Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-06-22

Cincinnati, Ohio, June 21.-In view
of Senator-elect Foraker's relation to
the making of the platform at st. Louis
and his relations with Senator Teller
four years ago in similar capacity,
his utterance on the subject of gold and
silver last night in his ratification
speech becomes of peculiar interest. He
said:
"I.want to take advantage of this OPP
portunity to say word about the eff
fort now being made to make it appear
that the Republican party declared in
it's money plank for something new at
st. Louis. That is not true.
The declaration of the Republican
party as embodied in its money plank
at st. Louis defines exactly what has
been the position of the Republican
party through all these years in regard
to this silver question. Silver was de-
monetized in 1873, and ever since that
we have been on a single gold standard
basis. About the same time several of
the leading nations of Europe demone-
tized silver, and ever since that time
an effort has been made TO
GET BACK TO BI-METALLISM.
We have had in that behalf three inter-
national monetary conferences, the OBJ
ject of them being to agree with other
nations upon an international ratio,
according to which we could have the
free coinage of silver. But all these
efforts have failed.
at has been constantly and repeat
eddy declared by both parties that BIZ
metallism was desirable in preference
to gold or silver monometallism. Both
parties have agreed that we could main
tain the parity of the two metals and
bring about bi-metallism again by an
international agreement. Some people
have insisted in the meanwhile that IL
we could not do it that way we could
do it alone without regard to what 9TH
err nations might see fit TO do. The Re-
publican party has constantly, consist
emily and persistently stood up against
that idea.
-Four years ago, when we held the
convention at Minneapolis, it was my
fortune to be the chairman of the Com
mittee on Resolutions. | was at the st.
Louis convention, aud it was my for
tune TO be associated on that commit
tee with Senator Teller He and his
associates from the silver States came
to the convention and came before that
convention asking us TO insert plank
pledging the Republican party to the
FREE COINAGE OF SILVER.
We refused TO do it. We declared that
we were in favor OF international BIZ
metallism but until that was brought
about it would be our policy to main
tain silver at parity with gold but is
suing no more of it than could be MAIN
tanned at parity with gold.
They accepted the result and re-
NAMED in the Republican party. That
declaration was simply a declaration,
as the one adopted the other day was,
and would stand precisely where we
were until we could do better. We
were agreed that we could safely under
take to have bi-metallism by interna-
tional agreement; we were unwilling
and refused to attempt it by free and
Independent coinage
They did not feel called upon to go
out of the party then; their conscience
did not seem to trouble them so much
then as now. They remained in the
party four years longer When the
last session of Congress commenced, as
a result this demoralizing free trade
experiment the government was found
to have deficient revenues-not enough
revenues to meet its current expenses.
"A bill was prepared in the House
and passed that body without partisan
division, providing for an increase Of
revenue. That bill was known as the
Dingley bill. 1t went to the Senate.
The national credit. the national honor,
the, national life was at stake. There
gentlemen said the bill was unobject-
ionable, but they refused to vote for it
Chat is, six Of those gentlemen from
silver States did, unless the great ma
jority who did not agree with them
would sacrifice their convictions and
vote for the free, unlimited and unre-
stricte,. coinage of silver. The great
majority In the Senate
COULD NOT BE COERCED
by that minority.
THAT action upon the part of these
people directed the attention. of the
country to that subject as it had not
been directed before. And, therefore,
when we met at St. Louis, conditions
were ripe, not for a different stand TO
be taken by the Republican party, but
for more explicit declarations of our
principles than We had heretofore
made, and, inasmuch as they had
thrown down the gauge of battle by
demanding free silver and seeking to
coerce us to accept, we concluded that
it was a good time to meet them half
way, join issues and let the battle come
on. They appeared before The commit
tee. and were part of the committee,
just as they were four years ago. They
made the same demand; we made the
same answer, but when We came TO
write the platform we said, we will
make it so plain all will understand,
and so we declared that we were unal-
terably opposed to the free anu unlim-
tied coinage of silver until we can have
an international agreement, and in the
.-.aa..;~,o no mill Draccrva the oyicf-