Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1896-07-31
or SILVER PARTY.

ina national silver party Of America, In
convention assembled, hereby adopts the
oHWs ase ParamoaS 3t ssae this time
In the Lh.tcd States is indisputably tho
money question. It Is between. the British
rency on the ono, side, and the. bimetallic
standard. no bonds, government currency
ed an American policy on this other.
In favor OF a distinctive American finan-
cial system. We arc unalterably opposed
TO the single gold standard. and demand
standard Of gold and silver by the, restora.
any foreign power. Of tic unrestricted
spd 81 soe aa Of d and upon
the terms OF exact equality as they exist
ed prior. to 1873; the silver coin TO be 81
full legal tender, equally with god. for az
debts and dues pubic and private, ana we
demand such legislation as wiz prevent for
the future the destruction of the legal ten
der quality OF any kind of money by pri-
We hold that the power to regulate and
control paper currency Is inssparabls
from the power to coin money. and hence.
that all currency intended to circulate as
money should be issued and its volume con-
trolled by the general government only,
and should be legal tender,
We are una.terab.y opposed to the issue
by the United States of interest bearing
bonds In time of peace, and we denounce
as a blunder worse than crime the pres
ent treasury policy concurred in by re-
publican house of punging the country
into debt by hundred of millions in the
vain attempt to maintain, the gold stand
ard by borrowing gold, and we demand the
payment of all coin obligations of the Unit
ed States, as provided by existing laws, in
ether gold or silver coin, at the option OF
the government and not at the option OF
the creditor.
The demonstration Of silver In 1873 enor-
mously increased the demand in gold. en-
!, iy,cv
all prices measured by that standard, and
since that unjust and indefens!ble act, the
price Of American products have fallen
ing down with them proportionately the
money value of all other forms OF prop
erty.
Of legitimate industry, injuring the pro-
Queer for the benefit of the non-producer,
increasing the burden of the debtor. swell
ing the gains Of the creditor, paralyzIng
the productive energies of the American
people, RELOCATING to idleness vast numbers
of willing workers. sending the shadows OF
despair into the home of the honest toiler,
filling the land with tramps and paupers
and building up colossal fortunes at the
money centers.
In the effort to maintain the gold stand
ard the country has within the last two
years. In time of profound peace and
plenty been loaded down with s262 0G0 600
of additional interest bearing debts under
such circumstances as to allow a synii-
cate of native and foreign bankers to real
ze net profit of millions on single deal.
1t stands confessed that the gold stand
ard can only be Upheld by so depicting our
paper currency as to force the prices OF
cur products below the European and
even below the Asiatic to enable Us to sell
foreign markets thus aggravating the
very evils of which our people SO bitterly
complain degrading American labor and
striking at the foundations Of our civiliza-
ton itself.
The advocate of the gold standard per-
sistentiy claim that the real cause of our
distress Is over-production; that we have
produced SO much that 1t made us poor.
which implies that the true remedy Is to
close the factory, abandon the farm and
throw a multitude OF people out Of EN-
nerved and d!sheartened and absolutely
without hope for the future.
We affirm it to be unquestioned that
there can be no such economic paradox as
overproduction, and at the same time tens
Of thousands Of our fellow citizens remain-
Ing half clothed and half fed, and who are
ptteously c!amorins for the common neces-
over and above al other questions of
policy we are favor of restoring to the peo>
pie of the Un.ed States the t;me-nonored
money of the contitution-gold and silver
not one but both--the money OF Wash
ington and Hamilton and Jefferson and
Monroe and Lincoln and Jackson, to the
end tRsr the American people may receive
honest pay for an honest product; that
the American debtor may pay MS just obli-
cations in an honest standard and not in
ciated 100 per cent in purchasing power
and no depreciation in debt-paying pawer;
and to the end. further, that silver stand
ard countries may be deprived of the UNI
just advantage they now enjoy in the diff
erence m exchange beteween gold and sill
yer, and advantage which tariff legisla-
ton cannot overcome.
We. therefore confidently appeal to the
people OF the United States to hold IN
abeyance al other questions, however Inn
portant and even monmentouS they may
APPEAR to sunder, IL need be, all former
party t!en and affiliations and unite in one
supreme effort to free themselves and
Their children from the domination of the
money power-a power more destructive
than any which has ever ben fastened
upon the civilized men of any race or In
any age. And upon the contamination Of
our desires and efforts we evoke the aid Of
all patriotic American citizens and the
gracious favor OF Divine Providence.
In as much as the patriotic majority of
the Chicago convention embodied In the
financial plank OF its platform the pr!n-
cip.es enuncated in the platform of the
American b:metal!c party, promulgated at
Washington d. c., January o. 1856 anG
herein reiterated. which is not only the
paramount, hut the only real issue in the
pending campaign. Therefore, recognizing
that hteir nominees enbody these patti
ot.c principles, we recommend that this
convention nominate William J. Bryan OF
Nebra ska for president and Arthur Sewali