St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-08-03

lutl0nS was now read to the convention
by Hon. Ignatius Donnelly, Interrupted
10y frequent applause.
The platform was very lengthy doc
ument, tracing back the history of
bimetallism to the dawn of human his
tory. Then the conspiracy of 1872
by which silver was demOnetiZed was
gone over at length and the purpose of
1t declared to be to double the purchaS-
ing power of gold by striking down one
half of the money supply. The awful
consequences of the partia al success of
this plan are declared to be now visible.
I'VE stand in the midst Of distress and
in the shadow of impending calamity"
The words of Daniel Webster, j. &.
Blaine. John Sherman and Secretary
Carlisle are quoted favOring both money
metals.
The platform then comes out plainly
that ''all legislation demonetiZing silver
and restricting the coinage thereof must
be Immediately repealed by an act re-
storug the coinage of the country to the
conditions established by the founders
Of the nation; and which continued for
over eighty years without complaint
from any part of our people.
1--WE protest against the financial pol
icy of the United States being made de-
pendent upon the opinions or policies Of
any foreign government, and assert the
power of this nation TO stand on its own
feet aud legiSlate for itself upon all sub
jects.
We assert that the only remedy for
our metallic financial troubles is to open
the mintS of the nation to gold and sill
yer OH equal terms. at the old ratio of
l6 of silver to l Of gold. Whenever
silver bullion can be exchanged at the
IN nf
tender silver dollars, worth 100 cents
each, that moment 4I213 grains of stand
ard silver will be worth 100 cents; aud,
as commerce eQuallZeS the price of all
commodities throughout the world.
whenever 4l215 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 it will be urged that such result
would enhance the price OF silver bull
ion, it is sufficient for Us to know that a
similar increase would be Immediately
| made in the price of every form of prop
erty, except gold and credits.in the
civilized world.
THAT while the Sherman act of July
IA, 1890, was device Of the enemy to
| prevent the reStOrOtiOn of free coinage;
and is greatly Objectionable because il
continues the practical exclusion of
| silver from the mintS, and reduces it
| from money metal to a commercial
| commodity, nevertheless, as its repeal.
! without the restoration of free coinage,
| would stop the expansion of our cur
| rency required by our growth in pOpu-
| latIOn and business, and widen still
! farther the difference between the two
| precious metals, thus making the re-
| turn to DimetalliSm more diff cult;
4 greatly increase the purchasing power
| Of gold, still further break down the
| price Of the products of the farmer and
| the laborer, the mechanic and the
| tradeSman, and plunge still farther all
| commerce, business and Industry into
| such depths of wretchedneSS as to en-
danger peace, order, the preservation of
| free institutions aud the very mainte-
| nance of civilizauon;
| 1--WE, therefore, III. the name of the
public and of humanity, protest against
| the repeal of tue said act of July II.
/ 1890, except by All act restoring free
/ blmetallic coinage, as ii existed prior to
7 1873.
I'VE assert that the unparalleled ca
iamities which now afflict the American
people are not due to the so-calIed
Sherman act of 1890, and in proof
thereof we call attention to the fact that
the same evil conditions now prevail
over all the gOld-Standard world.
I'VE would call the attention of the
people to the fact. that in the midst of
all the troubles of the time, the value
of the national bond and the national
legal tender money, whether made of
gold, silver or paper, has not fallen
| particle. The distrust is not of the
government or its money. but of the
banks, which have, as we believe, pre-
cipitated the present panic on the cOun-
| trV i'm an iIl-adVicp6 effort tO n0DtrnI tba
ana the issue of bonds. We invite the
bankers to attend to their legitimate
business and permit the rest of the peo-
pie to have their full share in the con-
trol of tile government"