Mexico weekly ledger., 1895-04-11
An InjudiCiOuS Action.
so THINKS SENATOR PALMER IN
THE MATTER OF THE ILL
NOIS MONETARY CON-
FERENCE.
He Says the Adoption OF a Free
Coinage OF Silver Plank at
This Time Will Be a
Mistake.

an interview to-day, says that the ac-
ton of the Democratic State Central
Committee in calling a monetary Con-
vention was extremely injudiclous.
He said:
even if the authority of the State
Committee to call Il Convention for
the purpose proposed was admitted
the present call seems to be highly IN
iudicious. This is an off year in pol
itics, and no immediate party action
is possible. The Democratic party
elected the President in 1892, and OBJ
tanned the control of the House of
Representatives and the partial con-
troll of the Senate at the same time.
The Congress repealed the purchasing
clause of the Sherman act, which saw
ed the Treasury from a drain of gold
amounting to more than S4O,OO0,ooo
per annum for the purchase of sill
yer bullion for which it has no use.
The same Congress repealed the Fed
eraI election laws, which were SO
dangerous to popular liberty and the
freedom of elections, and it revised
the tariff laws upon lines in harmony
in the main with Democratic opinion,
and under the lead of eminent friends
of the free coinage of silver initiated
a call for an international monetary
conference to settle the relation be-
tween the coinage of silver and gold.
In the meantime, the President and
the Secretary of the Treasury, by a
wise and discreet exercise of their
lawful powers, maintained the public
credit, and the receipts of the Treas
ury under the operation of Demo
cratic legislation are largely increas-
ed. 1t is certain that the money COM
ing into the Treasury will soon exceed
public expenditures, SO t1at nothing
is necessary i'll order to secure the
return of prosperity to the country
than that Democratic policies shall be
allowed to accomplish their beneficial
results.
at is true the people of the United
States, suffering under conditions not
produced by any act of the Demo-
cratic party and over which it had no
control, held that party responsible,
and the result has been hal the party
has sustained stunning defeats in the
elections and has lost the control of
both houses of Congress, but the most
CHASTITY and h~umiliating fact connect
ed with the present situation of the
party is that the gentlemen lately as
sembIed in this city, claiming to be
the representatives of the Democratic
party. refused to await the result of
Democratic policies upon the inter-
ests of the country. They proceeded
to call a Convention which will meet
at least a year before the party in the
State will have any occasion to act
effectively, for the purpose, as they
aver, of committing the party to the
free and unlimited coinage of silver
upon the ratio of sixteen parts of sill
yer to N of gold. In other words,
the so-called Democratic State Com
mittee proposes to call a Convention
to commit the party to silver mono
metallism and make that dangerous
disturbing dogma the single article in
the political creed of the Democracy
of Illinois.
"YOu ask, will the Democracy of
the State acquiesce in the action of
a State Convention which declares the
free and unlimited coinage of silver
upon the ratio of sixteen to one an
article of Democratic faith?' | an
swer NO All Democrats, so far as
know their views, r anxious to ex-
tend the use and usefulness of silver
, as a money metal, and would well
come any policy which would secure
the coinage of the silver dollar upon
a basis of an equal value, power and
acceptability with the dollar of gold.
Some, but very few, Democrats be-
age of silver upon the present ratio
would bring about that result. If
they did not so believe they would
not favor free coinage. Men who ia
vor that belief will take part in that
Convention.
"Another class of Democrats, what
ever they may say, do not believe that
the free coinage of silver would re-
suit in either establishing or main
tanning the equality in value or ac-
~ceptability of the coin dollar of the
two metals. They want the dollar of
silver to be made the standard of
values and a legal tender for all debts,
public and private. If they believed
free coinage of silver would procure
a dollar of equal usefulness, accepta-
bility and value of the gold dollar,
they would not care for the free coin
age of silver; they care nothing about
the disturbance of values which free
coinage would certainly produce.
They will take part in the Convention,
but the great body of the Democratic
party, the men who believe that the
party still represents in the highest
degree devotion 10 constitutional lib
erty and the protection OF individual
rights under just and equal laws, the
maintenance Of public and private
credit upon the basis Of existing
values, or as values may be affected
by business changes and conditions,
will take no part in the Convention
called by the State Committee, nor
will they be bound in any degree by
ita action. These men will unite and
preserve the Democratic organization
in the State. They will neither be
transferred ike chatteis 10 the silver
party, nor be driven out Of the Demo
cratic party by the action of "A Con
vention agOwedIy called by the State
Committee to sanction the atrs Gaon-
ment of Democratic principles
NO EXTRA SESSION.