The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1896-07-31
THE REPUBLICANS AND BlrlETAL.
IISM

tiOn pronounced against free and I'M
limited coinage of silver and in favor
of practical bimetallism in the follow
ing language:
The Republican party is unreservedly for
| sound money. 1t caused the enactment of the
| law providing for the resumption of specie pay
ment in 1879; since then every dollar has been
as good as gold. We are unalterably opposed
to every measure calculated to debase our cur
rency or impair the credit of our country. We
are, therefore, opposed to the free coinage of
silver, except by international agreement with
| the leading commercial nations of the world,
which we pledge ourselves to promote. and I'M
| til such agreement can be obtained the existing
gold standard must be preserved All our sill
yer and paper currency must be maintained at
parity with gold, and we favor all measures
designed to maintain inviolable the obligations
of the United States and all our money, whether
coin or paper, at the present standard, the
standard of the most enlightened nations of the
| earth
This is clear and square utterance
against that treatment of silver which
would lead to silver monometallism
There is nothing in it that can be
honestly construed against silver
used in practical manner. 1t is in
short pledge for practical bimetal-
lism, such as this country enjoys to-
day, extended among the leading
commercial nations of the world, by
which silver may also be coined
free. The Republicans have taken
the position, as shown in the above
plank, that this country cannot alone
maintain silver at a parity with gold,
if it is coined free, and the experience
Of the past bears them out in this re-
spect. The position the Republicans
have taken is also the position taken
by the leading bimetallists of Europe.
Among those bimetallistS there is
none more able nor prominent than
DR.. Arendt, Of Germany. He is one
of the leaders of the cause of bimetal-
lism in Europe. He was present at
the international monetary confer
ence at Brussels in 1892, and in late
magazine article declares that the
failure of that conference was "due
to the fact that it was called at an in
opportune time, and that no practical
proposals were brought forward He
insists that the United States alone
cannot establish the double standard
and that free coinage in America
would only mean a shift from the
single gold standard to single silver
standard He declares that an inter
national agreement is the only meth
cd by which double standard can be
established, and that European senti-
ment is working slowly but health
fully and surely toward that conclu-
sion. His practical advice to Ameri-
cans therefore, is to maintain the gold
standard without compromise for the
sake of bringing Europe the more
speedily to the point where an inter-
national bimetallic agreement will
have to be made"
1t will be seen that the bimetallic
sentiment of Europe is in perfect &C.
cord with the position which the Re-
publican party has taken. 1t is in
fact the only practical position that
can be taken. Any other would in
terfere at once with the natural laws
of commerce. and for it's departure
therefrom, this country would be
obliged to pay the penalty. The posi-
tion taken by the Popocrats is direct
ly against that taken by bimetallists
everywhere, and if carried out would
lead at once to silver standard, with
all the hardships that would ensue
from sudden change from an econo-
mic basis that has been followed for
80 years, and upon which the vast
commerce and industrial interests of
this nation have been built. Mr..
Bryan in the fiippant way he has in
treating public questions, asserts that
for the bimetallists of the world to
act together for the best interests Of
silver is for this country to surrender
the right to legislate for it's own peo-
pie. Such an assertion is simply ridic-
| duu 10 pOSlUlOh lOoei oSA w
only by demagogues, who hope thus
to work upon the feelings of the
people. Acting in accordance with
natural commercial laws in agreeing
with leading nations as to the basis
of a money system, the United States
is in no way surrendering it's right to
legislate for it's own people, or in any
way allowing any foreign nation or
nations to legislate for us. 1t simply
agrees with them upon a basis upon
which to measure the values of COM
merce which is transacted here with
ourselves and all the peoples of the
earth, and does its own legislation
thereto. And as to the best methods
of reaching that basis which will best
conserve to the best interests of all
our people, the ablest and most prac-
tical friends of silver in all the world
agree perfectly with the position
taken by the Republican party.
One of TIE Farces.