The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-05-29
Various Personages, Including Ex-senator
Edmunds, Address a Meeting Pre-
sided Over by the President of the
Pennsylvania Observation-Disclosures Pro-
Chance to be, or Otherwise--Trenholm
Assumes the Phiiosophic in Finance
and Sneers at the Silver States.

In the beginning Mr.. Edmunds said
the sound money question must be de-
cided by political action; not party ac-
ton, but that kind Of action the Ro-
mans used to speak of when no man
was for party but all for the state.
Quoting Thomas Jefferson's words:
1.-The whole art of government consists
in the art of being honest" he said that
phase is worthy to be written in letters
of gold and placed in front of every
public edifice in every hamlet on the
continent. In a careful report prepared
for the benefit of the First congress
jefferson said that the question of the
difference between the value of gold
and silver as money was purely
commercial question. 1t did not--de-
pend on legislation and the fancy and
tastes of man, but on commerce, which
regulates the price Of commodities.
VARIATION IN VALUES.
The speaker then discussed the vari-
alton in value of the two mtals.
IF any faith can be put in human ex-
perience," he said, sit ought to teach
US that we cannot make given amount
of silver worth any more when it is
printed at he mint with the stamp of
the United States than ii was before.
When the act of 1873 was passed to
stop silver coinage all the principal
have single standard-gold.
IF the last congress had passed on
March >, the last day of it's session,
what is no vociferously demanded by
the free coinage people, every owner
and producer of silver bullion would
take his ounce to the mint worth 60 and
4S-100 cents and get Sl.29 29-100, and
having got more than two silver dol
lars for his ounce of silver, he would
IN ha INK n x1-hn IA
owes for labor and say: If L bought it
in metal, it would have taken ten
pounds, but l have taken benefit Of the
United States offer and had it stamped
and you must take five pounds of it,
Ex-Comptroller Trenholm during his
remarks declared it would be found
that the issue now confronting us has
baconle serious only because the two
political parties have at one time or
another, and on one plea or another,
courted the support of those who en-
tertained or affected, TO entertain, the
belief that the free coinage of silver
dollars is so essential to the welfare
and happiness of the people of the
United States that all other political
question should be subordinated to it.
IF the silver product of this country
had been left to take its place among
our exports like grain, meat and cotton.
its entire annual value would have
been realized in gold or its equivalent,
and upon Europe and Asia would have
devolved years ago the responsibility
Of protecting the value and future
functions of the worlds stock of silver.
All our present anxiety, all our re-
cent peril is due wholly to the immense
mass Of this deprecated metal which
burdens our currency.
Whenever in any constituency parties
were found to be evenly balanced there
soon arose a silver faction holding the
casting vote. Both Democrats and Re
publicans yielded over and over again
TO the temptation 10 buy this vote,
sometimes with platform planks. often
er of late with pledges of candidates.
SO familiar had the people became with
this rivalry in political prostitution that
there was not feeble protest made
when the balance of power in the Unit
ed States senate was deliberately vest
ed in new states created for the pur-
pose out of silver mining territories,
not fairly pOpulOus and too remote from
the centers of American thought to be
qualified to pass judgment upon broad
questions Of public policy.
WICKED SILVER PRODUCERS.
Congressman Harter followed Mr..
Trenholm. Mr. Harter argued that an
abundance Of money did not always
prevent commercial and business de-
preston. On the contrary, he urged.
some of our financial panicS had come
at time when money was abundant.
In conclusion AIr. Harter said: "A
step toward A silver standard would be
a proclamation to the sections of the
country that need them most. that no
more railroads should he built among
them. and TO enrich the handful of
silver producers and schemers the en-
tire south and west are 20 be set back
a genera ton or two from their natural
and certain fortunes
Hon. Charles Emory Smith who
spoke on the workingman's interests,
said among other things: The dema-
Eosue appeal for so-cailed cheap
money, is especially addressed 10 la
Dor in hope that it may delude and
nnislead the honest sons of toll; hut
there is no portion Of the people who
are SO profoundly interested as the
workingman in maintaining honest
money. Barring the immediate effects
Of the recent depression. there has
never ben a tim when labor was SO
we'll paid as since 1890 There has
never been a time when the wages Of
labor had so much purchasing power.
There has never been time when the
rewards Of toll brought so much Of
comfort, so much Of the enjoyments
and necessaries Of life. for the work
lLEiltN tAtI M
CALLS IT IMAGINARY
THE free coinage advocate tells Us
that some imaginary crime perpetrat-
Ell in 1873 has inflicted injury on all
classes. How has it inflicted any in
jury on the workingman when for
every $14S that he earned in 1873 he
earned Sl6a in 1S9l and when every dol
lar OF his $3.50 in 1851 would buy more
than every dollar OF his Sl4S in 1873.
How has he suffered when he IS paid
more dollars and every dollar Will buy
more food. more clothing. and more
comfort Of all kinds?"
After Z. joseph Wharton, the hank
CT Of this city made a few remarks in
a similar strain. <. Stuart Patterson
was introduced and the meeting adopt
ed a preamble and resolution which
recites the sound money argument IN
general and concludes as follows.
The intelligence and the sound
sense Of the American psorle must Be
aroused. for when aroused they can Be
relied upon 20 take such action as VIII
avert the threatened calamity. There
fore be Il:
Resolved. That a sound money
league be organized IN the city OF Phil
sGeiphia for thu purpose OF assisting
IN The development of an intsliiEeH
public opinion upon the question of The
currency. and that all citizens be in
vitei 70 become members - the league
( unon the basis OF the principle herein
set forth