People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1893-08-04
THEY WANT SILVER.
An Urgent Appeal from the Miners
Of Montana.
The Agricultural Glasses Are Warned of
the Depreciation of Their Prod
ucts-The History of Silver
Legislation.

NAN' iHo'o hOSbALS Oh Vic CNCuluR Va
July %, to discuss the silver question.
Prominent free coinage advocates were
present and addressed the assembldge,
and the following address, prepared by
the Free Coinage association, was
unanimously adopted:
"The citizens OF the state Of Montana, in
sending forth to their fellow-citizens through
out the union this appeal against what they
sincerely believe TO be an existing wrong Of
cruel proportions, and for a redress Of that
wrong desire first to extend the assurance 10
all who may differ from them in opinion that
despite the disastrous conditions which at this
moment surround them; despite the fact that
many OF their mines aud mills and shelters are
now idle and labor unemployed; notwithstand-
ing that their property values have been largely
destroyed and their credit greatly impaired,
they are to-day, as they have ever been in the
past loyal citizens Of the republic, devoted 10
its institutions Ob5dient to its laws, loving and
cherishing its traditions and history, and proud
OF its magnificent achievements.
1--WE assert with all sincerity that although it
directly ana most injurously affects one Of our
p pal liuuolIltS, anu Out Luak has lOEultu
in great part the basis Of our prosperity, We
yet would not advocate the full recognition and
restoration Of silver as money, did we not sol
EMMY believe that such policy would rebound
TO the happiness and welfare Of the great mass
OF producers and tOilers Of the land, and to the
increased prosperity Of the nation We place
our demand for the free coinage OF silver at the
ratio Of sixteen to one Of gold, andits full equip
ment with all money functions equally with
gold, upon the simple plan Of justice In sup
port OF the plan We assert, and to this asser-
ton we challenge contradiction, that for cen
turtles, and before legislation undertook TO con-
troll and direct its action and movement silver
maintained its parity with gold with but slight
variation, and despite the wide divergence in
the ratio OF production which frequently exist.
ed In 1915 England demOnetized silver She
was even then the creditor nation OF the world,
and her financiers foTesaw that this policy
would enhance the value of gold and render
II harder for other nations to pay her what
they owed For nearly sixty years thereafter
France, the Latin union and the United
States maintained the parity of the two
metals. In 1871 Germany flushed with
her victory over France and her treasury
filled with Frances ransom of $1,000 00O,0 OO
in gold, determined to demonetize silver.
Uncle Sam locomotives Silver.
in 1873 the United States, the greatest pro-
ducer Of silver Of all the nations, following the
course marked out by Germany struck the sill
yer dollar from our coinage laws. In 1873, the
Latin union, deprived OF the support Of the
United States and Germany stopped the coin
age OF silver. in 1892 Austria abandoned silver
and is striving unsuccessfully to get upon gold
basis. Within the past month England, taking
advantage OF the depression existing all over
the world, has struck silver last savage blow
by closing the minis Of India 10 the coinage Of
silver on private account
Demands of the West.
"This, briefly told, is the history OF silver
legislation during the past seventyseyen years.
1t proves conclusively that legislation is d.
rectly responsible for the destruction OF silver
as money. We therefore ask in the name Of
simple justice that legislation now restore it to
its rightful place in the currency Of our country
We state, without fear Of contradiction, that
the act OF 1873 which struck down silver was
passed without due deliberation. The record
shows that the great majority Of the members
Of both branches Of congress did not know that
the bill then under consideration contained
such q clause. Such statements Of Garfield.
voorhees,, Blaine and many others, are upon
the records Of their respective houses emphat-
ically denying any knowledge Of that provision
OF the act So that We charge that il was done
without discussion or debate either in congress,
through the press, or upon the platform There
nra- a -
without notice and without any demand from
and by the people, and its operation was Injured
only to the nrOit and benefit Of the holders Of
our bonds and the lenders of gold.
Appeal to the Agricultural Glasses.
1--WE most earnestly appeal TO the agricul-
tural classes of our country and beg them 10
look into the history Of silver legislation and
the trightful consequences which have fol-
lowed the act of 1873 We call upon them to
mark The steady and constant decline in price Of
nearly all farm provisions, notably wheat and
cotton, which has followed the deupuetizatiOn of
silver. We invite them TO close inspection Of
the processes through which (by reason Of
the making Of silver mere commodity Eng
land has been able to bring the farmers of the
United States into direct competition with the
wheat and cotton growers of India We call
their attention TO the significant fact that the
three products, viz: silver, wheat and cotton,
have about kept pace with each other in their
headlOng fall, each touching its highest and
lowest point together. We assert that the
falling of in prices Of farm products is direct
result Of the demonstration OF silver, and the
consequent contraction Of volume Of good me-
tallic money. A careful study OF these facts
should we affirm, make every farmer in this
broad land an ardent advocate Of the cause Of
free silver
1--WE charge that the act demonetizing silver
was almost equivalent TO an achieving direct
tax upon the wheat and cotton growers and sill
yer miners Of the country equal 10 from 80 to 50
per cent o. their product annually for the ben
eft Of the bOndholders and money Dealers for
such an effect has been its unseen and insidious
operation We further affirm that the con.
stantly lowering prices Of the staple farm prod.
ucts OF the land has IN turn served 10 curtail
production. to restrict growth and 10 discour-
age new enterprises, thus diminishing the field
and decreasing the demand for labor to the Diet.
riment Of the working classes Of the land And
to these evils. already so general and far reach
ing, the enemies Of silver money are now seek
ing add the further wrong Of totally destroying
agreat industry and throwing Out Of employ
ment hundreds Of thousands of men to whom the
loss of work means the destruction Of their
homes and poverty and suffering for them
selves, their wives and children
Sherman Law Not Blamed.
ave denounce as wholly absurd and absolute.
ly false the charge that the Sherman act is re-
spUnsible for the present financial difficulties
which overwhelm the land We admit that the
false cry raised against silver by the gold men
at 10 time when panic threatened has created
aprejudice against the silver among the inter.
estcd and uniformed, but We emphatically as.
sert that the outflow Of gold during the past
few days is due solely and only TO the fact that
the balance OF trade has during that period been
against US nearly s10O,0O0OO0 We say that had
there been no silver law in existence the gold
would have left US just the same Any child
can understand that as gold is the money with
which international balances are settled, il we
as q nation buy more goods than we sell we
must ship out our gold to pay the difference.
Australia is passing through a panic that ex.
ceeds our own in the depression Of values and
the amount OF insolvency. but Australia has nc
sherman law To what then ara the financial