in gold. A silver dollar.
measured by gold, is secured by SI'I
as the other dollar in these currencies.
What is to be done with them? The
republican silver plank calls for equaliza-
ton but gives never a hint how it shall
be accomplished. 1t says something
about ''legislation,' but republican legis-
lation on silver has commenced and end
ed in degrading it and giving it ii black
eye whenever it showed itself in the leg
~islative arena.
Fifty-eight years ago silver was the
recognized standard of values and the
value Of gold was measured by it.
Twenty-three years ago silver vas at Il
premium and gold at discount. The
fraud of twenty years ago degraded the
white metal and exalted the yellow.
The republican party degraded it and
have kept it degraded ever since. 1t
wished to enhance the purchasing power
of gold and it was done. A dollar of
gold buys more labor. more Drawn and
muscle. more cotton and wheat and corn
and other products of the soil than it
did before silver was demonetized. 1t
buys silver at its own price.
The great trusts and combines, the
great manufacturing %monopolies and
money loaning syndicates 49, the bene-
f~iciarics of republican high tariffs
that keep alive the republican party
by contributions to Its corruption fund,
want dear money gold money, and