The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-04-08
FREE COINAGE.
A SILVER PARTY HAS BEEN
FORMED IN ALABAMA.
Democrats, Republicans and Popu-
lists Band Themselves Together
Four Hundred to Commence With.

Birmingham. Ala, April IA silver
party is the latest acquisition to polit-
ical affairs in Alabama.
In Athens, Limestone county, four
hundred Democrats, Republicans and
Populists met and banded themselves
together in favor of the free coinage
Of silver and bound themselves without
respect to party ties to support for
Office only such men as favor their
views.
John M. Palmer does not approve of
the action Of the Democratic state CEN
trail committee in calling a minority
convention to meet here June 4. He
says it was an unwise move and does
not represent the sentiment of Illinois
Democracy. In an interview today he
said:
Even If the authority of the commit
tee to call convention for the purpose
mentioned is authorized. the call is
injudicious. This is an off year in
politics and no immediate party action
is possible. The Congress elected in
1892 by the Democrats repealed the
purchasing clause of the Sherman act
and did other work in harmony with
Democratic opinion. including a call
for an international monetary confer
ence. The president and secretary of
the treasury, by wise and
discreet exercise of lawful pow
ers. have maintained the pub
lie credit and the receipts Of
the treasury under the operation
of Democratic legislation are largely
increasing. Nothing more is necessary
to the return of prosperity to the
country than that Democratic policies
be allowed TO accomplish their bene-
fetal results. 1t is true, the people
are suffering under conditions not
produced by any act of the Demo-
cratic party; yet it is held responsible,
and the result has been a. stunning de-
feat in the late elections. The most
humiliating fact is that the gentlemen
who lately assembled here, claiming
to he representatives of the Demo-
cratic party, refused TO await the
Democratic policies. They proceeded
to call a convention, which will meet
at least once a year before that party
in the state will have an occasion to
act effectively for the purpose, as they
avow, committing the party to free
and unlimited coinage of silver at the
ratio of 16 ITO /. In other words, the
so-calIed Democratic committee pre-
pared to call a convention to Commit
the party to silver recommendation and
IHdI
dogma the single article in the po-
litical creed of the Democratic party
Of Alabama.
''You ask if the Democracy of the
state will acquiesce in the action Of
the state convention. which declared
for free and unlimited coinage, 16 to /,
all article of Democratic faith.
answer no. All Democrats, so far as
know their views, are anxious to ex-
tend the usefulness of silver as money
metal some believe free coinage on the
present ratio would bring about this
result Another class do not believe
it. They want a. dollar of silver to be
made the standard of the value and
legal tender. If they believe the
free coinage of silver would produce
a dollar of full usefulness as a gold
dollar, they would not care for the
free coinage of silver. They care moth
ing about the disturbance in values
which free coinage would certainly
produce. They will take part in the
convention, but the great body of the
Democratic party believe the party
still represents in the highest degree
devotion to constitutional liberty and
protection to individual rights and of
lust and equal laws; maintainence Of
public and private credit on the basis
of the existing values, or as values
may be affected by business changes
and conditions, which take no part in
the convention called by the state
committee"