The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-05-13

"
lied in the United States. and subjects to
the Jurisdiction thereof, are citizens Of the
United States and of the state in which
they reside; no state shall make or en-
force any law which shall abridge the
privilege or immunities OF citizens Of the
United States, ETC.. nor deny to any per-
son within its Jurisdiction the equal pro-
lection Of the laws.
Now II "all persons does not embrace
the female portion of the community,
then one-half Of the population Of the
United States are not citizens, nor are
tney amenable to their laws, only as aliens
although born here. This question must
receive proper attention also in our plat
form.
The money question is q very vital, as
well as material question, to every citi-
zen Of the United States. AS we'll tamper
with the blood Of the human system, and
expect to have healthy human body, as
to tamper with the money system of any
country. A lack Of sufficiency Of this
vital fluid" deranges the entire COM
:nerce Of q nation. A lack of it throws
the nation into congestive fever, while
a plethora of it will cause a gauty, drop
steal condition leading sometimes to apo
plexy.
Experience has told us that $50 per
capita is about the amount Of circulating
medium required by young active nation
like ours.
l care but little as to the material out
OF which money is to be made, so long as
1t Is convenient to handle. Money does
not derive it's debt paying power from any
inherent intrinsic value in the material,
because money does not inhere in any
material thing in its normal condition. 1t
Is creature Of law. and therefore cannot
be enforced upon any one except by fiat
of government.
So far as the metal money Of the coun-
try Is concerned, / am unqualifiedly in
FAVOR OF the equal coinage Of both silver
and gold at the ratio Of 16 to l. Equal
coinage of the two metals-dollar for dol
lar-at the ratio named, will disarm the
gold bug" Of his specious argument that
free and unlimited coinage will give the
preference over gold, and drive us on to
an Asiatic basis. Equal coinage at the
ratio OF 16 to l will, moreover, give the
free silver advocates all they ought to
nave. 1t the system Of equal coinage IL
adopted instead of free coinage, the frs.
effect 1t will have will be to compel the
government to coin about 160000,000 of
new silver dollars Cor their multiples in
bullion to be represented by certificates)
before another gold dollar could be coin
ed, this being about the difference between
the two metals at present in this country.
Now this ought to satisfy the most ardent
"silverite." I believe that equal COIN
age" is the word which the silver men
must use to cut off the head of this Gold
Goliath of Gath.
However. whatever system of coinage
we may adopt, one thing is certain, the
money question is going to figure largely
in the campaign Of 1896.
j. r. Sovereign master workman of the
Knights of Labor, in a Letter to Gen. A. ].
Warner, president Of the Bi-Metallc
League, has very aptly expressed the pres
ent condition of things, when he says:
Let 1t be remembered that just in pro-
portion as the money power grows IL
strength, the people become weak and de-
spondent, which dependency comes degra-
dation, lassitude of moral character, and
laxity of vigilance and no one understands
this better than the gold barons. They
know that If they can control the money
Of the nation, they can absorb and monop
OliZe the industries Of the country, and de-
graded people will part with their last
vestige Of liberty for trivial and temper
airy considera' ion"
Further on he says, whenever the
money power becomes stronger than the
people, it will apply it's arrogant lash with
relentless fury, and liberty will be lost I'M
til through a reign of terror the oppressors
have exhausted their force in gloom of an
other night"
This is very forcible putting of fear
full possibility. God grant that it may
But freemen! If you would be free in
Then WELD your ballot power,
In this tremendous hour,
For Kith and Kin;
Nor stop to count the cost,
Till liberty is lost
And all are slaves!
But swear by your home hearth fires,
And by the blood of your noble sires
That liberty shall reign
Till all be free!
"There are" as Mr. Sovereign says,
honest, sincere reformers,' all over the
broad land, that believe that the rapid
accumulation Of wealth into the hands Of
the few portends great calamity to the
masses Of the people. How this can be
avoided should be the study of every true
reformer.
immigration is another question that de-
mands proper attention in our platform. l
would not. as some have suggested, shut
off immigration for a season entirely, but
l would put such restrictions upon it as
would prevent any undesirable person
from seeking permanent residence in
this country.
I would do this by making 1t obligatory
upon every person before leaving his ma
tive country to secure certificate from
some proper authority in the country from
which he comes, setting forth the fact
that he or she have never been convicted
of any crime, and that they have always
been self-supporting since obtaining Their
majority And I would further require
that such persons before leaving their
shores, should make affidavit to these
facts to our United States consul stationed
at the port of embarkation.
This instrument being certified to by
our consul abroad, would then become a
pass port to the one holding it, and would
moreover make him or her anSWerable to
our laws for perjury in the event of the
statement set forth therein being false.
There are many other questions of ma
tional Importance that necessarily will
come up for consideration, which must be
clearly stated in our platform; among
these will be the land question, the trans
portation question, government ownership
of railroads, the suffrage question, and
many other questions of more or less i'm
por.ance that must be considered by a
committed on platform, but these questions
can be safely entrusted to the committee
chosen at our national nominating con-
vention.
Now. when this convention meets, 1T
should carefully look over the several
platforms already offered by the Prohi-
bitionists, Populists, Socialists, Single
Takers and National Reformers. Each OF
them no doubt, contain some excellen,
principles and measures, and we should
never feel too proud to listen to the coun-
| sells and suggestions Of the humblest cit.
| izen in the republic.
Continued next weekly
Cincinnati, May 9.-Eugene V. Debs
at the invitation of the labor council, ad
hot 1ad hiv1