Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-08-02
Of Representatives on the following plat

OF Representatives on the following plat
form:
Resolved. That we favor the free and
unlimited coinage Of silver ut the ratio
Of Is to 1. and making Of II legal tender
In all amounts for the payment OF all
debts. BON public and private.
Resolved. That we favor legislation
prohibiting tho making OF contracts,
either public or private. conditioned upon
payment In gold.
Considering the record OF the Republic
can party on the silver question. the above
declaration must be characterized as
being marked by unblushlng impudence.
In its whole history the Republican party
has been the friend and advocate OF
whatever financial schemes we're hatchcd
In Wall street and urged upon the atten-
ton OF Congress. Especially has the
Republican party manifested implacabie
opposition to the use Of silver as money
OF flnal payments II is true 1t incorpo-
rated silver plank in the platform
adopted by the last Republican National
Conventions: but that declaration had no
value. IL was. on the contrary, bold
attempt TO mislead the people OF the
United States into the belief that the
Republicans were as sound as the Demo-
Gratis on the silver question. It was
worded in ambiguous terms with intent
to deceive. 1t was a cool. deliberate en-
deavor TO make the people stultify them
selves.
The name OF the Sherman silver bill
tells the voters plainly which party II
was that passed that act, and the result
OF it's passage was that the people rose
In their might and had 1t repealed. Not
one Democrat in the United States Sem
ate voted. we think, for the Sherman
bill when It was put upon its passage
| IL was a measure that did not commend
| Itself TO their approval. The Democrats
| in Congress WERE however. 70 circum-
stanced when the bill to repeal the Sher-
man act came up for consideration that
most OF them voted for it,
| Again: Surely the Republicans OF the
| Fourth Congressional District OF Virginia
know that silver was demonetlzed by a
| Republican Congress, and that the de-
monetization was accomplished in so
4
ing Republicans In Congress did not know
that any such legislation had been con-
! templated nor when 1t was done.
As TO the decentralization OF gold In
1873, when Mr. Blaine was Speaker OF the
| House Of Representatives. II may he said
! that measure has most remarkable
| history. Mr. Blaine himself afterwards
| declared that he did not know when the
| bill passed. SO did Mr.. VOORHEES, and
others Mr. Allison said Of the bill that
the House of Representatives intended
| to pass bill to provide for coming both
! gold and silver but that tn bill was aft r
wards "doctored." and the trade dollar
substituted. This trade dollar consisted
Of 400 grains-7H more than are contained
| in the dollar Of the daddies.
Mr. Burchard. OF Illinois. said in Con-
gress that the bill Of 1873 Was passed upon
the assurance or belief that 1t made no
| alteration in the value of the current
coins. though IT actually changed the
unit Of value from silver to gold
| Mr. Bright, Of Tennessee. said of the
same bill that it was fraud which smell
| ed TO Heaven
But enough Read the Burkeville reso-
buttons in the light Of the above-de-
scribed silver legislation Of the Republic
| can party and then ask yourselves the
| question, "Can such a party be trusted?'