Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1895-05-24
BIMETALLIC UNION.
PREPARING FOR THE GREAT CON-
TEST.lN 1896.
Free Coinage tO Fight for the
Double Standard and an Honest
DOliar-Address 10 the People
Committees Named.

Double Standard and an Honest
Doiiar-Address TO the People
Committees Named.
The Silver conference, at Salt Lake
last week, perfected an organization
and their work is now before the pub
tic. Following are the resolutions
adopted:
DIMErALLIC UNION.
Resolved-ThaS an organization be
created to be called the Bimetallic
Union.
Second-Its object shall be to in
culcate the principles of bi-metallism
and the restoration of free coinage of
silver at the ratio OF lG to by the
circulation of documents, the holding
of meetings and other appropriate
means.
Third-The Union shall have an ex-
ecutive committee consisting Of one
member from each of the eleven
States and Territories invited to this
conference, which shall have charge of
its work; three members shall consti-
tute quorum of this committee.
Fourth-Other States and Terri
tories can become connected with the
Union by vote OF a majority of all the
members OF the executive committee,
and shall thereupon be entitled to rep
resentation in the executive commit.
tee.
Fifth-In every State and Territory
connected with this Union there shall
be State or Territorial committee,
consisting of five or more members,
with power to fill vacancies and add to
their members, and these committees
shall be appointed in the first place at
this conference.
Sixth-It shall be the duty OF the
State or Territorial committe to raise
the necessary funds for carrying out
the object OF the Union and in every
proper way to aid in the furtherance
of those objects.
Seyenth-The members of the exec
utive committee for each State or Ter
ritory shall be elected annually by the
State or Territorial committee respect
lively.
ADDRESS To THE PEOPLE.
The committee on resolutions and
address then submitted the report as
follows:
To the People of the United States:
The members of the bi-metallic con-
ference, assembled at Salt Lake City,
Utah, on the 18th day of May, 1895,
representing the States of California,
Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada,
Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming,
and the territories of New Mexico and
Utah, deeply impressed with the i'm
portance of the subject which we have
been considering, believe that the vital
interests OF every State and section of
this great country are involved in the
speedy and proper solution OF what is
known as the silver question: And,
being painfully conscious of the fact
that the most strenuous efforts OF our
opponents are now and have ever been
directed TO a concealment OF the real
issue, and Misrepresentation of the
position occupied by the advocates OF
silver restoration, feel it our duty to
state, with such clearness as we may,
the precise nature of the issue, and
a misrepresentation Of the position oc.
cupied by the advocates OF silver res
toration, feel it our duty to state, with
such clearness as we may, the precise
nature of the issue, and what our po-
sition actually is.
"In the first place, we desire to say
that the people whom we represent
are not an aggregation OF thieves set
ting out to swindle creditors with the
50.cent dollar. There are no more
patriotic citizens OF the American re.
public than those active, earnest, en-
ergetic men and women who have left
the comforts of their Eastern homes
to build the highways or national pro-
gress in the far West. II they be.
lieved that the complete restoration
OF silver would operate as an injury to
the country as whole, or an injus-
tice to any class, regardless of its local
effect in this Western region, they
would at once and forever abandon
the demand.
"The greatest good to the largest
number is their motto, and it is in
this spirit that they, irrespective of
party affiliations, present themselves
almost as unit, demanding the free
coinage OF silver and gold, at the ratio
of sixteen ounces OF silver to one ounce
of gold, with full legal tender functions
accorded to each and no discrimina.
ton against either.
at is not as silver miners, but as
citizens of tho republic, mindful OF its
every interest, that we take this posi-
ton.
The representatives from California,
Oregon, Washington and Wyoming,
which produce little or no silver, feel
that their people have been as deeply
injured by the demonetization of that
metal as those living in any State OF
Territory in which silver mining is q
leading industry.
"In making this demand we are
: asking for nothing new. The none.
tary system OF this country was
founded not upon gold alone-no,
upon silver alone-but upon both
silver and gold, at a certain ratio te
each other, with no Limitation upon
e the coinage of either, and each stand
a ing upon an equal footing before til,
: law.
"The system was founded by Ham