Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1896-07-11
No Good Reason For Bolting.

of Teller and others was not justified by
the action taken by the party in the
adoption Of the money plank over which
sogreat hue and cry is being raised by
the silver extremists. In recent rati-
fication speech in Cincinnati, Mr..
Foraker said:
II want TO take advantage of this OPP
portunity TO say word about the effort
now being made to make it appear that
the republican party declared in Its
money plank tor something new at Saint
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 par.
ty through all these years with respect
to this silver question. Silver was de-
monetized in 1873, and ever since thst H
we have been on a single gold standard
basis. About the same time several or
the leading nations Of Europe demone-
tized silver, and ever since that time an
effort has been made to get back TO the
double standard. We have seen in the
behalf of it three international money .
conferences, the object Of them being to /
agree with other nations upon the inter /
national ratio according TO which we /
could have the free coinage of silver
But all these efferts have failed.
1T has beed constantly and repeated
" declared by both parties that bime- /
tallism 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 bimetallism again by an in
ternational agreement. Some have
insisted in the meanwhile that II we
could not do it that way We could do it
alone without regard to what other ma
tions might see fit to do. The republican
party has constantly, consistently and
persstently stood up against that idea.
"Four years ago when we held the
| convention at Minneapolis, it was my
! fortune to be chairman ofthe committee
on resolutions, as | was at the st. Louis
convention, and it was my fortune TO be
| associated in that committee with Sen
ator Teller. He and his associates from
the silver states came TO that convention
and came before that committee asking
us to insert plank pledging the repu-
blican party to the free coinage ofsilyer.
We refused to do it. We declared that
|
tallism. but that until that was brought
about it would be our policy to maintain
silver at parity with gold by issuing no
more OF it than could be maintained at
parity with gold.
They accepted the result and remain
ed i'm the republican party. The de
claration as the one adopted the other
day. that we would stand precisely
where we were until we could do better.
We were agreed that we could safely
undertake to have bimetallism by inter
national agreement We were unwilling
and refused to attempt 1t by free and
independent coinage.
"They did not feel called upon to 60
!. ca. Of lAs party then theiy 62cse' -. .pr
party Tour years iol sIn.-a :-.. me ias
:, session OF congress commenced, with
II result OF this democratic freee trade ex
g pertinent, the government was found I,
e haYe deficient revenues, not enough (,
, meet It's current expenses. A bill wa
prepared In the house and passed tha
body, without partisan division almost
providing for an increase of revenue
} mat Dill was known as the Dingley bill
, 1t went to the senate. The nationa
credit, the national honor, the national
life was at stake. These gentlemen said
the bill was unobjectionable. but they
J refused to vote for it (that is six of fthese
gentlemen from the silver states did
unless the great majority, who did moi
agree with them would sacrifice Their
convictions and vote for the free. un-
limited and unrestricted coinage of sill
yer. The great majority in the senate
wonld 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 we were not
for different stand to be taken by the
republican party, but for more explicit
declarations of our principles. that we
had heretofore made and inasmuch "A
they had thrown down the gauge of
battle by demanding free silver and
seeking to coerce us to accept, we con-
Guided that was good time to meet
them half way, join issue and let the
battle come on. They appeared before
the committee and were part of the com.
mittee, 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 would
make it so plain all would understand
and so we declared that we were un.
alterably opposed TO the free and un-
limited coinage of silver, until we can
have an international agreement, and
in the meantime we will preserve the
existing gold standard.
ITO conclude with a word, when Sen.
ator Teller and his associates bolted the
party at the st. Louis convention. they
had no cause for it whatever that did
not exist four years before at the Mime
apolis convention and when the repu-
blican party made the declaration it did
make at st. Louis, il did not change its
position one particle, but simply made
1t absolutely certain IN order that there
could be settlement Of that question
That the proposition for free, independ
ent anu unlimited coinage of silver, Is a |
proposition that we will not entertain.
we VIII not entertain it because in our
Judgment. II does not, as Senator Teller |
ana MS associates claim, mean bimetal. |
lism, but simply silver monometallism.
I'VE go into this fight, therefore. with |
our gallant standard bearer representing
10 the people of America protection TO |
American industries and American labor
and an absolutely sound dollar with
which to do our business. An absolute
ly sound dollar, not simply for the bank.
ers and merchants, but for the wage
earners as well. When q man does a
full days work he is entitled a full 100
cents in the dollar with which he is paid
and we propose that he shall have il.
We propose that the dollar which we
put ipto circulation-the metallic dollar
shall be worth 100 cents in GOLD all
oyer the world, no matter whether it
carries the eagle and superscriptions or
not. Take silver dollar and pound il
into bullion and it is worth 100 cents ali
over the world. Nobody is cheated by
that kind Of q dollar nobody is misled
by it /; and when Gov. Mckinley shall
have been elected, prosperity will at
once come again, because that will in.
sure q sound tariff, reciprocity and
sound currency"
The climax was reached at the con-
federate jubilee in Richmond. Virginia.
says an eastern exchange, when Gen.
Gordon kissed Mrs. Jefferson Davis be-
fore the assembled confederate veterans.
These fellows think JefF Davis by far /,
the greatsst American of the century. I
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