The herald., 1895-03-06


tions controlled by the advocates of the
| glod standard. As well might our fathers
have expected to win the independence
of the colonies if,while contending for the
cause of liberty, they had refused to sep
arate from the Tories. Independence could
never have been won by fighting for lib
erty in British regiments.
| And, fellow citizens, this great cause
will never be won without unanimous
action. 1t will never be won unless those
who believe in it come together and elect
a Congress and President on this issue.
There is no hope whatever that the Re-
publican party, as party, viii change it's
policy, give up the gold standard and re-
store the bimetallic standard. There are
| no grounds for such hope and we believe
they are deluded who look for such a
change of policy by this party.
| 1.-The Republican party is committed
| to its leaders by it's record and by the
press behind it, to the gold standard sup
| ported by gold bonds, and to the retire.
ment of the greenbacks and the surrender
OF the issue and control of paper currency
! to the banks.
'No less persistent and effective is the
control of the money power over the or
ganization of the Democratic party. While
undoubtedly large majority of the men,
bers of that party are opposed to the gold
standard they have been powerless to con-
troll that party oganization against it, and
much less to secure though it the restora-
tion of the bimetallic standard.
'Whl lie this is the case, it cannot be
expected that the Republicans will aban-
don convictions of lifetime on other
| questions and go into the Democratic
party in body, or into a wing of that
party. Nor will Democrats give up con-
victions they believe to be essential in
Government and go over to the Repub-
lican party or a division of that party.
Nor is it possible to induce Republicans
and Democrats together to go into the
Populist party, for the reason, if no other,
that the platform of that party contains
declarations and the party advocates
tn eories to which they cannot give their
assent. But we must. in some way, come
together on this issue, or the cause is
lost and with it the independence of the
people. No old party ever carried through
greater reform.
New bottles for new wine. Therefore
no course seems more possible than that
to subordinate, for the time being, other
questions, and come to the front in new
organization to fight the battle of 1896 on
the one issue on which the prosperity and
happiness of the people so largely depend.
1t is believed that this cause can be
won in no other way, and that to continue
to contend for it only within the lines of
the existing parties is to court defeat at
the outset and to lose the battle in the
| election.
1.-THE purpose of this movement is not
to array section against section, class
against class, nor to require anybody to
| give up his convictions on other ques-
tions or to sever his party relations for
| purpose other than to unite in q common
cause, the case of justice against injus-
tice of prosperity instead of adversity the
redemption of labor, of abundance and
happiness instead of want and misery. ~
There can be no doubt moreover
that return to the standard of gold and
silver will promote in the highest degree
the business interests of the entire coun-
try, while continuance of the present sys-
tenn must necessarily be attended by
further fall in prices and prolongation in
definitely of the present stagnation of
trade and industry.
Better prices under existing conditions
cannon be expected. A debtor nation can
not maintain an even list of prices with
creditor nations. The single gold stand
ard can be maintained in the United
States only by forcing down the price
| level Of commodities enough below the
! price level of other countries to turn gold
| this way, or, at any rate, to induce our
| 10 fa1r 4 t.. - r.
| what we owe them instead of demanding
| gold. Any policy, therefore, that tends
| to raise prices, necessarily operates to ex-
pei gold. The condition of things cannot
be overcome by tariffs, much less by free
trade. In the payment of our debts to
| other countries we must compete with
other debtor countries; with Argentine,
with Egypt, with India, with all the
| colonies of Great Britain, and worst of all,
| with Asiatic races.
| "These conditions, from which there is
no escape as long as the gold standard
| policy is pursued, intensity the gravity
of the situation in this country to such
an extent as to compel the serious atten-
ton of all patriotic citizens. How idle,
in the presence of such conditions, to ex,
pect to maintain the gold standard by an
| indefinite issue OF bonds; and how unwise,
| if not reckless, such policy must seem
to thoughtful men everywhere. 1t is esti-
mated that already the rise of gold, by in
creasing debts, has absorbed from forty to
| City thousand millions OF the worlds
| wealth.
''The Inauguration of movement for
relief from these enthralling conditions
must spring from the people. Politicians
never institute great reforms, and it is
! idle to wait for.t them. This cause is the
cause of the people, and it is believed that
it more profoundly concerns the welfare
Of the great BODY Of the people than any
| question since the civil war, if not indeed
since our independence was gained; for
in it's ultimate outcome the question of
| suficiency or scarcity of money is ques-
tion of freedom or serfdom for the mass
of the people. While not unmindful of
| the interests of the people of other
countries on this question, it is an issue
that cannot be safely submitted to the
decision of foreign governments. When
our monetary system was established
over hundred years ago, with popula-
ton less than 5000, 900, our fathers did not
wait or invite the concurrence OF other
! mowers Nor did the trainers OF the Con-