The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1895-08-17
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Free Silver In Texas.

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The free silver democratic con-
vention Of Texas met at Fort Worth
August 7th. A committee Of one
from each senatorial district, 81 IN
number, was elected, and after q
formal organization adopted the
following preamble and resolutions
affirming the use of gold and silver
money as the policy of the demo
cratic party and denouncing the
decentralization act of 1878:
Whereas, There is manlfestly q
purpose on the part Of some Of our
prominent democrats, led by Presi-
dent Cleveland and his Cabinet, to
overturn the established creed Of
the democracy upon the financial
question and to place the business
interests of this country within the
control of the concentrated money
powers and change the laws and
will of the people. Now, therefore,
we, the democratic party of Texas,
in mass meeting assembled, purpos-
ing and intending only to preserve
our party from the pernicious effects
of such radical and revolutionary
departure from its traditions and
oft-repeated declarations of princi-
Piles and to.wrest it from the control
of those who would lead it into the
Republican camp to be destroyed,
here most solemnly pledge our de-
votion to its principles and achieve
ments il the past.
Resolved, First-That gold and
silver are the money of the Consti-
tuition and that Congress has no
authority to destroy or to material
~ impair the use of either as the
standard money of the country.
Resolved, Second-That gold
and silver jointly measured the
value of property and the volume
of bank paper and exchange from
1892 to 1878, and that silver ought
to be restored to the place it occu-
pied as a part of the metal money
of the country before the passage
of the act of Congress of that year
for its demonstration.
Resolved, Third-That the pas
sage of that act, effected clandes-
timely, in the judgement Of this
mass meeting, was the greatest
crime ever perpetrated in this coun-
try by an act Of legislation.
Resolved, Fourth-That'the act,
by striking down one-half the stand
ard money of redemption, has
caused the destruction of thousands
of millions of dollars of the value
of property; para1yzed all indus
tries, except money lending; has
arrested enterprise; has filled the
country with tramps and beggars,
who cannot obtain employment;
caused an amount of bankrupts
greater than ever existed in this
country before; made agricultural
and mechanical employments UNI
profitable, and mus: end, if persist
ed in, in general bankruptcy and
ruin.
Resolved, Fifth-That while the
great losses caused by that act in
the past cannot be determined as a
means of preventing the continu-
ance of this condition, we are in
favor of and demand the restora-
ton of silver to the place it occu-
pied prior to the passage of the act
of Congress of 1873 as part of the
standard money of the country,
and demand the free and unlimited
coinage of both gold and silver at
the ratio of Is of silver and / of
gold, and that the same be made
legal tender for all debts, public
and private, and so demand the
passage of law by Congress that
all contracts hereafter made for
payments Of money, whether in
gold, silver or coin, be discharged
BY any money made legal tender
by law.
Resolved, Sixth-That this coun-
try is great and powerful enough
to establish and maintain q fnan-
cial system for the benefit of our
people independently of the inter
est, policy or dictation Of foreign
countries, or their bondholders and
lenders.
Resolved, SeventE-That we are
ii favor of gold and silver and pa
per money convertible into these
metals as the money of the country,
and we are opposed to the retire
ment of the legal tender notes of
the Government and the substitu-
ton for them of bank paper based
on promise to pay, and not on gold
and silver.
Resolved, Eighth-We condemn
the policy by which all coin obli-
cations of the Government have
been held payable in gold at the
option of the holder, thereby caus-
ing the issuance of bonds in time
of peace when the option to redeem
in either metal, wisely exercised by
the Secretary of the Treasury,
would have prevented the issuance
and sale of bonds which have cost