Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-02-15
PoPULIsM ISSUES AN ADDRESS.
Members Of Congress Send Greeting ts
Members Of the Peoples Party.

Members OF Congress Send Greeting to
Members Of the Peoples Party.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 15.-As equal, per.
haps, Of the vote in the house on the bond
resolution. the Populistic members of
congress last night issued the following
addres ITO the Peoples Party"
''Greetings:-As early as 1866 a con-
spiracy was entered into between the gold
gamblers of Europe and America to ac-
complish the following ends: To fasten
upon the people of the United States the
burdens Of perpetual debt; to destroy the
greenbacks, which had brought US safely
through the perils of war; to strike down
silver as a money metal; to deny to the
people the use of federal paper and silver
the two independent sources of money
supply guaranteed by the constitution; to
fastcn upon the country the single gold
standard of Great Britain, and to dele
gate to thousands of banking corpora
tions, organized for private gain, the SOW
ereign control for all time over the issue
and volume of all supplemental paper
currency.
Thus they doubled the demands for
gold; forced upon the country an appreci-
ating money standard, entailing an in
definite period of falling prices; robbed
enterprise of its just pronts; condemned
labor To idleness, and confiscated the prop
erty of debtors. For nearly thirty years
these conspirators have kept the people
Guarreling over less important matters,
while they have pursued with unrelenting
zeal their one central purpose. At tbs
present moment every device Of treachery,
every resource of statecraft, and every
arfi L IN, fhn hal nf fhs.
int national gold ring are being made
use of to deal final death blow to the
prosperity of the country and its financial
and commercial independence.
''They seek to accomplish their fell pur-
poses before the blow can be averted
through the ballot. Their plans have
been long matured and their line of action
Is fully chosen They address themselves
to the one subject-the money question
in all of its breadth and magnitude. This
brings the country face to face with a
perilOus issue which calls for immediate
and united action on the part of the pco-
pie Every behest of patriotism requires
that we shall ut once meet the issue and
accept the challenge so defantly offered.
To faltcr now is to invite disastrous fail
ure. We earnestly urge the Populists
throughout the country to concentrate
their entire force and energy upon the tre-
mendous contention presented and thus
meet the enemy upon his chosen line Of
battle.
Invite the aid and cooperation of all
persons who favor the immediate free
coinage of silver at the ratio of 16-to-1,
the issue of all paper money by the gen.
eral government, without the Intervention
of banks of issue, and who are opposed TO
the issue Of interest bearing government
bonds in time of peace. In a word to ex-
tend the hand of fellowship to all who
agree with you upon the money question,
which is certainly the mightisst and most
fundamental controversy evolved during 3
the present century,"
The above is signed by Lafe Pence, D.
NJ. KEN, L. ]. Hudson, William Baker,
W. A McKeigan, William V. Allen, John
Davis, W. A. Harris, Jerry Simpson. John
c. Bell, James Ii. Kyle, II. Z. Boen. H.
f.. Taubencck, j. II. Turner, and j. b.
Weaver