Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1895-07-17
ALL FOR FREE SILVER.
THAT is THE THREE POLITICAL
PARTIES.
But the PopuIists Party Stands on Its
Record-False Pledges of Republicans
and Democrats VIII Not Be Taken
Again.

The Memphis free silver blowout
has come and gone, and unless the AS
sociated Press dispatches lie, nothing
mas been demonstrated, except that we
have three parties in this country that
favor the free coinage of silver, but
no two of them can agree to vote to-
gether for what they want unless one of
the parties will surrender it's organiza-
ton.
Inc treacherous old Democracy, of
course, is taking the lead now in howl
ing for silver, and if the people trust
the gang again they will be betrayed
just as the greenback movement was
betrayed.
Some Populists attended the Mem
phis meeting, possibly to see just what
was on foot, but the man who permits
himself to believe the Southern De
mocracy is any more sincere in the free
silver movement they have inaugu-
rated this year than usual, will awake
to find himself cheated again.
With all their pretended indignation
over "the crime of 49," no national
Democratic platform has ever con-
demned that crime. On the contrary,
every national Democratic convention
that has assembled since that date, has
given the country a platitude or
straddle on the money question and
nominated a gold bug as it's candidate
for President.
Promises from the stump are always
profuse in a campaign, but the per-
formance never fails to be short.
In 1891, when the sub-treasury can
vass was being made in this State, the
old set-fasts, badly frightened, assem-
bled in convention at Jackson and
promised adherence to the doctrine of
free silver, but they were then in ia
vor of the abolition of national banks
and government issue of paper money.
Here is what they said at that time:
I'VE believe that gold and silver
should be coined upon the same terms
and conditions, and that when the
government ceases to discriminate be-
tween them, they will freely circulate
side by side and be equally useful and
acceptable to the people. We also be-
lieve that there should be an addition
al issue of treasury notes interchange
able with coin, sufficient to transact
the business of the country, and to re-
lieve the present financial depression"
They were successful in that cam
paign, and the g. o. C. was reelected to
the United States Senate In 1892 an
other Democratic convention assem-
bled at Jackson, and when the platform
committee were discussing the finan-
cial plank, the declaration of the con-
vention one year before was offered for
adoption and voted down. A "misera-
BILE makeshift" was inserted in the
State platform of 1892, and the author
of the financial plank of 1891 Ct. C.
Catchings) becomes gold bug cuckoo
in 1898, and votes straight for the re-
peal of the only law on the statute
books favoring the white metal.
AS further illustration of the total
unreliability of the average Democratic
politician, we mention the fact that in
1894, the party claimed to have elected
six free silver Congressman from this
State. But after the election is over
and the commissions are secured 1t de-
velops that three of that six have fall
sified their pledges to the people and
gone over to the worshipers of NAM
mon.
For sixty years the Democracy has
made the tariff question an issue, and
they never touched it without making
matters worse than before For twenty
years the restitution of silver to the DO
sition it held prior to 1.-The crime of
7S, in which Thomas F. Bayard par
ucipated side by side with John Sher-
man, has occupied much of the time
OF the average Southern mugwump pol
itician and promises thick and fast
have been made by these gentry just
preceding every election. With all the
labor they have been able to put forth
In support of their profuse pledges they
have worked the party up to the point
that 101 out Of 227 Democratic members
in Congress did not vote for free sill
ver- Now the question is: IF the party
mas always been in favor of the equal
use OF both gold and silver as a money
metal, and the coinage Of each with
out discrimination against either and
without charge for mintage," as Col.
Money. Mr.. McI.auren. Gov. Lowry and