The silver blade. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1895-1903, 1895-08-17
A PLAIN ADDRESS is ISSUED
Will Make Determined Effort to
Commit National Convention
to Bimetallism.

ence of free silver democrats today the |
following address to the people was
reported by the committee on resolu-
tons and unanimously adopted 1t
was read by Governor Stone Of Mis-
souri, and in most respects was the same
as that adopted by the democrats of
Texas, Missouri and Mississippi. The
address in full is as follows:
At a conference between a number of
democrats from different states who at
tended non-partisan convention recently
assembled at Memphis, Tenn, for the
purpose of promoting the cause of free
silver coinage, which conference was held
after the adjournment of the convention,
a committee consisting of Senators Jones
OF Arkansas, Turpie of Indiana and Har-
ris OF Tennessee was appointed and au-
thoriZed to invite representative demo-
Gratis from several states to meet them
at Washington for consultation with a
view of securing the cooperation and con-
cert of action among those democrats
throughout the Union who believe in adj
herring to the cardinal democratic policy
Of actual bimetalism and who are opposed
to committing the party to the plutocracy
doctrines of gold monometalism. The
present conference is the result of the
action This Is purely voluntary as
Semblage and therefore does not assume
to speak with party authority. Disclaim-
ing all right to bind any person by our
utterances, but profoundly conscious that
the democratic party today confronts a
crisis most momentous in it's history and
fraught with farreaching perils to the
people and the country, we are assem-
bled as individual democrats to take cOun-
sci together and for the undisguised pur-
pose of inaugurating and promoting
thorough and systematic organization of
democratic masses, so they may so for
ward as one man with reSolute purpose to
rescue the old party founded by Thomas
Jefferson from plutocratic domination.
Therefore, with this object in view,
this convention of American democrats,
composed Of representatives from "a
states Of the Union, make the following
declaration on the money question:
The federal constitution names silver
and gold together as the money metal OF
the United States. The first coinage law
passed by congress under the constitu-
ton made the silver dollar the unit of
value and admitted gold to free coinage
at a ratio measured by the silver dollar
unit From the beginning of the govern
ment, following the policy formulated by
Thomas Jefferson and firmly established
by Jackson, the democratic party has
been the party of bimetaEsm, favOring
free coinage of both silver and gold at the
national minis and opposed to farming
out to banking corporations the govern
ment's sovereign power of issuing ana
controlling the money of the people. The
act of 1873 demonetizing silver was sur
reptitiously passed without the approval
or knowledge of the American people,
and from the time when the effect of this
act in fastening upon this country the
single gold standard was understood the
democratic party has consistently and
persistently urged that the grievous
wrongs be righted. Failure to accomplish
this object has resulted in the steady ap-
probation of gold and q corresponding
fall in the price of commodities produced
by the people, heavy increase in the bur-
dem of all debts, public and private, en-
richment of the money lending classes
the parasites of industry, impover1shmen'
Of the people, and unexampled distress
In all gold standard countries.
A DISASTROUS POLICY.
Experience has shown that while under
single gold standard there may be an
occasional revival of business activity
accompanied by enhanced prices OF linn.
tied number of commodities, such revlva
is due to artificial and temporary causes
and can not permanently alleviate the
sufferings due to falling of prices brought
about by the appreciation of gold and al
inadequate supply Of primary or re
demption money.
The rights of the American people, tne
interests of American labor, and the pros
perity of American industry have high
er claim to the condition of the peopls
and lawmakers than the greed of foreign
creditors or avaricious demands made o,
idle holders of idle capital. The right u