The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-06-25
FREE COINAGE OF sILvEk.
Strong Letter From the Congressman
Elect OF This District.

A Strong Letter From the Congressman
Elect Of This District.
EDITOR ROANOKE TIMEs:-Your letter
announcing your views on the silver
question has gone the rounds of the
press and take the liberty to con
gratulate and thank you for the public
service you have rendered by suoh
clear, manly and explicit utterance. 1t
must be obvious to thoughtful men, that
we have reached o crisis on this CUES
ton, in which the people will no longer
tolerate straddling snd assembling ex-,
pressions in party platforms, and it
seems to me equally plain that the fate
Of the Democratic party Is involved in
Its action on this now leading Issue.
The masses we're beguiled to believe
that silver legislation would follow the
repeal OF the sherman law. They have
engineered that repeal are now for the
single gold standard.
The Democratic party could not and
should not outstrip the Republican
party in serving Wall street and English
capitalists in their schemes to make
money dear and property cheap.
John Sherman and his Republican
allies should not be made models for
Democratic statesmen; and il we accept
their creeds now, after denouncing
them for quarter of ; century, 1t must
be plain that we will strengthen them
and discredis and weaken ourselves.
Apart from this mere political view OF
the subject, the Democratic party must
continue to be the party Of the people II
1t proposes to perpesuate its time hon.
orod principles, and its hold on the
affection OF the masses. II it adopts
Repu blican ideas on the great and abb
sorbiDg issues the people will ask what
need there is for It's existence.
have never hesitated to publicly ex-
press my views on this all absorbing
question, both on the stump and in
print, and 1t may seem n work of super
erogation for me to do 30 at this time.
l am of the opinion, however, that this
Is time when the people have O right
to know the views Of their representa-
tive and to receive assuring utterances
from him, that they may know that in
the war waged against silver he has not
departed from the position held by him
when candidate for their SURFACES. 1
believe that the wealth Of any country
Is the exclusive and absolute produce Of
human labor. But while wealth is
measured by money, experience has
shown that the entire produce of both
gold snd silver has not sufflced to trans
act the business Of the world as evil
denced by the great era of credit now
upon us.
believe that to demonetize either the
one or the other Of the precious metals
must OF necessity depress the prices of
products, as we'll as the wages of labor,
and must inevitably produce contrac ton
followed by stagnation of enterprise
and industry. The com nerce OF the
world both foreign and domestic, must
feel these depressing influences and be
constantly shocked by failures an
bankruptcies.
l believe that when the constitution
OF our country says that no State shall
make anything but gold and silver coin
legal tender for debts, it forbids our
lew-makers. making one of them such
to the exclusion of the other. In this
belief am following Daniel Webster
when he use6 the following languages:
II am OF the opinion that gold an d
silver at rates fixed by Congress con-
stituse the legal standard of value in
this country and that neither Congress
nor any State has authority to establish
any other standard or to displace this
standard"
I believe that when our constitution
said that Congress had the right to coin
money and regulate the value thereof it
did not mean that we had to defer to the
direction, dictation and exaction of
England. | believe that the Demo-.
cratic party Is the real party of the peo-
pie favoring equal rights to all and
special privileges to none, and that an
overwhelming majority of its members
are in favor Of real bi-metallism, re-
gardless Of international agreement
and OF giving to silver the same privi-
leges at the United States minis that
are accorded to gold, at the established
ratio OF 16 to /.
l believe that country which is MAX
ing such gigantic strides az the United
States, with foreign trade which, though
immense, is only per cent. as compared
with its domestic or interstate trade,
which is 90 per cent; country which
produces and sells more than 1t buys,
need have no resource TO monarchs to
maintsin all of its money ct par, and
that 1t can, with perfect equanimlty,
leave it to others to delcant on the
money OF the realm"
believe that the Democratic party
is opposed to the ruipous financial sys-
tenn inaugurated by the Republican
party. known as the single gold stand
ard, lin imitation OF England) and 80
long upheld by 1t and continued by the
present administration, which owes its
existence to the generous support OF the
great Democratic masses of the great
West and the. great South.
believe that the great masses OF the
voters OF the Democratic party should
no longer be held in seryitude by the
eastern minority under the influence OF
Wall street and English gold, but that
they are strong enough to grasp an
American situation and to demand and
obtain American money. than which
there can be none sounder or better on
oo ~