Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-08-03
WHAT THE CONVENTION ADOPTED,

WHAT THE CONVENTION ADOPTED,
Boiled Down, Demand for Free Coinage
at sixteen to One.
Garfield, Blaine, Grant, sherman and
other prominent men are quoted
to show the evils alleged of the action ad-
vocatcd by the gold bugs" and the ben
efits of double standard, - and then the
platform proceeds as follows:
THAT there must be no compromise of this
question. All legislation in demonetizing sill
yer and restricting the coinage thereof must
be immediately and completely repealed by an
act restoring the coinage of the country to the
conditions established by the founders of the
natio1 and which continued for over eighty
years without complaint from any part of our
people Every hours delay in undoing the
corrupt work of Ernest Seyd and our foreign
eaea.i,s Is an insult to the dignity of the Amer
lean people, a crushing burden on their pros
perity, and an attempt to place US again under
the yoke from witch George Washington and
his compatri, rescued US. We protest against
the financial policy of the United Statee being
made deI endert upon the opinion or policies of
any foreign government; and assert the power
of this nation TO stand on its own feet and leg
islate for itself upon all subjects.
> We assert that the only remedy for our
metallic financial troubles is to open the mints
of the nation 10 gold and silver on equal terms
at the Old ratio.of sixteen of silver to one of
gold Whenever silver bullion can be ex-
changed at the mints for legal tender silver
dollars worth 100 cents that moment 4l215
grains of standard silver will be worth 100
cents: and as commerce eQualizes the price of
al commodities throughout the world, when
ever 4l21a grains Of standard silver are worth
100 cents in the United States they Will be
worth that sum everywhere else, and cannot
be bought for less. While il will be urged that
such a result would enhance the price of silver
bullion it is sufficient for us to know that a
similar rise would be Immediately made in the
price of every kind of property except gold and
credits in the civilized world. 1t would be a
shallow. selfish c.ass that would deny prosper
ity to the II ming Industries at the cost of
bankruptcy the whole peopk. The legisla-
| tion TO demon. ltize silver has given an unjust
increase to the value Of gold at the cost of the
prosperity of mgnkind-wLeat and all other
| agricultural products have ridden side by side
with silver
| 3 That while the sherman act of July Il,
| 1880 was a device of the enemy to prevent the
restoration of free coinage, and is greatly OBJ
jectiouab,e beca1se 1t continues the practical
! exclusion of silver from the mints and reduces
| If from a money metal to a commercial COM
modify. nevertheless its repeal without the res
| toration of free coinage would stop the expan-
| sion of our currency required by our growth
| in population and business, widen still fur
| ther the distance between. the two precious
|
more difficult, greatly increase the purchasing
! power of gold, still further break down the
| price of the products of the farmer, laborer,
| mechanic and tradesman, and plunge still fur
| ther all commerce. business and industry into
| such depths Of wretchedness as to endangeI
| peace the preservation of free institutions and
! the very maintenance of civilization.
| We therefore, in the name of the republic
| and humanity, protest against the repeal OF
the said act of July Il. 1890, except by an act
| restoring free bimetallic coinage, as existed
| r,rjo~ 70 1873 We suggest that the maintenance
| of bimetalism by the United States at the ratio
| of Ii to ! will increase our commerce with al
| the silver asing countries of the world-includ
| ing two-thirds of the world-without decreas
| ing our commerce with the nations which buy
our raw material, and will compel the adoption
of bimetallisIn 10y the nations of Europe sooner
| than any other means.
| l. We assert that the unparalleled calami
| ties which now aflict the American people are
not due to the so-called Sherman act of 1890
| and in pooof thereof we call attention TO the
| fact that the same evil conditions now prevail
| over all the gold standard world We are con
| vinced that bad is the state of affairs il
| this country, it would have been still worss
but for the Sherman act, by which the natior
| has obtained to some extent an expanded cir
culation to meet the demands of continent
| in process of colonization and the bushes.
| exigencies of the most energetic and industri
Gus race that has ever dwelt on the earth
and we insist upon the execution of the Law
without evasion so long as it is upon the stat
ute books and upon the purchase of the full
amount of silver each month that il provides
for, to the end that the monthly addition Il
the circulating medium the law secures shal
be maintained.
5-That we would call the attention of tn,
people to the fact that in the midst of all th'
trouble of the time the value of the nationa
bond and the national legal tender money
whether made of gold, silver, or paper, has no
fallen particle. The distrust is not of tn
government or its money, but of the banks
| which have, as we believe precipitated tn
| present panic on the country in an ill-adviset
| effort to control the action of congress on tn
silver question and the issue of bonds. We in
| yite the bankers to attend to their legitimat
business and permit the rest of the people t
have their full share in the control of the gov
ernment. In this way they will much soone
restore the confidence which is so necessary +
the prosperity Of the people. 1t must not
forgotten that while boards of trade, chamber
of commerce, bankers, or money dealers ar
worthy and valuable men in thei
places, the republic can more safely r,
pose upon the great masses of its peacefr
toilers and producers, and that this cuisines
mans sge'' is rapidly exterminatink the bus
ness m n of this country. The time has com
when the politics of the nation should rever
- fN- ss nossible t. the simple and pure cond