Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1895-06-20
WHITE METAL ADVOCATES.
Fifteen Hundred Delegates In Attendance
at the Memphis Convention

Fifteen Hundred Delegates In Attendance
at the Memphis Convention
MEMPHIS, Tenn, June 13.-Friends
Of silver representing twenty states Of
the south and west began two days
convention in this city yesterday. On
the stage, besides the officers OF the
Central Bimetallic league of Memphis,
under whose auspices the gathering
was held, were, with very few ex-
captions, all the leading advocates of
the free coinage OF silver in the
United States a permanent or
ganization was effected with Sem
ator Turpie, of Indiana, as chair
man, and addresses were delivered by
that gentleman and Alexander Delmar,
of California. in the afternoon, and by
Congressman Sibley. of Pennsylvania.
C. S Thomas, of Denver, and Arson
Walcott, OF Indiana, in the evening.
Senator Turpie. of Indiana, was in
| troduced as permanent chairman by
| Senator Harris OF this state In his
speech he opened by defining the four
uses of coined money-medium of ex-
change, measure of values, means of
reduction of paper currency and legal
tender for the payment of ali debts
| Then he discussed credit as creature of
I
holding that it could not gainsay the
right of legislation to enact or con-
tract that coined money should be paid
in liquidation of itself. He held that
the depriving of one kind of coined
money of legal tender qualities
was gross injustice and would
only perpetuate system of
bondage He declared that coined
money always had two kinds of
value-one bullion. the other legal.
For 1000 years gold and silver had
been known as the precious metals
and there was no reason to believe
that any discoveries would so cheaper
either as to make it lose its precious
| value, No gold coinage had a bullion
! value equal TO the legal tender value,
and yet no monometallist claimed that
it was unusual or dishonest It was
the same with the bullion value of
| silver coinage and of other coins OF the
United States Therefore he held that,
according to the test of the enemies OF
bimetallisrn. there was not an honest
dollar, either silver or gold, in exist
ence- On the contrary, he held, as did
himetallists, that a silver dollar was as
honest as gold dollar, because it was,
or should be, a lawful coin, having q
legal value
At the evening session, which began
promptly at o'clock. Senator William
NJ. Stewart, of Nevada, presided and
introduced Congressman Joseph c.
Sibley, of Pennsylvania Mr.. Sibley
was greeted with thunderous ap
p1ause, and in two hours speech
aroused his audience to a high pitch
of enthusiasm He made an earnest
appeal for independent political actor
in 1896 and occupied good deal Of
time illustrating the necessity Of
breaking away from the old parties
His auditors were evidently with him
for every time he asked the crowd if they
would remain with their own partie:
and continue the domination OF Eng
lish power, he was greeted with {
chorus of Noes" He paid his respect
to the president and Secretary Car1isl,
in very plain language for their part il
the demonetizing of silver and fasten
ing upon the country the gold stand
ard.
ave must win this fight in 1896, - con
tinued Mr.. Sibley, ''or we lose it be
yond the lifetime of my generation o.
the one that follows it You cannot
put this fight off beyond 1896 and wiz
1
comes the retirement of green backs
the forging of 500, OOO, 600 letters on oul
industries There are other grea!
questions to be considered, but the,
are insignificant as compared with thi
one. If we lose this fight in 1896. tvs
great conditions are to be feared-re
pudiation or revolution. One OF tbs
other is sure to come"
Mr.. Sibley expounded the politica
axioms, which. he said, contained tn
result of his studies of the none,
question They were: First. double
the volume of money and you doub1
prices; second. divide the volume o
money and you divide prices; third
double the volume of money and yor
divide the debts; fourth, divide tn
volume of money and you double tn
debts