The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1894-08-30
FOR EQUAL COINAGE.
Organized Labor Contributes
to the Silver Question.
CORNER AND PRESENT VALUES.
RepreAeh'"'''
Presents Resolutions for the Free
,oiuage of Silver, Accompanied by an
Address of the Labor Leaders.

Presents Resolutions ZOE the Free
,,i,,,pe of silver, Accompanied by an
,,Irass of the Labor Leaders.
WASHINGTON, August 24.-Representa-
g.. Hartman of Montana has presented
E.. fine House resolutions for the free
...-rsa. Of silver, which are regarded by
.,.. i,se-silver advocates as one of the
mas. SIGNIFICANT expressions in favor of
din doctrine which have been elected
BY the agitation of the past year. The
~.solntions have been considered and
odonted during the present session by
+ba most powerful labor organizations
It tbe country, are strongl y worded and
o,e signed By the chief officers of the
,.rious unions. The signers are j. d.
lovarieqn. Grand Master Workman, and
Jobp ". Hayes, Secretary and Treasurer
oitbe Knights of Labor; Samuel Comp
orc President of the American Fedora
ION Of Labor: Marion Butler, President
~ the National Farmers Alliance !;
Henry II. Trenor. President, and P. F.
Vrti1ire. Secretary of the Brotherhood
oi Carpenters and Joiners; P. M. Ar
tbnr, Chief OF the Brotherhood of Lo-
comotiye Engineers; G. A. Robinson,
President OF the Farmers Mutual Bene-
fl Association; Frank Sargent, Grand
Master Workman, and +. w. Arnold,
Secretary of the Brotherhood of Locomo-
five Firemen, and John Mcbride, Presi-
dent OF the United Mine Workers of
America.
Accompanying the resolution is an adj
dress to the members of organized labor
and all other producers and toilers
throughout the United States. The adj
dress declares THAT in view of the gen.
eral distress at a time when granaries
are full and in the natural order of things
PRODUCERS and toilers should be enjoying
the fruits of their labors it seems the
time has come for united action on the
part of those who create the wealth of
the country" One of the causes which
has brought about this condition, the
address SAYS, is the departure from the
wise bimetallic financial principle of
Washington, Jefferson and Hamilton and
the substitution of the monometallic
policy dictated by the European money
holders and their American allies.
4 review of the financial legislation is
given to show what part was enacted in
the interest of the producing and what
in that OF the non-producing classes.
The proposition is set forth that before
the characterization of silver $500 BUSH
els of wheat or $4,000 pounds of cotton
equaled the animal pay of Senator or
Congressman, while to-day 10000 BUSH
els Of wheat or 100000 pounds of cotton
barely suffice; that formerly $4,000
bushels of wheat or $4,000 pounds of
cotton would have paid the salary of the
President, while to-day he receives the
equivalent of 100000 bushels of wheat
or 100000 pounds of cotton, and the
came proportion applies to all other fixed
salaries and incomes.
Generalization of the food-producing
sections is said to have caused the man
ulacturers to lose the markets for their
goods, so that hundreds of thousands of
workmen have been thrown out of en-
Payment; and the characterization of
half of the worlds volume of money
makes 1t paratively easy for capital
lists 10 corner and manipulate the other
half. In the review of financial legisla-
ton 1t is charged that all the acts since
the civil war have been in the interest
OF bondholders and against the produ-
Gers, and the Sherman law is said to
have been repealed at the demand of
European tinanciers, although grand
night was made by the peoples repre-
Sentatlyes.
The resolutions are as follows: "We
demand Of the present Congress the inn
mediate return to the money of the con-
sutution as established by our fathers by
restoring the free and unlimited coinage
Of silver at ratio of Is to 1, the coins
OF both metals to be equally full legal
tender for all debts, public and private,
as before the fraudulent decentralization
oil silver in 1878. We also condemn the
increase Of the public debt in time of
peace and the issue of interest-bearing
bonds at any time"