Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1896-10-23
Elma Letter from a Silver Repnbll-

Elma Letter from a Silver Repnbll-
Elma, Iowa, Oct. IS, 1896.
Editor PLAIN DEALER
Dear Sir-As our annual presiden-
tial campaign is on and as questions
are presented for our people to con-
slider, growing out of the issue, and
as havg SO far attended all of the
political meetings that have been
held in our city, and as 1 have
heard some of the speakers make
statements that were rather fishy,
and also exhort for loyalty
and call on ex-soldiers
to stand by Mckinley which 1 do
not take exception to as myself be-
long to the ex-soldier element, hav-
ing served four years lacking a few
days in our late unpleasantness, pro-
viding it can be proven beyond a
donbt, that the platform that Mr..
Mckinley stands on does not sur
render any of the principles that we
ex-soldiers by our service to the
government sought to perpetuate.
One of their positions is that we are
on gold basis standard and have
been ever since 1884. 1 will here Of
fer what have at hand on the SUBJ
ject In 1899 by an act of congress
gold and silver were adopted as the
money of our republic and congress
has no power to destroy either. l
quote from a speech of Hon. James
G.. Blaine in the senate of the U. s
Feb. Z, 1878, page 8 and A. He quoted
Danl Webster as an authority on the
same pages. 1 wish you to bear in
mind that Mr.. Blaine's speech was in
1878 away this side of 1884. This
settles the question that our silver at
the ratio fixed by law has always
been q legal dollar ever since 1902 al
though there have beeu distractions
thrown about it yet they never des-
troyed it's standard as money. We
have changed the ratio since 1909 but
have not destroyed the silver as one
of our standards. now quote from
speech of ex-president Harrison de-
livered in Carnegie Hall, New York.
Aug. 81, 1896. He says: In connection
with the financial matter do you
know that as the law is now, without
the passage of any free coinage law
at all, it is in the power of the presi-
dent of the United States to bring
the country to silver basis. All he
has to do is to let the gold reserve go,
pay out silver when asked for gold
and we are there already"
You will see then according to ex-
president Harrison that we are now
on a double standard. Another state
ment that l have heard made was
that as we had received dollar for
dollar in gold for bonds we are OBJ
liged to pay in gold. I quote from the
same speech of Mr.. Bl,ine, page 10.
| He informs US on 4his page that the
law declares the bonds to be payable
in standard DIN he cites the act OF
July IA, 1870 which explicitly SO de-
clares. Now, it is fact that we
never received gold for all our bonds.
I quote from ''Twenty Years in Con.
gress' by Hon. james q. Blaine,
Page 425 and 42e. | find on Feb. e5th
go, congress created legal tender
notes not to exceed 100000 in vol
ume. They were placed on the mark.
ct and sold for coin and treasury
notes as provided by congress. 10y
atty does it exist in the mind, or is il
an act, as when we ex-soldiers
shouldered our muskets and marched
to the protection of the constitution
and the government. / suppose il
would be classified as loyalty. If
am correct in my position, ask will
it be loyalty to go to the ballot boz
and vote for q principle that will cir
from the constitution one of ii
glories, namely, by taking the power
out of congress whereby it shall hav'
power to coin money and regulate
the value thereof, article 1st, sectlor
s, clause 5,Constitution of the us. l
seems to me such an act would be thu
reverse of loyalty; such an act would
cause the annullment of the above
clause SO far as regulating the valu'
thereof Now, my fellow comrades
this is my side of the question in
volved, backed up by what evid enct
have at hand. Wish you to reat
and think before you deposit you
ballot. AS for myself have Away
voted the republican ticket, ant
never had an ak to grind either, ent
have none to grind now, but onl.
have the welfare of the country ant
the perpetuity of the government il
view, and shall cast my vote in &C
cordance for Vim. j. Bryan and tn
maintenance of the double standard
A. o. ROWLEY.