West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1896-10-01
TEXT BOOK OF 1892.
Official Declaration OF the Repub-
ncan Party.
Quotations Taken from the Text Book
which Favored Free coinage-Re-
pobiicans Now Trying to
Undo Work of 1882.

National Democratic and Silver Head.
quarters, Chicago. Sept. IL. lS96.-"If
every voter in the United States were
called upon to-day to declare whether
he desired the use of silver as we'll as
goid IN our monetary system, certain.
ly as many as 90 votes out Of every 100
would answer In the affirmative, and an
equal proportion would favor such legis-
lation rs tended directly 10 bring about
the free and unlimited coinage OF both
metals, II they believed the two metals
could be maintained at par"
Who said this? Was il the intemper-
nte utterance OF some long-haired.
wild-eyed free silver fanatic? Was II
the declaration OF some political party
pledged In it's platform 10 national dis
honor and reputation?
No. 1t was the official declaration of
the republican party. made In the year
OF our Lord 1892. IL accurately voiced
the sentiment of that party before II
came under the domination OF the
Iannas, the Morgans, the Belmonts.
the Rothschilds and the confederatcd
banks and syndicates of the United
States.
The language above quoted can be
found on page 50 OF the republican
textbook. entitled "The Grand Old
Party-Lincoln, Grant, Hayes, Car
field. Arthur, Harrison; 1t is true 20
the flag" The republican national
committee gave this document its Off
cial sanction and distributed 1900. 900
of them throughout the United States.
At the dictation of the gold combine IL
10 NJ
OF millions of dollars, squandered in
lying pamphlets, TO undo the work 10
which the republican party consecrated
years of its honorable existence.
Let me quote more from this text
book entitled ''rhe Grand Old Party"
1t says:
Until the year 1873 the United
States coined both gold and silver free
ly in unlimited quantities; that is,
you could take IL TO the mints OF the
United States and receive for Ii fixed.
unvarying price; but In 1873, by the
omission of the silver dollar from the
coinage law prescribing the silver coins
OF the United States TO be thereafter
coined, and by the limitation of the
legal tender Of silver TO five dollars.
silver was In effect demonetizcd, and
IL has never since been restored fully 10
the position IL held Ia the earlier coin
age system Of this country. There has
been much irrelevant controversy as
TO whether this was done Intentionally
and after full discussion. or accidental
ly, so far as the majority of congress
were concerned. and by the artful trick
of certain persons interested In bring
Oh u
controversy serves no useful purpose.
At that time both silver and gold were
at a large premium, specie payments
not having been resumed, and paper
money was the only currency. The inn
portant fact, however, Is that silver
was demonetized, and IL Is OF little
service in considering how IL was de
prived Of them"
What do you think OF That, you good
republicans who are now following
the banner hoisted by Mark Hanna at
the dictation of Wall street? Has any
thing happened in the last four years
to give the lie to this official decara-
ton of your party hardly four years
ago2 Has the crime OF 1879 been con-
doned? What has brought about this
wonderful change In the republican
attitude toward silver, one OF Amer
ica's most valuable products2 Let us
continue these interesting quotations
from the republican literature of only
four years ago. The honorable gentle
man who planned that document said
THE unlimited coinage OF both met
ais had prevailed from the foundation
of the government until that date, and
yet on June 80. 1873. there had been a
total coinage OF S1.041 .93s,557 of gold
and only Si62. .425.O70 Of silver. Unlim-
tied silver had not meant the dcbase-
mcnt Of the currency. The scarcity Of
the metal and it's free employment as
money by all nations except England
had given IL a value In comparison with
gold that removed all risk OF it's free
use in our coinage. There
Is grave danger In the unqualified
adoption of the gold standard. For. as
silver has been taken out Of Europe's
coinage, the demand for gold has enor-
mOusly grown. and grown in proper
ton much greater than the supply.
Measuring both metals by fhc stand
ard OF commodities, 10 IS substantially
true 20 say that gold has appreciated
more than silver has deprecated. Tn
the sllvor-using countries silver will
buy almost as much OF everything cx-
ccpt gold as ~ would ten or dozen
years ago. and this fact sustains the
demand for cheaper" money. The adj
vocates OF the gold standard alIcgo
that the value Of gold Is intrinsic, and
chat certain quantity OF gold bullion
having q fixed value should be the
standard Of exchange. This would be
oil we'll enough n anybody were able
TO insure that the supply would con-
tinually increase in ratio with the In
crcasiDg demand for it caused by
growing population and commerce, but
as a matter OF fact. IL IS decreasing IN
that ratio. and, therefore, n man who
ten years ago contracted debt
which might then have been dis
charged with a thousand bushels Of
wheat. must to-day pay many more
than a thousand bushels Of wheat TO
get himself free. just as 10 IS true 10
soy that the silver dollar which was
exchanged on on equality with rold
IS years ago is now worth but so cents
IN gold, so 90 is true 20 say that an
amount of wheat chat would exchange
IS years ago for q rold dollar is worth