The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1893-09-29
PEOPLES PARTY COLUMN,

= 1V1 LIZ ~ AL WI y U Az
DEVOTED TO THE DISSEMINATION
OF REFORM DOCTRINE.
Old Party Leaders Playing u Double
Part ON the Currency Question
why the East Wants Repeal-Initf-
alive and Referendum.
There are many, very many, honest
and true men in the rank aud file
Of both the Democratic and epublican
parties, who fail to see that their re-
spective leaders are playing a double
part-their platforms are formulated to
catch the people, but their votes and
work are given to plutocracy The
Democrats made their bid for votes in
the following language last fall:
'We denounce the Republican legisla-
ton known as the Sherman act of 1890
as cowardly makeshift, fraught with
possibilities of danger in the near fut-
ure, which should make all of it's sup
porters, as well as it's author, anxious
for it's repeal. We hold to the use of
both gold and silver as the standard
money of the country, and to the coin
age of both gold and silver without
discriminating against either metal or
charge for mintage, but the dollar unit
Of coinage of both metals must be of
equal intrinsic and exchangeable value,
or to be adjusted through international
Inv 11> f1~ 10, -
legislation as shall insure the main
tenance of the parity of the two metals,
| and the equal power Of every dollar
at all times i'll the markets, and in pay
ment Of debt; and we demand that all
paper currency shall be kept at par
with and redeemable in such coin. We
| insist upon the policy as especially
necessary for the protection of the
farmers and laboring classes, the first
and most defenseless victims of uf-
stable money and fuctuating cur
rency''
Grover must have been fishing and
forgot all about the preceding para
graph when he was writing his recent
| message to congress.
| There is no difference between the
Democratic and Republican declaration
upon the currency question only in the
small matter of the construction of it's
language. The Republican platform
| reads as follows:
'"rhe American people from tradition
and interest, favor bi-metallism, and
the Republican party demands the use
of both gold and silver as standard
money, with restrictions and under such
provisions, to be determined by legis-
lation, as will secure the maintel ance
of the parity of values of the two met
ais, so that the purchasing and debt
paying power of the dollar, whether Of
silver, gold or paper shall be at all
times equal. The interest of the pro-
ducers of the country, it's farmers and
| it's wOrkingmen, demand that every
dollar, paper or coin, issued by the gov
eminent shall be as good as any other.
We commend the wise and patriotic
steps already taken by our govern
| ment to secure an international confer
ence, to adopt such measures as will
| insure a parity of value between gold
and silver for use as money throughout
! the world"
I'VE demand free and unlimited coin
age of silver and gold at the present
legal ratio Of 16 to l."
The foregoing is the currency plank
in the Peoples party platform. There
is nothing to explain about our position
and no apologies are needed for the
.atterances of our party leaders.
Why the East Wants Repeal.
We have been asked why the East
wants the Sherman law repealed.
Simply because the East owns the mon
ey, mortgages, stocks and bonds of the
country. The root of the whole diff
guilty lies in New England greed and
avarice. Owning all the money they
naturally own all the debts as we'll,
and because of this want to collect as
much tribute for its use as possible
This tribute is greatest when the prices
of products are the cheapest The
price of the products is always the
cheapest when there is the least money
in circulation Now, if these Eastern
money owners can secure legislation
that will forbid the manufacturing Of
any more money, then they will have
a monopoly and can charge whatever
they please for its use.
Again, the East owns all the stocks
and bonds issued by railroads and other
corporal tons. These Eastern money
owners Gave watered these stocks and
bonds many times their real value and
sold large portion to English capital
lists and others The cry for more
money has been made SO strong that
an effort to remonetize silver has been
inaugurated. This fact reached the
ears of those foreign owners of these
stocks and bonds, who feared their in
terest dividends would be paid in silver
instead of gold. This fear led the more
timid to sell their stocks, which de-
pressed the market, and soon the finan-
cial pressure became quite general
Now, the Eastern owner Of stocks
wants the Sherman law repealed, which
would make gold alone the legal money
of this country really, if not technically.
This being accomplished, the gambling
between the Eastern stock owner and
the foreign Spectator could be re-
newed. Briefly, this is the answer
Waterman.
Initiative and Referendum.
New Jersey comes forward with an
imperative demand from her people
for the referendum. It proposes the
fo1Joxr,;ro ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 81, ao,o&:4-.