The advocate and Topeka tribune., 1893-10-11


Then, second, let us have free coinage
OF silver. What does free coinage meane
A banker asked me the other day, apollo
Rizing at the same time, what free coinage
meant. When / explained to him that 10
was simply taking silver bullion In proper
condition for mintage to the mints and
having it formed into coins for him and
taking his coin away, Why" said he,
'that is just like taking wheat to the mill
and having it ground into -four" Precise
ly so, and that is what we are asking. But
we are told that we cannot have free coin
age of silver. No, not now. They will see
us later.
Mr. President, my position has been
taken upon this subject. It is free and I'M
limited coinage Of silver at the present "a
ito Of 10 to THAT or nothing.
You talk to us about dishonest dollar.
/ ask you whether 20 cent dollar is any
more dishonest than a 14O cent dollar or Q
$50 cent dollar2 II you will lay down your
H0cent dollar beside our70 cent dollar and
strike an average between them and call
that the dollar, then you may talk about
an honest dollar, but until that time / be-
heve it would be better If we would fol-
low the dollar that follows our products
and not the one that follows the bankers
receipts. We only ask to have the old coin
age lawrestored as it existed before theaCt
Of 1878.
In favOring free and unlimited coinage
upon the old system I do but repeat the
demands Of the people in their local, state
and national platforms. That has been
the doctrine Of the Democrats from their
party's birth to the present, and in this
they but followed the teachings Of their
great leader and the author Of our none
tary system. AS far back as 1886 Demo-
Gratis as q party declared that gold and
silver Is the only safe and constitutional
currency" In 1880, in their national plat
form, they declared In favor Of honest
money, consisting Of gold and silver and
paper convertible into coin on demand. !"
This declaration was repeated in their ma
tional platform in 1884 Democrats In %
Of the states which held state conventions
in 1890 declared in one form or another in
favor Of free coinage of silver.
The same year Prohibitionists In Arkan-
Bas, Colorado. Kansas, Michigan, Mime
sofa, Missouri and Ohio adopted free coin
age resolutions, and independent voters
In Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska,
North Dakota and South Dakota declared
In favor Of unlimited silver coinage.
Republicans in their national platforms
in 1884 and 1888 adopted resolutions which
were properly interpreted to mean free
coinage of silver equally with gold. Re-
publican writers and speakers 80 construed
them. No other construction could fairly be
put upon the words. Bimetallism means
the use of two metals alike as a money
standard-gold and silver as one. Repub-
lican voters so understood it, and they ap-
pealed to the country on that construction.
You say we cannot maintain the ratio Of
18 to /. Why not2 Did we not do that
thing about 80 years, and had anybody COM
planned? Have we ever been compelled to
call to our aid the assistance Of our brethren
on the other side Of the AtlanticP Wedonot
ask them to help us in our tariff affairs;
we do not ask them to assist US In reference
to any Of our local matters Now, when
great cry comes up from the people to re-
store to them the old law which was taken
away from them without their knowledge
and without their consent, some influence
comes in between us and our lawmakers
and says, "You shall not do this thing"
and we do not.
The proper thing for us to do was well
stated a few days ago by the senator from
Idaho now In the chair Mr.. Duboisl:
Place gold and silver upon the same plane;
either restore the protection of the law to
silver or remove the protection of the law
from gold, and the people do not care
which you do.
So far as I am concerned, had rather
zee all of our coinage laws wiped out, place
gold and silver on the markets the same as
we do wheat and corn and cotton, let the