The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-04-10
lTTORNEY-GENERL STlNDISH,
OF NORTH DAKOTA, DELIVERED
THE FOLLOWING SPEECH
BEFORE THE SILVER
CONVENTION

9nQ QeI06G OF the pdSG O"CAUy SO0AS' "a
to combine and whit
Until two years ago 1 had always
been a Republican and a protectionist,
and was a Union soldier in the late
war.
We are not ignorant of the fact that
General Grant carried this country in
1872 by over $50, 900 majority, and that
silver was stricken down in 1873 and
1874 when the ''grand old party" was
overwhelmingly in control of every
branch of the government.
" g are not ignorant of the fact that
this wrong was sought to be righted in
1873, when the lower House of Con
gress was largely Democratic, and the
Senate and Presidents Republican, and
that the House voted to right the
wrong by a majority of nearly five to
one by passing the Bland BILL" In
the Senate it was disabled by the ALI
son amendment, which provided that
silver should not have free coinage but
be purchased by the government and
made q commodity instead Of a stand
ard of money, and even this bill was
vetoed by a Republican President be
cause of his enmity to silver and had
to be passed over his veto.
Again in 1890 a free coinage bill was
certain topass both Houses of Congress
with the expectation that it would re
eeive the veto of a Republican Presi
dent, when a Republican Senator orlgi
mated the Sherman law" to prevent
free silver coinage until the gold power
could gather sufficient strength to wipe
cut all silver coinage laws.
In 1898 the Democratic party was in
Vested with control of every branch Of
our government; we had a Democratic
President, a Democratic Senate, Dem
ecraElc House. Congress was convened
for the special purpose of stopping all
silver coinage by q Democratic Presl-
dent, and such a measure was passed
by q vote Of a majority Of ali the Demo
Gratis and by a still larger majority of
all the Republicans, and approved by
q Democratic President. To bring
about this result the President subordI
mated and jeopardIzed all tariff legIsla-
ton, showing that IL was the primary
object of his administration, and TO
secure repeal he is said to have Used
Official patronage to bride the votes OF
Senators and Representatives, showing
that ne regarded the silver issue more
vital than tariff.
We were told When repeal was pend
ing that as soon as it had been secured
afree coinage bill would be enacted by
Congress. Congress has re convened
but has not enacted any free Coinage
bill, nor does it propose to. but on the
contrary it took Over TWO weeks to get
RquOrum in the 10 Her House to pass the
Bland S~eigniorage bill and then more
than fve-sixths of the Republicans of
the lower House voted against it, and
among those was our North Dakota
Representative. Is there any hope for
bimetallisIa herel
Both old parties tell us bimetallism
Is right, that silver should have free
coinage and be made n of the stand
ards Of money, but, we ask, how and
When2 The answer is: When the
creditor nations of Western Europe,
through an international treaty, Will
permit as to do it on such terms as they
shall choose TO prescribe" When will
that consent be given4 After we are
all foreclosed and homelessi OF what
benefit will it then be2
Chief among these creditor nations is
Great Britain, whose mortgage fangs
rest On every civilized people on the
globe; she is interested against bimetal-
lism until the mortgages she holds have
been fOreclOsed, giving her a double
slice of property by reason of the lower
prices resulting from the single stand
ard Of moneA. When did Great Britain
ever do anything for a foreign power
or people except to further her greed,
and enlarge her trade and domInIon2
Look at her u~nvarying history for
over eight hundred years, ever since
the Norman conquest when her present
dominant class stole all there was In
England and parcelled it out among
her spOIlsmen. Look at her treatment
of Ireland, Of US colonies, and of every
other nation she has ever dealt with,
and ask Evil she ever consent to a
treaty for b~imetalllsm until such policy
will promote her financial ends, ana
will that time arise until she owns Us
and our people by foreclosure, our rail
roads, our farms and our homes, and
Of Mhah avan will hinnn4nnS.~ L.