The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-07-24
THE sILvER CONTENTION.
Talked and Talked-Sentiment In tn
 Convention All Han Bryan's Way.


 Yer convention was called to order at 10:27 o'clock by Chairman St John, who introduced Vice Chairman Hon. Charles A. Towne of Minnesota. He was received with great applause. He said that the condition of the country was most grave. It had been brought about, he charged, in pursuance of a plan which had for its purpose to make it appear as the result of an orderly and lawful evolution. He said that patriotism had been almost forgotten; glory has been narrowed to success; money has become God. (Applauseo But the day of regeneration is at hand. (Cheers) We are in the very vortex of events: we are making American history to-day; the American people are serving notice that they are about to take charge of their own affairs. (Great cheering.)
 MT. Towne paid glowing tribute to the worth, character and abilities of MT. Bryan, saying that his nomination demonstrated the truth of the state- ment that in the affairs of Providence there are no accidents. Bryan repre- sents an idea: he stands for cause the cause of humanity against injus- tice-the cause of the masses against the classes" (Applause.) No rest in the campaign was to be known by the cohorts of silver, MT. Towne said, until the banners of victory had been plant ed upon every outpost of the enemy. He who three months ago had predict ed that victory for free silver was pos sible in 1896 would have been set down for an enthusiastic dreamer; now it was not only possible, but absolutely certain. MT. Towne pleaded with the convention to make no mistake, but tD ever hold the cause above all things else, and closed with an eloquent pero- ration.
 Calls were made for Governor Stone of Missouri and W. H. (Coin) Harvey, but neither was in the hall. Ex-Gov- ernor J. P. St John of Kansas respond ed to the demands for a speech, and greatly entertained the delegates
 Some one has fired on Fort Sumter" said MT. St. John, but I'm glad it's different from what it was in 1861, when north and south were divided; now they are united (Cheers.) Last night some one asked me how the crops wer. | in Kansas. They're good, I said. We are selling oats for seven cents bush 1 el; but thank God we get our pay for them in sound money. (Laughter) l That's why so many farmers are in | this convention.''
 Mrs Helen Cougar of Indiana ad- | ,Ia prohibition was loudly applauded. In | her remarks on free coinage she creat- ed laughter by saying that she sup posed this was not the first time the 1 gentlemen present had been addressed l by woman on the subject of finance. 1 Mrs. Cougar told Q story to illustrate 1 the money question from woman s l standpoint, and charged that brewerias | and distilleries, rine-tenths of which i'll | this country are owned by British cap- l ital, were doing more than all else com
 bined to degrade American citizenship, | homes and industries. She charged 1 that never since the days of Belshaz- | Zar's feast had there been more drunk enness known than was displayed in St. l Louis the night before the republican | convention adopted it's platform last l month.
 | In closing, Mrs. Cougar took charge I of the convention, and, calling upon | the band to strike up America" ask | ed the audience to join in singing that
 grand old hymn. There were but rev
 in the hall, however, who could sing
 more than the first verse. Mrs. cougar l concluded with strong endorsement | of Bryan.
 MT. Sharon addressed the convention,
 defending bimetallism.
 | Judge Sheldon of New Haven spoke
 from the platform for ten minutes l A motion to publish to the world for
 mer politics of delegates was adopted. | The convention then recessed to 2:3o l D. m.
 The Platform as Agreed Upon. l The nlatform to be adopted by the l national silver party is as follows: l First-The paramount issue at thls time in the United States is indisput- l ably the money question. It is between the gold standard, gold bonds and bank currency on the one side and the pl- | metallic standard, no bonds ana gov ernment currency on the other. l On this issue we declare ourselves to be in favor of a distinctively Am erican financial system. We, are un- | alterably opposed to the single gold standard. and demand the immediate
 return to the constitutional standard l of gold and silver, by the restoration by this government. independently ot any foreign power, of the unrestricted
 coinage of both gold and silver into | standard money at the ratio of 16 to and upon terms of exact equality, as they existed prior to 1873, the silver coin to be a full legal tender equally with gold for all debts and dues, pri- vate and public, and we favor such legislation as will prevent for the fu- ture the demonstration of any kind of legal tender money by private con- tract.
 We hold that the power to control and regulate paper currency is insep- arabic from the power to coin money and hence that all currency intended to circulate as money should be issued and its volume controlled by the gen. eral government only and should be legal tender.
 We are unalterably opposed to the issue by the United States of interest
 bearing bonds in time of peace, and we denounce as blunder worse than
 crime the present treasury policy concurred in by a. republican house, ot plunging the country in debt by hun-
 dreds of millions in the vain attempt