The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1895-09-20
SOUND AND LOGICAL.
NUGENT BLAzES THE WAY FOR
PoPULIsTs.
The Peoples Party Is Now the. Only
Party with Consistent Declaration
and Principles on the Money 0ues-
tion.

T. L. Nugent.-There are some good
meaning populists who believe that by
scaling down our platform and conf1n-
ing the campaign of next year to the
financial issue, our chances of success
Will be greatly increased.
Practically the campaign will turn
upon the money question, since the
logic Of events has forced it to the
front; but this. as I have e%ndeavored
before to show, does not justify the
pruning process advocated by the par
Ties referred to. Indeed, the money
question as understood by the rank and
me OF the peoples party, is quite dis
einct from that advocated by the So
called silver or bi-metallic party. With
Inc latter. the free and unlimited coin
age OF silver is the sole, vital issue be-
tore che country; while populists, not
undertaking the silver question, have
always contended that full monetary
tel1el can only come to the country from
q comprehensive financial scheme in
solYlng, hrst, the abolition of banks of
issue altogether and their total divorce
naent from the general government;
second, the practical recognition and
nAolcemen OF the doctrine, that the
,noney coming and issuing function
peiongs exclusively to the government;
"nu tnat government should upon some
proper plan emit and keep in c%ircula-
eioH a sufficient volume of circulation,
/" sun1clent volume of metallic and
papei money, to supply the demands Of
eiaue; third, that all the forms of money
81 ISSUED should be of equal legal ten
yer quality, and that no part of it
SHOULD consist Of convertible treasury
notes' In other words, we insist upon
d system Of true scientific money,
maintained permanently by the govern
ment, without dependence upon inter
"eolary agencies of any kind what
ever.
IL VIII be e that this system neces-
darlly includes the free and unlimited
eolnage OF silver and gold, the ratio Of
wnlch our platform declares shall be
sixteen to one. The silver people do
propose that the government
snall issue legal tender paper cur
fency, but only in the form Of credit
money, promises of the government to
pay the bearer in primary money-that
IS IN coin. They will not concede our
demand for ~inconvertible notes, and if
we go to them we must do so not upon
any demand for a comprehensive sys-
Ten OF money which we believe can
alone bring our people permanent relief
from vicious financial legislation, but
upon a demand virtually for free coin
age alone, which if obtained will leave
the essential money question unsolved.
View the suggestion as you may, it
amounts to this and only this. If car
ried out, we might enable the silver
leaders to hold their places, but would
there be much outcome for the peo-
pies party, Or the cause of reform?
We might afford to support Reagan, or
Bryan, or Stewart, or Jones, or any
other one OF the silver leaders, if by
so doing the work of real, lasting re-
form could be advanced; but when by
doing so we must close our eyes to
every issue except the single n of
silver rehabilitation.
I for one can see only disaster as the
outcome of such a policy. Populists
have advocated free coinage for years.
While the old parties were lodging the
silver issue, trying to get on both sides
Of it, making platforms construed to
favor gold recommendation in the east
and anything Or nothing in the south
or west, according to the standpoint
from which they were regarded, the
peoples party in convention assembled
made a straight honest declaration in
favor of the free and unlimited coinage
of silver and gold at the ratio of 16 to
I. And now after all these years OF
juggling and lodging, during which
not a single honest declaration in favor
of the white metal ever crept into the
old party platforms, these silver leaders
step to the front, and with suavity and
cheek characteristic of the trained
politician, invite us to enter the demo
cratic party, meekly take back seats
and listen to the old-time .eloquence
with which we have been for so many
years regaled.
These periodic bowls in favor Of the
white metal have hitherto led to no re.
suit, for the reason that after the cleo.
ton they always sink into the usua.
democratic monotone-stand by the
party. I wonder that any number Of
populists can now be moved by the ole
hypocritical dodge that has broken W
and destroyed every reform party
movement in this country for thirty
years past. "Stay in the old party
We believe as you do on this question
We are for free silver or greenbacks