The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-10-10
FREE SILVER ISSUE.
The Fight in Minnesota Will Turn
On that Question.
Gov. Nelson Announces Himself As
Opposed to Free Silver.


lowing extracts from the report of the
St. Paul Pioneer-Press, of July 18th.
1t is leading Republican paper.
This is the second plank of the
platform of the Republican party,
adopted July 18th, 1894, at the State
Convention in st. Paul:
Second--The Republican party be-
lieves in the use of both gold and sill
yer as money, maintaining the sub
stantial parity of value OF every dol
lar in circulation with that of every
other dollar. It believes in bimetal-
ism and that the restoration of silver
as ultimate money to the currency Of
the world is absolutely necessary for
business prosperity, proper rates Of
wages and the welfare of the people.
Holding these views, we believe it
should be the policy of the United
States to do everything in it's power
to promote the restoration Of silver to
the worlds currency.
Now all this sounds very pretty and
plausible, but look little closer and
you will see the hind legs of the col
ored gentleman protruding from the
wood-pile. The Republican party be-
lieves in maintaining the substan-
tial parity of value Of every dollar in
circulation with that Of every other
dollar" That means, simply, that if
gold dollar is intrinsically worth as
much, in the markets of the world as
two silver dollars, then there must be
twice as much silver put into the sill
yer dollar, to keep it on Substantial
parity OF value' with the gold dollar!
That is Just what the Bank of Eng
land and the ROthschilds and Grover
Cleveland and John Sherman want.
If the Republican convention really
favored bi-metallism why didn't they
ask for the free coinage of silver, at
the old ratio, Of sixteen of silver to
one of gold? They admit that the re-
stOration of silveris absolutely neces-
sary to business prosperity" but they
have not the courage to specifically de-
mand it. They cover under the lash
of the Money-power. They seek to
keep the word Of promise to the ear
and break it to the hope" with a lot
of pretty, platitudinous words that
mean nothing. They know perfectly
well that the moment you can swap
your silver at the mint, for legal ten
der dollars worth 100 cents, that mo-
ment silver bullion rises to 100 cents
on the dollar. Why then did they not
demand that the minis be thrown
open to silver at sixteen to one? They
dare not. Their campaign funds
would disappear in 5ht iir: and so they
proceed to palm OF IN their people
this dubious and decisive trash.
But weak as this decoction is-weak-
er than church-fair oyster-soup, with
an average of one oyster to a pint of
water-it was too strong for the
stomach of Governor Nelson, and he
casts it up, right there in the face of
the convention In his acceptance
speech he says:
1--WE are all in favor of the free coin
age of silver, under such conditions
that it can maintain itself in circula-
ton, dollar for dollar, on parity with
gold, without requiring an ultimate
redemption fund in gold and without
driving our gold out Of circulation.
Silver recommendation would in one
fell stroke divest us of full half of
our metallic currency, and would
place us commercially in touch with
such countries as China, India. Mexico
and South America, while honest,
sound bimetallism will keep us in
touch. for purposes of commerce and
exchange, with the entire civilized
world"
Now how, in the name Of all that is
reasonable, can silver maintain itself
ON parity with gold when gold can
go to the minis and be exchanged for
full legal tender dollars and silver can
not; but must be sold in the markets,
like so much wheat or pork? 1t is very
much like saying that you believe that
John should be a parity with Jim
whenever he weighs as much; and
then giving John perpetual banquet
and refusing to let Jim have mouth
full to eat. OF course Jim bowls.
"Hold on" says Gov. Nelson, "you
shall have all you want to eat as soon
as you weigh as much as John, but we
will see that you keep away from the
free-lunch counter until you do"
And this is Establishing parity"
And free silver, the governor says,
would in one fell stroke divest US of our
gold currency. We deny it; but if it
did would that be any worse than the
decentralization of silver and placing
the world on gold basis? Isn't one
mono-metallism as bad as an other?
Isn't it six of one and half a dozen of
the other? But why should the free
coinage of silver drive out gold? It
didn't do it in a hundred years of our
national history. 1t hasn't done it
during five thousand years of the
worlds history. And if silver was
worth 100 cents on the dollar, by being
made eXchangeable at the minis for
100 cents on the dollar, how could
there be any difference in the value of
gold and silver, to compel the expatri-
alton of gold?
But suppose while the governor is
holding up the price of gold, and
keeping in touch'' with England, our
own people are driven off their lands,
and our workmen are forced down to
such depths OF Indebtedness that we
all sink together in a bloody sea of
anarchy. VIII it do any good when
the nation is perishing, for the COVER
nor to exclaim,-"Well, boys, we are
all going to the devil together;-that's
sure:-but thank God, as long as we
In L. n PI1l