The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1895-08-23
FRIENDS OF SILVER.
MUST QUIT THE CORRUPT OLD
PARTIES.
Tom Watson OF Georgia Points Out the
criminality of Free silver Advocates
Trying TO Run the Old Partics-Losins
Time.

w AHACs .Ma
Hon. Thomas E.. Watson, ex-con-
gresham OF Georgia, who stood to-
gether with other Poprlists true and
un%finching ca the Omaha platform,
salks to free silver republicans" and
free silver democrats" and shows
plainly the Inconsistency. of their re-
maln:ug with their old parties. He
says:
Is there anything that need be said
TO a tree silver republican further than
tnat his party is openly and avowedly
the party of contradiction, and has
burnt more money since the civil war
than England itself aver destroyed.
From McCulloch to John Sherman the
record is one "damnable iteration" of
ponds, burnt greenbacks, resumption,
contraction, gold reserve, demonetiza-
ton OF silver, panics and ruin.
70 the free silver democrat is there
anything that can be said more con-
v.nclng than the record of his own
party a record so recent the ink is
scarcely dry on it?
Throughout the land go orators and
editors preaching free-silver democ-
racy: Bryan here and Bacon there!
Walsh here and Howell there; Bland
here and Voorhees, yonder,-what does
it all amount to?
Enthusiastically nothing. It's the
coolest trail That ever was barked upon;
the stalest wine that was ever drunk;
the shabbiest, threadbarest political
coat that ever was donned.
Free silver in the democratic party
is a back number, a tale that is told, a
song that has been sung, a cold dish
that no cook. however cunning, can
warm owe again.
Can Bryan make better arguments
for silver than Carlisle did? Can Bacon
declare more zealously for silver thar
Gordon did? Can Howell write more
forcefully for silver than he did in
1892?
Can oratory and penmanship make
the democratic party more overwhelm-
ingly in favor Of silver in 1895 than it
was in 1890, 1891 and 1892?
Wasn't the party well-nigh unani-
NOUS for silver in 1892?
Can it ever be so again?
Even If it could. can anybody be-
lieve that it would any more enact a
free coinage law than it did in 1892?
II a democracy apparently unani-
nous for silver slaughtered the Sher-
man law, how on earth can any sane
~ q r. ocy tho no,7ptru RI tr,cf Son,on-
racy again when it has SO emphaticaily
proven it's profound a~ntagonism to
Jeffersonian b~imetallism?
The republican party dominated by
the capitalists of the east and the
north offer no hope for silver-no hope
to the south and west.
The peoples party is the natural
rallying point of the producing sec
tions, and the friends CT free silver
should join US. We have been tried
and we have been found true. We
voted in congress as we talked on the
hustings.
We were faithful to our colors amid
jeers, insults and temptations. We
have borne defeat rather than renounce
principles. we udVS SuucIcu OSIIdCiSul
rather than betray trust. We have
used the English language not to con-
ceal our political creed but to declare
it..
We have been manly enough to say
what we believed, and constant enough
to stand to it.
The democratic party can lever unite
the friends of silver-its machine and
its record forbid.
The republican party can never unite
the friends of silver-its machine and
its record forbid.
The peoples party CAN unite them
Its machine ESQ far it has one) and its
record are in accord with its plat
form, and its platform neither straddles
nor lodges ror turns s~omersaults.
Would that the friends of silver could
unite with us, and i%naugurate a move
ment which would liberate the pro
auctions from the fearful tyranny OF
the parasite sections-the east and the
north.
Hypocrisy.
Why Is It that the advocates Of