The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-02-15
EYE ON PLATFORM.
Kansas Congressman Kept Their
Optics Fixed
On That Curious Straddling
Plank in the State Platform
ADOPTED IN 1894.
TheyClaim They Did Not Depart
From It
In Their Votes on the Senate
Silver Substitute.

p11t0I OuUS GlOutOs
| From the State Journals Special Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Feb. 15.-The disposi-
ton of some of the Kansas representa-
| tives who refused to vote for the senate
| free silver amendment to the house bond
bill was to cling fast and close to the
Republican state platform and not go
| one inch beyond it. They do not go
farther than the coinage of the American
product alone in their own views and
evidently do not believe the people want
more.
This was the position of Congressman
Kirkpatrick in his speech explaining
how he would vote if he hadn't had to
go away, and the same view is taken by
Chester I. Long. Mr. Long offered the
same amendment in the house that Sena-
tor Baker offered in the senate, for the
coinage of the American product.
In explaining his position on the silver
question Mr.. Long said:
81 could not vote for the senate substi-
tute calling for the free and unlimited
coinage of silver. That is farther than
/ could go. 1t is farther than the Re-
publican party in Kansas has gone. The
state platform declared for the coinage
of the American product. The conven-
tion in my district did the same thing.
the fight was made on that issue and that
seems to me the extent to which we
should go. Besides being the express
sion of the party it is my own belief on
the question.
II did not believe the substitute was a
wise measure because it would reduce US
to silver basis The country is not
ready for the unlimited coinage of silver
and l do not believe it would be prudent
at this time.
ION the other hand 1 am not, as many
!, %li i,A fO- fb<ao ofv 1rrI.
gold standard and the use of silver only
for subsidiary coins. l can't indorse that
position. believe that our own product
should be coined"
HOW MR.. BLUE HAS PROGRESSED.
He Has Learned Much More About
Finance Than He PrOfesssd in Kansas.
From the State Journals Special Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Feb. 15-Congressman
Blue is one of those who voted for the
American product amendment to the
senate silver substitute, but voted against
the substitute itself He says he voted
for the American product feature be-
cause it was in the Republican state
platform. on which he was nominated.
That platform he says was u sound mon
ey platform and could not be interpret
ed anv other way without psrverting the
English language
He has no respect whatever for the
senate free silver substitute. ut is more
than bad" he said to the JOURNAL cor
respondent. SIT contains a proposition
which is worse than the free and unlim-
tied coinage of the whole world. The
senate has gone daft on silver.
''All this ranting about the place silver
used to have, and the ratio which used
to exist, is utter nonsense. If that were
any argument, we should go back to the
Indian canoe from the sound steamer,
and the numbering red-fashioned stage
coach should take the place of the palace
car.
"Chairman Dingley of the ways and
means committee made by far the most
Intelligent speech on the question which
has been made in the house. To these
fellows who are clamoring for the dollar
of our daddies, he said that the ratio of
silver to gold in Columbus time was 10
to 1, and if we are going to go back.
why not go clear back to the time of our
daddies when America was discovered.
t'If the senate free silver substitute
were enacted it would mean that we
should be reduced to a silver basis and
90 cent dollar Prices would go up, and
the soldier who now gets $10U worth with
his pension money would only get $50
worth.
"Of all people under the shining sun
who should not want deprecated cur
rency the laboring man is the one. The
man who has money will get alon g, any
how. but the workingman, whose wage es
are cut in two by deprecated money, is
the one who suffers.
THE free silver advocates make a
great howl about the debtor classes, the
struggling debtor classes who want to
pay their debts Who are the largest
debtors of this country? They seem never
to stop to think. The class who
owe more money than any other are the
bankers. They owe their depositors
money and if the currency is deprecated
they will pay in the cheapest money
They are the ones who will profit by
cheap money. The great corporations
and railroads are also debtors. Many
are heavily in debt now aud besides they
are debtors every month in the sum of
millions to their employees. They won't
suffer if the value of the dollar is de-
creased, but the persons in their employ
will for they will get just half in real
value of what they had been getting.
What the people of Kansas want and
what all other patriotic people want is
binetalism. Gold and silver circulating
side by side and in as large quantities as
can be, and maintain the parity of the
dollars.
Mr.. Blue denounced the sixteen Re-
lican senators who had urged the free
silver amendment and said they had
taken tho government by the throat and
said: "If you don't pass our silver bill
and give US what we want we wi1l pre-
vent legislation of any kind"
Mr.. Blue said Congressman Calderhead
was justified in voting against even the