The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-10-20
WANTS BIMETALLISM.
Hon. j. B. Cheadle Thinks Many Repub-
licanS Oppose Silver Repeal.


Will you permit one of your readers. for
himself and by request for many others. to
express the opinion that you are in error,
far as this part of the State is concerned,
in stating that a large majority of the peo-
pie of both parties favor the unconditional
repeal of the purchasing clause of the silver
law of 1890. / have made careful inquiry Of
the people of our party here and in other
localities, men from every walk Of life and
the result OF my observations-and this
opinion is concurred in by those for whom
l WRITES that not one person in seven
favors it. The general belief is that silver
has had nothing to do with causing the
panic. This is the belief of men. some Of
whom have vivid memories of panicS SO far
back as 1S47 and 1857. The same sentiment
prevails in other counties, and is sustained
by investigation made by the New York
cause of the present status OF their trade,
wherein. out Of two hundred replies, les as
sign the fear of a revision of the tariff as
the sole cause, while only thirty-two assign
the tariff and silver questions as the causes
l have heretofore in your paper. fully and
law. 1t needs no defense In this panic
the fear was not of the money. for every
dollar whether of coin or paper, was Gre
ple, in no instance, have disseminated
against the treasury NOTES authorized by
the act of 1890. The struggle has been to
secure from banks their deposits, and when
secured, whether in coin or paper. they
have been gladly accepted by all the peo-
four hundred millions of silver money in
our money system, and they know that
while the mints are open and free to gold,
that the only legal protection silver has,
with all this volume in use, is the law of
1890 and they know that the only effect the
repeal of the purchasing clause of that act
can have is to further restrict the use OF
silver, which is one of the two constitution
al standards of value in our money system.
hence the almost unanimous opposition of
the masses to the unconditional repeal of
the purchasing clause. Those for whom I
write request me TO say that, If there can
be a final settlement Of the money muddle,
whereby silver can have the same measure
of protection that is accorded to gold then,
in that event, they would not object to it's
The Republicans are pledged in favor of
timetallism, and we know that bimetallisui
in America means. If 1T means anything, the
use OF both gold and silver as standards of
value. 1t never has meant, it never can
mean, the use of gold a single standard,
in which everything, including silver, must
be measured, any more than it means a
silver standard, in which everything, in
Guiding gold, shall be measured. The Re-
publicans have been taught. and now. be-
leve it means a gold and silver standard.
We have been taught that obedience to law
is the first duty of the American citizen.
The law says that 4121s grains of silver Of
standard fineness, when stamped by the
government Is q dollar, just like 25.S grains
Of gold. when so stamped, is dollar. and
w
know they are the equals of each other as
legal representatives of the unit of
money system, and we have been taught
and believe that the man or party that
spoilS either of these money units Is no
less disloyal than they who sought to de-
stroy the government itself, for the reason
that for a hundred years these money
units have been the standard in which all
values in our country have been meas
ured. We demand that they be treated as
equals-this and nothing more.
One other statement: Fifty years ago the
Parliament of England declared that an
ounce of gold shall never be worth less than
e., lis and I'd sterling in that government
Can any sane man doubt the fact that, If
Congress should by law, provide that 4l21ls
grains of silver of standard fneness shall
never be worth less than 81 in the United
States, that it could and would maintain IT
self with gold? Prior to 1873, when it was
protected the same as gold it was worth
even more than gold. These undeni-
able facts, silver being at the time Of it's
demonstration, in 1873, worth S.2s cents
premium.
The Republican party has made it's rec
ord. It enacted an election law whereby
the election Of members of Congress and
presidential electors. 1t enacted a tariff
law whereby American labor, industries
and capital were thoroughly protected. 1t
enacted a financial system whereby every
dollar, whether of coin or paper, was au-
thorzed and issued by the government, and
1t the boast and pride of party
that, pending the settlement by an interna-
tional agreement of a ratio between gold
ana SILVER, the act OF july H. lSSU would
enable the use Of all our silver product in
our money system, and at the same time
maintain the highest possible standard.
(See the speech of Mr.. Conger, of Iowa,
who had charge of the bill on its final pas
sage in the House.) The people, in 1892,
elected the Democrats to office. President
Cleveland says that this silver law is the
cause of the panic; that it is vicious.
act. and he charges that our tariff is the
same kind of a law-that ii robS the poor
and benefits the rich He declares that the
election law violates the sacred rights of
the States, and the House has passed bill
to repeal 1t. Ours Is government by par
publican, is charged with the duty of legis-
lation. What the masses of our party de-
mand is this That if the Republican legis-
lation is repealed. let others than Repub-
lcans repeal it. We have, as party. made
our record, record of which all patriots
all of it,, by our election, tariff and
financial legislation We cannot consist
emily unite with our political enemies to re-
peal any part of 1t, any more than we can
to repeal all of it. We are either Repub-
lcans Democrats. We are either BIZ
metallists or we are 1nonometallists
know Mr. Cleveland is n monometallist:
that he believes in the gold standard only
and that is why for myself. and at the re-
quest of many of the leading Republicans
of Clinton county, I have written these
thoughts to respectfully protest Repub-
licans against being quoted in favor of re-
pealing one single measure placed upon the
statute books distinctive Republican
policy. We stand with both feet upon the
Republican national platform declarations.
protectionists and Republicans:
]. B. CHEADLE.
Frankfort Ind, Oct Is.