Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1895-05-09
IL.

l
discussing any political question, to
be able to understand the exact posi-
ton taken by the various factions
and parties upon the issue. One is
liable, otherwise. to lose sight OF the
points under discussion.
On this question Mr.. Cleveland
and a large class Of his followers are
avowed advocates Of the single gold
standard for money. While a large
faction Of lesser lights in the Demo-
cratic party are for all practical pur-
poses, avowed advocates Of single
silver standard for money.
The populists are for the single
silver standard, first, but only as the
stepping stone to ultimate fiat money,
to the exclusion Of both gold and sill
yer.
Every Republican convention state
and national from Maine to California
has unequivocally declared in favor
of both gold and silver as the money
standards Of this country. Every
prominent Republican leader in the
nation has openly advocated the use
of both metals as the standard. This
is believed to be a fair statement OF
the relative position Of the political
parties upon the question of silver
OF all these, in view of all the dis
cusson and in the light Of the best
marshaling Of statistics that can be
made, IL seems to us that the Repub-
lican position is by far the best and
the only safe one. The Republican
party is silver party in the best
sense of the term, IN that it proposes
to recognize the white metal and yet
keep it on a parity with gold, not de-
base It as the silver monometallsts
propose. This Is the honest and fair
friendship for silver and which must
appeal to the best Judgment of the
nation.
In the following outline Of the
REFLEcroR's platform on the cur
rency problem, which is practically
that Of the Republican party, will be
found clear statement Of the mat
ter. Any other position than this at
this time Is not in accord with the
best judgment Of the nations brain
lest men nor for the country's best
interests.
/. The exchange Of the country is
chiefly carried on by means Of paper
money and credit system. We be-
lieve that all paper money should be
issued directly by the government,
and for the same reason that all coin
should be coined by the government.
The issuing Of money, whether paper
or coin, is a governmental, not a
private function.
2. This paper money should be Il
promise to pay something of value
something which it has cost time and
labor to produce. This something
should be either gold or silver, or
both. In other words, we disbelieye
in what is known as the greenback
theory.
5. We believe that this something
which the paper money should
promise to pay should be gold or
silver at the option of the govern
ment. There Is not gold enough in
the world to form basis for tho
medium Of exchange. So long as
gold is the only basis, so long money
will grow dearer, and, therefore,
prices will grow less. In other
words, We believe in bimetallism.
4. We believe that II England,
France, Germany, and the United
States were to agree to adopt gold
and silver as n basis fer their cur
rency, and were to agree upon ratio
between those metals anywhere be-
tween one to fifteen and half and
one to twenty, their simple agree
ment would keep the metals at
parity on that ratio. In other words,
we believe that it is possible to Sc
cure and maintain o double standard
by international agreement.
5. In the absence Of an interna-
tional agreement (Which, by the way,
appears to be an exceedingly unlikely
thing 10 occur for some time to Gomez
the United States hes before 1t the
problem to solve for Itself. II it
maintains, as it is now doing, u gold
standard. prices will continue to fall,
business to be depressed, the demand
for labor light, and wages consequent
ly low II it attempts to establish
bimetallism alone by the adoption Of
free and unlimited coinage Of silver
at IS to /, 1t appears probable to US
that the immediate result would be
To nut the country on silver basis