The herald., 1895-04-14
THE FREE Silver PARTY.
An Important Conference Held
in Chicago
SOME OF THOSE PRESENT
Senator Jones Of Nevada Now on the
Way West
Steps Taken to Arrange for the nonster Mass
Convention to Be Held In
Illinois

Michigan, and General Wolcott. This
afternoon they were joined by Senator
Jones of Nevada and tonight they will
leave for the west. Today conference
was held with some Chicago silver people
to canvass the result of the anticipated
Democratic declaration on free silver in
Illinois.and set in motion arrangements
for a monster free silver mass meeting to
offset the one being arranged for by the
Chicago gold men,.
CHICAGO April 13. "A special to the
Times Herald from Madison, Wis, says
there will be no Democratic silver con-
vention calledin Wisconsin this year.
United States Senator Villas is at home
and since the call for, an Illinois silver
convention was issued, Mr.. Villas has
been making his well-known anti-free
silver views known with effect. On the
other hand Governor Upham and the Re-
publican leadersfin this state are taking
equally strong grounds in opposition to
the so-called silver agitation with the re-
suit that the rank and file of both parties
are disinclined to take much part in sill
yer discussion.
Nevertheless there is decided, al
though quiet sentiment in the ranks of
both parties in favor of more liberal legis-
lation upon the silver question and not a
few members of the two parties are pro-
nounced in favor of free and unlimited
silver coinage. Many of the 133 members.
comprising the Wisconsin legislature
have been interviewed by Il Times-Herald
representative. sOf.this number thirty.
are Democrats and forty.five Republicans
taken at random from all parts of the
state. The views o: the members inter-
viewed may be summarized as'follows:
The thirty Democrats stand as follows:
For free coinage, 7;;against free coinage,
s; for an international agreement, 8; nom
committal g. sNSst
The forty-five Republican senators and
asscmblymen who were interviewed are
thus divided: For free coinage, o; ,ainst
free coinage, 20; for an international
agreement, 8; for coinage OF American
product, q committal, 5.
! 1t will be seen that while the silver
question is an sengrossing topic in 1lli-
nois and otheristates, it has not disturbed
the parties in Wisconsin to any apprecia-
BILE extent incorporation to the number of
members of each party interviewed, and
there is about as muck diversity of opin
ion in Republican as i'm Democratic
ranks.
WATERLOO, ILL.,, April 13.-The Hon.
William Morrison, who arrived here yes
terday, was asked by an>Associated Press
reporter today to give his views on the
silver question. He said his presence at
home at this time had no connection
with nor relation to the June, Democratic
convention. He had simply. stopepd over
ON his way west, where the Interstate
commerce commission had some bust
ness He said that during the canvass
last year he had made several speeches,
and in one discussed the silver question
freely and fully, stating his own views.
'The. Importance OF this subject. he
said, sis second only to the tariff. Its
unsatisfactory and unsettled condition is
believed to have aggravated the financial
and business difficulties through which
we have been compelled to pass. The
place which silver shall occupy in our
monetary system. it seems, is question
which will not down.
1.-The efforts to settle it through the
Sherman bill by the Republican party was
confessed failure. That party hasten
ed to join in undoing its work. The SEM
timent in favor of a larger use of silver
and on terms interchangeab with gold
seems to be growing both here and abroad
Apparently nobody in Europe is courage
Gus or relentless enough to atte mpt the
double standard without England's con-
sent. We cannot safely do this with Eng
land and all Europe opposing. 1t is not
the legal tender quality which makes our
silver dollar more valuable than the silver
in it. 1t is because under the practice Of
our financial system it is interchangeable
with gold through the treasury. When
suilver was discredited by being left out
of the coinage laws of 1873, til ere was
nothing in the relative. values OF silver
and gold to justify it. This is not the
only cause, but it is one reason why the
commercial value of silver is not more
than it is. In prosperous times we could
safely use large amount OF silver always
providing for its convertibility into
money which does not get its value from
the law. The honorable secretary of the
interior, Hoke Smith, said in a speech
that the bullion in the treasury was being
coined as fast as the mints could do it.
which would increase our circulation to
the extent of $50, 900, 00O. 1t would seem
to mean that the bullion in the treasury,
including seigniorage, is being coined. .
A number of leading silver advocates
left for Denver tonight. The matter of
holding mass meeting in this city was
$; -, hut Il f;,,;+
decision was, reached. If a meeting is
held it will be soon after the one in Den
yer.
WASHINGTON, April l3. = The
interest the administration takes in
the campaign against the free silver
movement is. undisguised The letter
President Cleveland is preparing to send
to the Chicago business men in reply to
their invitationtto deliver an address on