The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-04-23
Gov. Altgeld and the Scheme OF
the Gold Men.
STRONG SILVER ARGUMENT
Sound Money Democrats Meant
to Deceive His Friends.
is NOT a CANDIDATE AGAIN
The Working Men Have as Deep An
Interest in Free Coinage as
as Any Other Class
Of People.

Springfield, H., April 21.-Gov Alt
geld was asked to say something in re
gard to his Endorsement as a candidate
for reelection by 'sound-money" Dem
ocrats in Chicago.
ION the part of some of those gentle
men, the Governor replied, this was
honestly meant, and feel deeply obi
ged to them, but on the part of others
it was simply a sly move to mislead my
friends. There are few men in Chica-
90 who have undertaken to help the
bond-iobbing federal administration
make Illinois tamely submit to the
single gold standard, and thus perpet-
uate the paralysis, distress and suffer
ING that exists in our country in or
der that the process of fattening the
eastern vampires on the life blood
of the land may not be interrupted.
Some of the men who met on Friday
night, while dislil1ing me, are anxious
to get my friends to assist in this I'M
holy scheme, and their vote was kind
of a blind. But it viii not work.
AS | am not a candidate for Cover
the Endorsement of anybody Even
were / a candidate and anxious TO be
elected I would not for a hundred
governorships stifie my convictions on
so momentous q question as that which
lies at the bottom of our miseries. The
idea that prosperity can be restored
to the world with only half the money
that was formerly needed to do the
1. ,Its -, II
seriously discussed. especially when it
IS remembered that taxes, interest
the great debts and other fixed charges
have not been diminished. Consequent
tly continuation of low prices means
the absolute destruction of the pur-
chasing power Of the entire debtor
class This first reduces the volume
of business, then forces the shutting
down Of factories. and by destroying
the market for labor soon destroys the
purchasing power Of the entire labor
ing class and fills the land with dis
tress.
None Of the sophists hired to main
tain the gold standard has yet told the
Iaborers how they can get the valuable
gold dollar they talk about. The la
borer can only prosper when there is
demand for his labor. The gold dollar
by reducing prices, while all fixed
charges remain the same, destroyed
the purchasing power Of the country
and thus destroyed the market for the
only thing the laborer had to ll-that
is. his labor. Until this purchasing
power is restored there can be no great
demand for labor, and this purchasing
power of the country, especially of the
debtor classes. can only be restored by
D rise in the selling price of things,
and this can only come through an in-
crease in the volume of money
ssThe continuation of the single gold
standard means the permanent degra-
lation of the great toiling and pro-
ducing masses of this country, and |
shall do what little / can to prevent |
this. / shall do what / can to restore |
the free coinage of gold and silver ex-
actlv as e stood when q Republican /
Congress corruptly struck down silver.
This restoration once made, if the SUBJ
iect needs legislation it can be had: but |
the first duty of Americans Is TO right |
the great wrong, and / ask all my
friends to do what they can to bring |
this about. We have been led off the !
correct road into desolation, and the /
first thing to do is to get back on to !
the highway. Once again there. If it (,
is necessary to mend harness or wagon
we can do tic Chicago Record.