The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-05-05
CHICAGO's FIGHT ON COINAGE.
Congressman B~yan Addresses the
County Convention.

OOunIE convention.
Chicago, H., May 4.-The delegates to
the Cook county democratic convention
called for the purpose or selecting 355
delegates to the Springfield monetary
convention on June s, were slow in as
sembling this morning. Out of 729 chosen
not more than a little over half that num-
Der were present when the meeting was
called to order by Francis A. Peabody,
chairman of the county central commit
tee.
Judge Samuel p. Mcconnell was chosen
temporary chairman. In his speech of
acceptance Judge Mcconnell severely crit
icised President Cleveland for not carry
ing out the promises on which he was
made President in regard to finances.
Mr. Cleveland said Judge Mcconnell,
has repudiated his party. To-day we
repudiate him. We stand here pledged to
the cause of silver. The policy of Grover
Cleveland is not the policy of the Demo-
cratic party Every utteranee against
Mr.. Cleveland was met with cheers.
The temporary organization was made
Congressman w. ]. Bryan of Nebraska
then addressed the convention. He re-
CeiVed an enthusiastic reception as ne
stepped on the platform. Mr.. Bryan said
he came to bring greetings from the
democrats of Nebraska, who were the
first to raise the standard of 16 20 I.
He was not here, he saic to abuse Prcsi-
dent Cleveland, but he could not help
but protesting against Mr.. Cleveland $
letter in this mornings papers, which in
dicates that no man had a right to hold
office in this country unless he bows TO
the head of the administration 1t was
nonsense, continued the speaker, to at
tempt to read out of the party men who
differed with him in opinion Mr.. Eckels
was perfectly harmless. Free silver men
need not fear him.
There is no such thing as an honest
dollar, said Mr. Bryan. There is no
stable standard of value. The best we
can do is to find a metal which will come
as near to this as possible. The reason
l call a gold dollar a dishonest dollar and
the organization that advocates such a
dollar a dishonest money league is be-
cause gold dollar, if there were no other,
would constantly increase in value, max
ing the debtor poorer and the creditor
richer all the time. Even if we desired a
single gold standard there is not enough
gold in the world to make all the money.
When Mr.. Cleveland writes letter on
sound money the Almighty himself could
not tell what ne means by II. There is
only one man in this country who has had
an equal opportunity with Andrew Jack
son, the idol of the democracy. That man
is Grover Cleveland. Instead of standing
up, for the common people, as Jackson
did, Grover Cleveland has chosen to repre-
sent the piutocracy of this country"
Mr.. Bryan thought the plank adopted
by Illinois on the financial question would
be the one adopted by the democracy-in
1896 The platform declaring In favor of
free and unlimited coinage Of silver at rs
to ], and against an International agree
ment, was then adopted with but few votes
recorded against it, The convention Sc
lected its delegates and adjourned.
The platform adopted follows:
The Democratic party in its national
convention and the democracy of Him
ois have uniformly declared in favor of
the use of both gold and silver as the
standard money of the country. Silver and
gold have constituted the money of the
Democratic party, the money of the Amer
lean people, and the money of the whole
commercial world 1t was by the use of
both that the world progressed and the
poor people prospered. AS long as the
mints of the world. or even of one great
nation, remained open to the free coinage
of both metals silver and gold, in obedi-
ence to a natural law, maintained a sub
stantial parity. That law is that the privi-
lege of coming either metal into debt pay
ing money, makes a demand for whichever
metal tends to be the cheaper, this natural
demand increases the value of the cheap
er metal and the lack of demand de-
creases the value of the greater metal
and thus an automatic and natural stabil-
ity IS obtained. This Is not theory, it is
the history of the centuries and this ma
tional law maintained the parity of gold
and silver at substantially their coinage