Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1896-11-03
AGAINST THE
GOLD STANDARD.
The Leaders Of the Republican
Party Have Taught Their Fol-
lowers to Favor Silver.
THEIR WORDS QUOTED.
The Republican Party Heretofore Pa
vored the Double Standard and
Free Coinage Of Both Metals.

Free Coinage OF Both Metals.
The Single Gold Standard New Departure
Good Reasons Why the Rank and
File OF the Party Should Not
Abandon Its Safe Old POSI-
ton In Favor OF the
Double Standard.
The supporters Of Mr.. Bryan can
prove the correctness Of their position
in favor Of the free coinage of gold
and silver by the scientific opinion Of
the world, by the experience of man.
kind, by the founders OF our govern.
ment and by the most honored and in
Auentfal leaders of the republican par
~. There has scarcely been repub-
Acan OF sufficient prominence to en-.
title him to leadership since the party
was organized who has not, at
some time, declared against the gold
standard and in favor of bimetallism
end the reconciliation of silver. In
every Instance these declarations have
been freely and voluntarily made, and
without other incentive than that sup
piled from an active conscience and an
honest mind. 1t is the exigency Of
partisan politics, controlled by the
money power, that has placed-the re-
publican party where it is and has
compelled some Of its leaders to stulti-
~ themselves on the subject.
Silver was not demonetized until
after the tragic death of Mr.. lincoln,
but the money sharks were busy with
the greenback issues Of the war period
while Lincoln was in the white house,
and the martyr president thus spoke
from the depths of his honest heart of
an evil from which this country has
since suffered much.
If government contracted debt
with certain amount of money In
circulation, and then contracted the
money volume before the debt was
paid, 1t Is the most heinous crime that
a government could commit against
the people"
There is $15O,0o0,O0O less money in
circulation now than there was two
years ago, so that the heinous crime of
which Lincoln spoke is now being in
aicted on the people.
President Grant said: with free aud
unlimited coinage of gold and silver we
Will clear away our public debt before
the close of the century"
Gen. Grant declared afterwards that
no did not know he had signed a bill
to demonetize silver. The end of the
century is almost here, and the public
debt has not only not been cleared
SWAY, but 1t is now growing larger.
Because of the depreciation of the gold
standard 1t will take more days. labor
and more bushels of wheat to pay what
how remains of the public debt than it
would in Gen. Grants time to have
paid the whole of 1t. Jesse Grant is
supporting Bryan and free silver and
believes his distinguished father would
do the same II he were living.
Speaking in the house Of representa-
hves on February ., 1873, Mr.. Blaine
uttered these prophetic words:
II believe the struggle now going
ON In this country and other countries
for single gold standard would, If
successful, produce widespread disas-
ter in and throughout the commercial
world. The destruction of silver as
money, and the establishment of gold
as the sole unit of value must have n
ruinous effect on I'LL forms of property,
except those invested which yield a
fixed return in money. These would be
enormously enhanced in value, and
would gain disproportionate and un.
lair advantage over every other spe-
oies Of property"
President Garfield said: every man
who is opposed to the use of silver coin
as a part Of the legal currency of the
country, l disagree with. Every man
who Is opposed to the actual legal use
It both metals, disagree with.
would endow the two dollars with
equality and make the coinage free"
Even Senator John Sherman is on rec
ord against the gold standard and the
characterization of silver. In speech
10 the senate on April 10, 1876 (Con
gressional Record, vol. 4, pit. 3, p. 2,341),
he said: ITO adopt the gold standard
alone and demonetize silver would be
10 deprive the poor people of the world
Of the money which alone measures the
value of their productions and their
labor. y y Gold alone is not suit
able for currency, because it will not
measure the daily wants of the great
mass of mankind"
Maj. Mckinley voted for Senator
Stanley Matthews resolution, in 1887,
which declared the bonds of the United
States payable in silver as we'll as gold.
In the same year he voted to pass a free
silver bill through the house, and
when President Hayes vetoed 1t, voted
10 pass it over the veto.
In letter to Hon. E. S. Perkins, of
Medina county, o., in 1890, he said:
II have always been in favor of the
free and unlimited coinage of the silver
product of the United States, and
have SO voted on at least two occa-
Eions during the time 1 have been in
public life"
In speech in the house of repre-
sentatives on May z, 1890, Maj. Nc
kinley said:
"When merchandise is the cheapest,
men are the poorest, and the most dis
PRESSING experience in the history of
our country--aye, in all human history
.-have been when everything was the
lowest and cheapest measured by gold,
for everything was the highest and tn.
dearest measured by labor"
Again, on June "a, 1890, he said,
Il am for, the largest use of silver IL
the currency of the country. would
not dishonor it; would give it equa