The Ravalli Republican. [volume] (Stevensville, Mont.) 1894-1899, 1896-07-29
public debt and the sale of bonds tC
maintain the gold standard.

AL admit. The produc-
ers Of wealth are net receiving fair
and proper compensation for their
labor, whether in field, factory Or
mine; enterprise has ceased; values
are constantly declining: labor is un-
discomfort and istress pre-
vail to an extent never before known
in this country, and no reason can be
found for such an unhappy condition
save IN a vicious monetary system.
Those who profess to dcplorc the
present financial condition and op-
pose the free coinage of silver are di-
vided in opinion as to the cause Of
the present condition. Some declare
it is because we have too much tariff;
Others that we have not enough;
while the fact exists that every gold
standard country in the world, whe-
ther it has high or low tariff, is
now, and has been during recent
years, in the tlr0es Of Il financial
panic; and every silver standard
country, compared with its former
condition, is enjoying an Industrial
development and degree Of prosper
ity hitherto unknown in it's history.
While thus differing in opinion, they
unite III declaring that the gold stan
dard must be maintained until for
eign countries shall signify their
willingness that American people
shall exercise the rights OF free men
and create financial system Of their
H.. l., Is, =;
and degradation we must feel on ac
count of such a declaration Of imam
cial dependency. we may we'll inquire
when the consent OF the leading COM
mcrcial nations will be obtained. No
one who has read the proceedings of
conferences that have already been
held, or who has examined the I'M
practicable proposition presented ut
these conferences, can for Il moment
believe that any international binct-
allie agreement can ever be made
with the consent Of all the leading
commercial nations Of the world.
When will Great Britain, controlled
as she is and ever will be by the cred
itor classes, who collect vast sums Of
money for interest due, who buy an
nually many more millions than She
sells to us. and whose interest it is to
make the pounds sterling purchase
as much of our products as possible,
consent that VIC shall be financially
independent? When did the cred
itor classes Of Great Britain ever give
or in any way yield an advantage
such as they now possess through the
maintenance Of the gold standard?
There is no hope for international
bimctallsm until the United States
shall establish bimctallism for itself,
and when that is done international
bimctallism may be secured without
the consent OF Great Britain.
The United Statos, on all other
subjects Of legislation, acts indcpcn
IDENTIFY Of any other nation on earth.
by what process OF reasoning is this
right, authority or ability to lcgisIatc
upon this, the most important sub
ject with which it has to deal: qucs-
toned or denied? With Il nation
equal in wealth and power to one
fourth Of the world, it is cowardIy to
say that we must ask permission Of
Great Britain to establish and main
tain financial policy Of our own.
Believing as we do that ii return to
the monetary system especially re-
cognizcd in the constitution and
completely provided for by law from
1892 till 1913, affords the only ground
OF hope for that bcttcrmcnt Of the
distressed condition Of all classes, cX-
cept those who live by the increment
that money loaned gives to those who
loan it, we appeal to all classes to
rally to the support Of the only can
didatcs whose success indicates any
hope Of relief. Let the merchant
and business man whose dwnding
and lcsscncd profits have, despite hi,
care and economy, brought him face
to face with prospective bankruptcy
and ruin: the professional man whose
efforts scarcely afford him compcnsa-
tiOn for his labor alone: the farmer
the continually falling price Of whose
products have lett him no returns for
capital invested and work performed:
and, last, but not least. let the grand
army Of labOring men sH-callcd, the
artisan, the mechanic and the miner,
and every one who depends upon his
daily labor for his daily bread. look
about him and observe the great
number Of those who vainly seek for
Il chance to WOrk-lIDOu the great
army Of enforced idlcrs-and one and
all resolve to try, not an experiment
for Dimctallism is not an cNpcrinlcnD
but rather !; return to IL policy hat
throughout the vic:ssituucs Of our
nations infancy. through the inter
nccinc struggle Of its manIlood kept
us d great free and prosperous nation.
in which labor was not only respected
and employed, but WAS so compcn-
satcd that wait and distress such as
now weigh upon Us WAS unknown.
Let the lesson Of history. too recent
and too plain to he eainSaid or de
MED, be needed, and let there be 40
fear that Il system that so wonder
fully protected labor, developed buSi-
ness and secured to the nation Il con-
tented and prosperous people in The
past will do au@Elt but bring to us IL
return Of like prosperity. the prcdic-
tions Of disaster Of our opponents to
the contrary notwithstanding.
In Mr. Bryan the Chicago convcn-
tior placed ut the head Of its ticket
1f,,, ~ t.t