Evening star., 1895-05-28
THEKEYNOTE ESTRUCK
Senator Sherman Presents the
Political Issue.
ADDRESS TO OHIO REPUBLICANS
Speech to the Convention at
GAINESVILLE.
DOING PRELIMINARY WORK
DOING PRELIMINARY WORK

republican convention met here this AFTER
noon to nominate a governor and 1uii
state ticket. Senator John Sherman was
temporary chairman. He delivered the
following speech on taking the chair:
Gentlemen Of the Convention: thank
you for the honor you have conferred upon
me in selecting me to preside over this
great conve ition. You have met to desig-
nate the next governor of the state OF Oho
You have a good many candidates Defore
you, but each of them Is worthy OF the
highest honor you can confer. You nave
the assurance that whoever you may nomi-
nate will have the hearty support OF all
the candidates and of each member OF the
convent lion. You have also to select several
of the chief executive officers of the state.
1 need not impress upon you the import
ance of selecting those who VIII honestly
and faithfully perform the duties assigned
them. You have still higher duty, TO an
nounce the principles and policy of the re
publican party in the state of Ohio ana IN
the United States. What you will say here
will have an important influence beyond
the limits of your state, for the intelligent
action of the republicans of Ohio will. as in
the past, indicate the opinions OF repuoil-
canism in all parts OF the United States.
We have a common faith and creed.
We act together on great matters on prin-
ciple, on small matters for discipline.
Mark of the Party.
The primary and fundamental sentiment
country, our whole country. We are for
the Union, one and indivisiale, now and
forever The republicans of Ohio are not
provincial, but national
This is our corner stone, planted in the
first republican convention in Ohio in 1859.
We stood by it in the storms of war, when
Lincoln was our standard bearer. our SOL
diers fought for 1t uade: Grant, sherman
and Sheridan The soldiers of Ohio carried
our flag in every great battle of the war
for the preservation of the Union. Other
patriotic citizens and soldiers were equaly
deserving of honor and praise, but they
could not carry their party with tneni.
When Grant was in the Wilderness and
Sherman was before Atlanta great party
declared the war failure. Ours made 1t a
success.
When the war was over we did not treat
our enemies as conquered subjects, but as
errfng brethren. We invited them back
into the Union, with unabridged power,
should be no slaves in our country: We
now meet them and greet them as friends,
and turning our back on dead issues, we
congratulate them on their prosperity,
which they did not and could not have in
their condition prior to the war
When the war was over the republican
party developed its civil policy. First Of
all it declared its purpose to pay every
debt or obligation contracted during or
since the war, that the public faith should
be unbiemished This promise has been
performed.
Protection and the Pension Roll.
In spite of all temptation, and the shrieks
of populsts. We have discharged every
obligation contracted during the war. and,
especially, the highest and most sacred
debt to the surviving soldiers of the war,
their widows and orphans. The pension
roll is roll of honor, higher in amount
than any pension roll ever before provided
by any nation. While the republican party
Is in power it will only be diminished by
| the death Of pensioners fate that awaits
| us all.
| We are in favor of protective tariff.
We had such q tariff. While it was in
| force we had prosperity. good times and
| money plenty. We had so diversified our
domestic Industries that American labor
and American capital supplied nearly all
the wants of the American people. We pre-
| fer to tax foreign production rather than
our own. We believe that the policy of
protection should be extended to all pro-
ductions impartially, to labor on the farm
| as well as in the workshop. We are op-
| posed to the democratic policy of protect
ing woolen manufactures and admitting
wool free of duty.
We denounce scheme of taxation which
annually increases the public debt more
than $5oOOo,Goo. This is the result of demo-
| cratic ascendancy. The tariff law of the
last Congress is partly copy, and gen.
orally failure. All that is good of it was
taken from the Mckinley tariff. and the
/ rest OF IL IS COn1eSSeuly a ne
Supreme Court has already disposed of
part of it.
All the productions of the south. from
peanuts to whisky, are carefully protected,
| while the duties on the great staple in
| dustries of the north are largely reduced,
and, on some articles, like wool, en-
| tirely repealed. We demand reform in
the tariff. not to promote sectional in
| terests, but to secure ample revenue and
| impartial protection to domestic industries.
| This we can have only by the election OF. a
| republican President. We want a change,
| and for this change we will have the hearty
support of large portion of the demo-
cratic party.
Sound Currency.
We are in favor of sound national cur
rency, always redeemable in coin. All
| forms Of money should be of equal purchas-
| ing power. For fourteen years after the re-
| sumption of specie payments, while the re-
| publican party was in power. we had such
| a currency. We had gold silver and paper
| money. all bearing the stamp and sanction
| of the United States, of unquestioned credit
and of equal value. passing current not
| only within the United States, but in all
parts of the commercial world.
Both gold and silver are Indispensable for
| Use in the varied wants of mankind. Gold
| is now, and has been for ages, the chief
measure of value in International COM
merce and the larger transactions of do
meStic exchanges. Silver, from its bulk and
weight IS not aVailaDle IOr large payments
| either at home or abroad, but it is indis-
pensable in the minor wants of mankind.
| Gold. from its greatly superior value. can
not be utilized for such purposes. Thera-
| fore 1t Is that both metals have been coined
| into money at 4 fixed ratio.
Why silver Has Fallen.
The enormous increase of the production
| of silver in the United States. Mexico and
Australasia has disturbed this ratio and
| has lowered the market value of silver, pre-
| cisely a like increase of production has
| lowered the price of other commodities.
1t Is a universal law that price or value
is measured by quantity. Under these con-
| ditions the rational and proper course
| would be a change of ratio. but this can
| only be effective as to these two metals by
| a concert of action among commercial ma
| tions. Until this can be accomplished the
| only logical way is for each nation to coin
| both metals and maintain the coinage of
| the cheaper metal at par by limitation OF
amount, and redemption when in excess of
| the demand for 1t.
| Such is now the policy of the United
| States and of every great commercial ma
ton, including every country in Europe.
| Other nations adopt the silver standard
| alone, not from choice, but from poverty.