Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1895-06-11
TUESDAY, JUNE nth, 1895.
JUDGE CALD WE'LL OF 81.
PAIL SPEAKS OUT.

JUDGE CALD WE'LL OF ST.
PAUL SPEAKS OUT.
In a letter to the Secretary of
the Bimetallic League of Des-
Moines, Iowa, Judge Caldwell of
the Eighth District declares him
self in favor of the free coinage
of silver in the following Ian
guage:
Il would have very little re-
spect for the intelligence or pat
riotism of a Judge who would de-
clare that he had no opinion on
a public question of such vitel
Importance to the veal or woe of
this country. l have no hesita
ton in saying, therefore, that l
am in favor of the immediate and
unconditional coinage of gold and
silver at the ratio of IS to /. max
ing the silver dollar the unit of
value, as it was under the act of
1892. Whether the act of 1892
was or was not surreptitiously
repealed, one thing is certain,
the question of its repeal was
never made an issue in the poll
tics of this country and the voice
of the people has never been
taken upon it at the polls or in
any other manner. No party or
faction ever demanded it's repeal
and the people and many sena-
tors and representatives in Cong
ress at the time of it's repeal.
were ignorant of the fact that it
had been repealed until long af
ter the passage of the repeating
act. The question now is will
the people ratify that repeal or
restore to the statute book the
law so repealed without their
sanction? Will the people ap-
prove an act whereby one-half of
the metallic currency, one7half
of the money of redemption, of
the country was practically strick-
en- out of existance?
This act necessarily appreci-
ated the value of the metal that
was retained as money and de-
preciated the value of the metal
that was demonetized. In this
way the purchasing power of the
metal retained as money was
greatly augmented and it's debt
paying power was not at all in
creased. The people Of this
country want neither 50-cent
dollar nor a 2OO-cent dollar, but
the one hundred cent dollar of
their fathers, which without
their knowledge or consent was
taken from them by the act of
1873. 1t is vain to expect Eng
land to voluntarily consent to an
international arrangement for
the free coinage of silver when
by so doing the cost to her of our
wheat and our silver bullion
would thereby be doubled.
We give protection to our coal
mines and many industries, but
at the dictation of England for
her profit we seal up our silver
mines aud utterly destroy the
most valuable in the bounds of
the republic. Our mountains
contain enough of one of the
precious metals to make us the
richest nation on earth. If the
seal on those mountains was
broken, and silver restored to
the rank it enjoyed from the
foundation of the republic up to
the year 1873, we would speedily
enjoy the monopoly of the trade
with India, China and all the
South American states. When
we do this England will be driven
in selfdefense to recognize silver.
So long as we proclaim to the
world that it is our purpose to
adhere to single gold standard
until England agrees to abandon
it, the free coinage of silver at
any ratio will never come. Sup
plication will be in vain. She
will spurn our supplications, with
that arrogance and ins0lence that
such cowardly and pusillanimo GUS
action on our part deserves.
What will move England is cour-
ageous and aggressive action on
our part and not cowardly sup
plications. The issue is sharply
defined. Those who do not fav-
or the free and unconditional
coinage ofjboth silver and gold,
making the silver dollar. the unit
of value as was done under the
act of 1892, are for the single
gold standard. There is no. mid.
die ground. ~" -. ~ - =. Il I.
I have the greatest.respect for
President Cleveland because he
is one Of the few great party
leaders in this country to-day
who has the courage and honesty
to bold ayow his views. on this
question. The majority Of those
who are credited with vii being
leaders Of the party are either
AS mute as oysters Of utter emp
ty aud meaninRle less ola itud0 81