Great Falls weekly tribune., 1896-07-17
the EditOr Of The Tribune .


The postmaster general says of free
silver:
This has never been a democratic
doctrine and cannot be harmonized with
the principles and practice of the party.
Mr.. Jefferson repeatedly expressed his
preference for gold"
What is the professor giving us? l
do not understand it. A man of Mr.,
Wilson's reputed honesty would not
misquote history, and his acknowledged
scholarship forbds the idea that he does
not know the historical facts with which
he deals.
When coinage was under discussion
previous to 1852 Jefferson recommended
that the money unit of these states
shall be equal in value to the Spanish
milled dollar"
Mr.. Hamilton recommended zone
gold piece il which shall be a
unit or dollar; one silver piece, which
shall also be unit or dollar"
Jetferson's recommendation provided
for one unit and that silver.
Hamilton S recommendation provided
for two uoits, one silver and one gold.
Both recommendation we're discussed
at the first see7ion of congress in 1892
but Jetferson's recommendation prevail
ed and the coinage law then enacted had
"DollarH or units-Each to be of the
value of Spanish milled dollar, as the
same is now current, and to contain
81 4 l6 grains Of pure, or 4lG grams OF
standard silver"
Thus the silver dollar was established
as the unit of coinage, at the recommen-
dation of the immortal founder Of the
democratic party, whose great heart was
always true to the cause of the people,
ln 1929 ex-Secretary of the Treasury
Galatin says: THE American dollar, of
81 l of pure silver, is the unit Of mo-
ney and standard of value on which all
public and private contracts are found
ed"
And yet Mr.. Wilson says; "This never
has been democratic doctrine"
Again, he says: "Thcre was never a
day from 1892 down to it's exit from
power in 1861 when the democratic
party did not unanimously accept Mr..
Jetferspn's rules and did not carefully
follow them in its coinage laws" This
is true, and he could have said with
equal truth that his "rues' were fol-
lowed by the republican party till 1873
But these ''rules' of Jefferson are ex-
acty opposite to the statements of MIR.
Wilson, Mr.. Wilson says they are for Il
gold unit.
History indisputably says that they
were fer the silver unit, and yet Mr..
Wilson is an Honorable man."
Again: ut is clear therefore, that the
attempt to commit the party to the ad-
vocacy Of free silver, at ratio totally re.
gardlrss of market values, as a supreme
issue Is to set up a new test OF party
fealty and one diametrically opposed to
Ill nast party declaration or action"
HER, again, we have thrust at the
"mHrkal value of silver, Silver was
hame)rung by assassin hands and now it
is ieer2d because it is q cripple. SO once
was the crucitied Christ scotfed and
jeered by those who nailed him to the
cross,
Again, he says that free silver is 'dia
nietIieHly oppc7ed to all past party
declaration and action Here Mr.. Viii
son FyHln falsities the facts of history, as
have already shown, All past party
declaration and action has been unin.
terrup!edly az a friend Of eilyer, Not
until Grover Cleveland became the vile
t ol OF Wall and Lombard streets WAS
there any attempt to fasten a gold policy
upon the traditions of the democratic
pprts and history must be made to wear
"a fa.-n faco to cover the attempt.
G. H. ROBINSON.
JuFy Ia 1896