The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1896-10-10
SEN. C1CKRELL A? LEXINGTON
A Speech Devoted Entirely to the Money Questionable
Democratic and Republican Platforms Contrasted-
Results That Would Follow the Election
of Bryan or Mckinley


voted his entire attention to the silve
question. We give the full text of hi
speech, and cordially request the read
ers of the INTELLIGENCER to conside
it. 1t is the ablest argument for sIlver
you will read in this campaign:
THE GREAT ISSUE.
Tue issue in this campaign, over
s~hadowing all Others, is gold monomet
allism on one side and bimetalhsm, the
free and unlimited coinage of both gold
and silver at the ratio OF 16 to l into
4 standard money, with full and equal
{ legal tender power in the payment OF
all debts and III all redemptions, indie
pendent of any other notion, on the
other. Stated in another form, the
issue is whether the time-E onored rule
of efghty-one years of free coinage OF
both gold and silver by our W laws,
during which our country prospered
abundantly, shall be followed, or
whether the experiment of twenty-three
years of gold monometallIsm, during
which our country has suffered disas-
trously, shall be continued.
Where does the republican party
stand on this issueP It's platform an
swers: ssThe republican party is I'M
%reservedly for sound money" Sound
money IS a catch phrase, deceptive,
misleading and designed to confuse its
real meaning, which is gold coin-the
gold standard. The platform further
says: ave are therefore opposed to a
free coinage of silver, except by inter-
national agreement with the leading
commercial nations of the world, which
we pledge ourselves to promote; and
until such an agreement "A be OBJ
tanned, the existing gold standard must
be preserved"
Thus, they admit that bimetallism is
a good thing, for the best interests of
people, and the gold standard is a bad
bad thing. Yet they declare against
the good thing, and that the bad thing,
ssthe existing gold standard" must be
preserved, however costly, disastrous
and paralyslng it has been and may
continue to be, until, upon Bonded
knees, in sack cloth and ashes, in pray
erful duplication, they a induce the
crowned heads of Europe to grant their
permission, their agreement to join
them in establishing bimetallism, the
desirable measure, and in helping them
to let go the gold standard, the bad
measure.
They know, we all know, that the
leading commercial nations of the
world, our great rivals in commerce,
will never agree to join us in legisla-
ton for the best interests of our peo-
pie, and that such an international
agreement is absolutely impossible.
Every self-respecting independent ma
ton, by its laws, establishes and main
tains the monetary system deemed by it
best for its own people.
Even if such an agreement were pos
sible, we cannot, under our constitu-
tian, establish it. The president a
enter into treaties or agreements with
foreign nations and the senate can rat
ify and confirm them, but the president
and senate cannot authorize the coin
age of money. "The congress, the
house and the senate, subject to the
approval by the president, can alone
authorize the coinage of money n
regulate Its value.". International
bImetallism is contrary to that cardi-
nal democratic principle, proclaimed
by Jefferson, ''Peace, commerce and
honest friendship with all nations; en-
tangling alliances with none"
How are they to preserve this gold
Standard Their platform answers
ssAll ouI silver and paper currency
must be maintained at parity with gold,
and we favor all measures, designed to
MAINTAIN inviolably, the obligation of
the United States and u money
whether coin or paper, ut their present
-k.r1.~1 Nka oonAosA Of tho nanGf
enlightened nations of the earth"
THE ENDLESS CHAIN.
The meaning of this bold declaration
is beyond any ~mistaking. IT can only
mean that the rightfnl and just option
of the government to redeem the green
backs and treasury notes and to pay
the interest on the bonds and the prin-
cipal in silver dollars and gold or
either, or both, must be submissiveiy
given up 20 the holders, and the hol-
ders graciously allowed to demand and
receive the gold of the treasury at
their will and pleasure, and then when
the gold is taken new bonds must be
sold for gold TO replenish the treasury,
Then the greenbacks and treasury
notes must be reissued in circulation,
and will be gathered up by the bond.
loving gold ring and again presented
to the treasury and gold demanded,
the gold exhausted and more bonds
issued, and thus the endless chain will
DO worked, until the demand for inter-
est-bearing bonds Is satisfied. This is
just the process that has been in
operation under President Cleveland,
as we all know, and has added to our
burdens over S262, 0O0, 900 of interest
bearing bonds. The republican plat
form condemns the issue of bonds, and
then declares for the same policy which
must necessarily nave the same result,
and thus indorse the Cleveland-S her-
man policy.
OH how have the mighty fallen!
Now, my friends-republicans, popu-
lists, democrats-let is not be deceived
nor deceive ourselves. If the republi-
can party is intrusted with power to
carry into execution this declared
policy, one of two things must be the
inevitable result-either more interest
bearing coin bonds must be issued from
time to time, as the gold syndicate of
Europe and our country may present
notes and exhaust the gold in the
treasury, just as has already been done.
or the government must Issue and sell
for gold coin bonds TO an amount equal
to the aggregate amount of both the
United States notes, or g~reenbacks,
oyer S346 600 900, and the treasury
notes, over SI18, 900, 600, making over
S464, 00O, 900, and with the gold got
for such bonds redeem, retire and
cancel all the gr~eenbacks and treasury
not s, now full legal tenders and used
as money and bearing no interest, as
recommended by President Cleveland
in his message OF January %, 1895, to
a democratic house, and which was
rejected. Then, IN the language OF
that message, ''these bonds, under the
existing laws, could be deposited by
national banks as security for cIrcula-
ton"
Then the Rothschilds and MOrgans
and their associates in London and the
Belmonts and Morgans and their asso-
ciates in Wall street, the international
gold syndicate, would own our coin
bonds, deposit in the treasury In the
nanaac af n%afInnal hanks theSa hOnds