Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-05-17
Springfeld's Greatest Manufac-
turing Princes.
DEMOCRATS MUST BE ALERT
Ringing Words of John H. Thomas and John
W. Bookwater, Who Are Wealthy
Manufacturers.

O., to the Cincinnati Enquirer of recent
date the following expressions of opinion
onethe financial question are given by
tive millionaire manufacturers of that
place: >a
Two of the foremost citizens and capt.
talists of the Champion City are Hon.
John H. Thomas and Hon. John W. Book
walter. Both are vastly wealthy and are
leaders in manufacturing in this great
community of manufacturers, owning
and operating great machinery shops,
employing thousands of hands and pos
-sessing large investments in real estate
and other enterprises. They may safely
be placed in the category of millionaire
manufacturers. 1t would be a gross mis-
statement to declare that they belong to
the so-called debtor class that is the fear
and alarm of the dishonest monometal-
with eyes dazed with the yellow glare
OF gold. They are. If anything, good rep
resentatives of the creditor class, which
is to be affected by the restoration of the
white metal to its rightful place in the
monetary system.
Yet it would be hard to find two men
who are more ardently devoted to the
cause of silver than these two successful
millionaire manufacturers. Both have
been led to take this position by study
and experience. Mr.. Bookwalter Is a
well known globe trotter, and has made
an investigation of the commercial and
nIldnCldi tOHultlUnS III dliI1OSl CFCiy
known country on the great, round earth.
No man is better versed in practical po-
1itical economy than he and when he
gives expression to any set of views they
are worthy of consideration. The same
is equally true of Mr. Thomas, whose ex-
perences have been limited largely to
affairs occurring in this community.
Seated in the office of his immense works
this afternoon, he spoke forcibly and
earnestly on the coming conflict in the
national conventions q said.
Mr.. Thomas Views.
Although am not candidate for del
egate to any convention or for any office,
1t is time all democrats were considering
what is to be the character of their dele
gates to Chicago. Shall they be silver
men or gold men? am first, last and all
the time for free silver, and in that
phrase is for the present embraced my
entire political creed because l believe
this matter overshadows all other ques-
tons in the interest of the people.
In the approaching conventions, there
fore, there should be no hesitation or fall
tering in the attitude and action of all
silver men. They should be bold and out
spoken in behalf of silver. They should
stand for silver. and compromise on
nothing short of unequivocal platforms
and candidates favorable to restoring sill
yer to as free and unlimited coinage as
gold, without waiting for International
permission or the permission of the strict
ly money interest of our own country.
/ would prefer to limit the coinage at
present to the production of United States
silver. We must give no heed to the de-
fusion about the parity of the metals, or
any of the other false cries raised by the
gold men. The people have no interest In
the parity of the metals, no more than
they have in the parity of corn and
wheat. What they want, and all they
want, is the parity of the coined dollars.
just as lit was before the law demonetized
silver This being given the parity of the
metals will take care of itself in all the
respects in which the people have any in
terest
The gold men do lots of talking about
all the gold leaving the country if silver
is restored to free coinage AT the same
time they declare we should have a gold
currency, because gold is of the same
value the world over. If this be true,
where will our people send their gold to
get more for 1t than 1t is worth in this
country? But the gold will not leave
the country because of the coinage Of
the silver. If 1t leaves at all 1t will leave
just as it does now, when there are some
foreign debts to pay which cannot be
paid with exchange of our products. All
= this talk Is just on a par with the wild
tariff talk that our factories cannot sur
vive without protection larger than the
entire cost of all the labor employed.
For protection, no tariff can be justified
which to any extent exceeds the differ
ence in wages. So 1t is with this gold
cry 1t is false and vicious, and is only
for the benefit of
Money and Money Men.
Equally false and vicious is the cry that
the silver dollar under free coinage, will
only be a 60-cent dollar. How can 1t Re
a 60-cent dollar II 1t pays as much debt
and buys as much as gold dollar. and
when stamped a dollar and made legal
lender it will always be worth dollar
and buy as much as gold Free coinage
of silver is the salvation of all people
who labor or raise crops for sale and for
all manufacturers of all kinds Of goods.
Let the people see to 1t that the next ad-
minstration is for free silver.
If money men want gold and silver in
bars let him have it, but the people want
none of it, and, the people being in the
majority should have their own way
The people have no use for bullion. They
want coined dollars, and all the dollars
there are gold and silver ounces to make
them out of.
The people are willing to accept all
such dollars at the present ratio, made
under the constitution legal tenders for
all debts. public and private. and when
this is done It will be found that II every
available ounce of both metals is coined
into dollars there will be no surplus over
and above the wants of trade and pros
perity.
The issue is between the people on one
side. the producers of wealth and pros
perity. and the money interest as dis
tinguished from otner business, on the
other side. And as the money interest Is
not the creator of any wealth. 1t should
not be permitted to rule In this matter
especially as its ruling is antagonistic to
the interests of
All Other People.
Being such an issue, the people cannot
afford to surrender or postpone 1t. Their
manhood and welfare alike demand that
itshail be fought out to the end, and as
soon as possible. and now is the time to
make one mighty and united effort for
success.
But victory will never come 30 long as
silver men yield or vote for gold men In
conventions The only safety IL for silver
men to vote only for recognized silver
men. Gold men do not vote for silver
men, II the silver men stick to their
creed there will be a clear and well-de-
fined division of the people, and the mat
ter will be settled.
This course may divide parties. but a
division of parties, II produced by the
80 "a IN