The record-union., 1894-06-27

clate the importance Of the convention at
this time, and believe its deliberations
will be wise and the results good"
Judge Thurston read letter from Sena-
tor Don Cameron, whose name was
greeted with applause.
Mr.. Cameron's letter was as follows:
''1fy Dear Sir: Your invitation comes
at moment when Congress requires the
attention of its members. | should be
glad to accept it, for we have entered
troubled time. and we need mutual coun-
sci and support, but whatever / am to
say can be said only in writing. This is
not moment for stimulating bitterness
or inf1aming passions. We need all our
powers OF forbearance and self control.
Let us give credit to our opponents, at
least for good intentions, even though
they give no credit to US. All Europe
and America are in trouble. Every one
admits that the world stands on the edge
of revolution, social and political, but
every one shrinks from it. Neither
North or South or East or West, neither
capitalist nor laborer, wants 10 create
caste or classes, or TO spread misery, op-
preston or violence. We all see danger
before US. We all want to avoid it. Our
only dispute is about the path. To those
who have had chiefly in mind the strug-
gle between silver and gold, this is the
question which, for the moment, presses
hardest. The little gold standard seems
to US to be working ruin and violence
that nothing can stand. If its influence
is to continue for the future at the rate of
It's action during the twenty years since
the gold standard took possession of the
world, some generation not very remote
will see in the broad continent of Amer
ica only half dozen overgrown cities.
keeping guard over mass of capital, and
lending 1t to a population of dependent
laDorers on the mortgage of their grow
ing crops and handiWork. Such sights
have beer common enough in the worlds
history, but against this we all rebel.
Rich and poor alike, Republicans, Demo
Gratis. Populists, labor and capital, rail-
ways, churches and colleges, all alike
and all IN solid good faith regret such
future as that.
This agreement is the least part of the
situation. at least we can be sure that no
one IS deliberately conspiring against our
safety. Even on the burning ground of
gold and silver we agree in principle. No
party and no party leader has ever ap-
proved of the single gold standard. Not
one American in 100 believes i'll it. We
are more unanimous in hostility than we
are on any other question III politics. a
vast majority in all parties agree that the
single gold standard has been, is, and
muskbe material disaster OF the worst
kind, and what is still more strange, al
most the whole world sympathizes with
US. Nine-tenths of mankind are hostile
to the single gold standard. Our 10000,
600 people are unanimous against it.
Most of the great European countries and
their Governments are against it. South
America rejects it. The whole of Asia
knows only silver, and India, which
contains hve-siXths of the subjects of the
British crown, is as hostile to it as our
selves. \ ct the London bankers say we
must submit, and we have submitted.
SO strange a spectacle has never been
seen in our history, and argument, and
even the compulsive proof brought by
worldwide ruin, seems to be helpless
against such an astonishing power.
What is the use OF argument when we are
convinced. and when at least nine-tenths
Of the civilized world agree. England
holds us by the single gold standard by
the force OF capital alone more despotic-
ally than she could hold US to her en-
pire in 1776. The mere threat of her dis
pleasure paralyzes mankind.
The most instructive point of all is
that our great majority consists of the in
terests, in the whole, who have been from
time immemOrial reckoned as the safest
and most conservative. The whole agri-
cultural class, the whole class or classes
of small prospectors, the farmer VINO
made the bulk and sign was OF our race,
the artisan whose interests are bound up
in the success of our manufactures, all
these joinShands with what is left of their
old enemies, the landed aristocracy of
Europe, to protest against revolution
made for the benefit OF money lenders
alone. On the other hand, that revolution
is more radical than any which has been
accomplished by progress and revolution
lists. Had all the despotic governments
that have existed in a thousand years
united their intelligence to set class
against class, to breed corruption. to slim
ulate violence and TO shatter the founda-
ton of society, they could have invented
no device more effective than this decree,
which at one stroke doubled the value of
industry and swept the small proprietor
everywhere into bankruptcy.
1.-The whole conservative force of the
world protests against so violent and des-
potic a change. We protest against it,
the more because we know enough about
politics to fear the reaction against such
extravaganza. We see the risks to which
the gold mania is exposing us. We have
reason to know the popular feeling, and
we do not believe that the single gold
standard can long be maintained.
1--WE want real money-coin-carryi
intrinsic value; yet if England succeeds
in her obstinate effort to destroy the
value of silver for coinage, nothing can
save US from paper. England may we'll
succeed; she seems already on the point
of success greater than her Government
wanted; and, in that case, irredeemable
paper-fiat money-stsres US in the face.
Something, then, must be decided, and
quickly, for delay itself is likely to be the
decision.
The Republican party must either fix
the single standard.of the nation, or re-
ject il. This time we can no longer es-
cape the issue, and whatever we do must
be done openly. When great policy is
to be entered upon the straightforward
path is the best. The Republican party
held power for a whole generation, and
during all that time made only one fatal
mistake. Under the influence of the
banking interests, acting in what was
then believed the true interest of the
country, the party fell into the foreign
conspiracy for making a single gold
standard, and, what was worse, did it
with the foreign air OF, conspiracy.
Even those who oppose the return of
the Republican party to the old princi-
pies will admit that thuse principles
would give it power for another genera
ton. We need only to be true to our
selves. We need only TO assist and main
tain our own convictions, and no other
party born or unborn can take the field
from us as long as we choose to hold it.
The other party can represent, as we do,
the whole national instinct, all our in
dustries, all our popular energies, all our
conservative caution. As long as the
Republican party holds to its duty of
representing the whole nation, it must
hold sway unless something stronger
than the nation arises.
1.-THE task before us is to restore normal
activity to industry. to break down the
barriers to sectionalism, TO check the in
creasing tension between the rich and
the poor, to relieve agriculture and to
save the small farmer and manufacturer
in word, to smooth away the threaten
ing dangers OF discomfort. The Repub-
hcan party alone has the power to do
ord RI narrv on Nt,y coaiafy for