The Portland daily press., 1896-08-17
FoREKER's ELoQuANcE.
a Caustic Review of the Chicago Plat
form

FOREkER'S ELOQUANCE.
"A Caustic Review of the Chicago Plat
form.
Whsn Senator Shorm an finished speak
ing, Gov. Bushnell introduced Senator
elect Foraker, who WAS received with
cheers and long continued applause. he
captured his audience from The start and
for more than an hour held them spell
bound. Gov. Foraker began by the
statement that the election of the last
three years had ghowl thu increasing
strength throughout the country for the
Republicans and losses for the Democ :
rscy, and nothing had been done in ad-
minlstration or legislation TO change
the verdict. lie said new issue, that or
free silver, had been made, born OF Dem
ocratic desperation, for on thu iarlH ques-
ton the democrats we're overwhelmingly
defeated before the fight commenced.
Everybody now understood the tariff
question and had become q protectionisE.
On the silver issue he said; ''If the
democratic party had not seen defeat
ahead on its old issues, it would not
have made this new issue. 1t is the pro-
0ues OF an emergency. 1t has been born
OF trouble ana that of itself should be
enough TO create distrust Of 1t. But what
Is the nature of it? What is this silver
question? Is il true the Democratic par
ty, which has been constantly and persis-
lently on the wrong side of every great
national question for fifty years, is it at
last and for once right? No; it is not.
On the contrary, 1t is more wrong now
than ever before since the Union was
saved and slavery abolished Democrats
themselves SO assert. Their most dis
tinguished and trusted leaders unspsr-
ingly condemn their platform and refuse
TO support their candidates. One half of
the party is in opon revolt"
Gov. Foraker stated that the Repub-
Hean position was the same as it always
had been on the currency question and
argued that II the commercial value OF
silver to gold was as 16 TO /, no harm
could come from giving to both the quail
tiles OF redemption money, but it was
self evident that silver dollar worth
only SO cents could not be maintained at
par with gold unless radeena bleiin1 gold.
But the cardinal point in the doctrine
of free coinage was that neither geld nor
silver should be redeemable, the one i'll
the other, but each should stand upon its
own merit IS money OF ultimate re-
dempton. -1e continued: "Notwith-
standing all this, the Democratic party
declares for the free, unlimited and indie
pendent coinage of silver at the ratio of
16 to 1. What does this declaration
IA6dEf 4loJ bSll Us III JUodUs UlinGGuillSm
and they define this to mean that silver
is not only to be freely coined but that
it IS to be no longer redeelnable in gold,
but is to be itself a money redemption.
If their policy prevails and you have O
paper dollar and want it redeemed in
coin, you will be compelled to accept sill
yer il silver is offered. We deny that
bimetallism in the sense that both gold
and silver shall circulate together as
of IJ1t a1Ofi hn
brought about by any such methods
We, Oh the contrary, assert that what
the democrats propose Will give US not
bimotall:sm, but silver mon0ma tallism
The very moment we, acting alone, with
out the cooperation of other nations, en-
ter upon policy Of the free coinage of
silver at this ratio of 16 to l. as the Dem
pass onto q silver basis We would at once
step down and out from the class in
which We now stand with England.
France, Germany and other great COM
meroial nations of the earth, into the class
with Japan, China and Mexico. TO that
step the Repu blican party will not con-
tribute. So long as we control this gov
eminent the American people will rank
with the first class nations of the earth
Our flag shall be every where respected
and hOnored. They have free silver in
Mexico, they are on silver basis
st is not the decentralization of silver
that has hurt the farmer, but the dem
onetization of his markets The repeal
of the Mckinley bill carried With it tna
repeal OF all the reciprocity treaties. in
consequence the export of our ag1ioul-
tural products fell Of for the year 1895
AS compared with 1894 to the amount of
moro than $3.50, O00, 000."
Gov. Foraker discussed the attack
made in the Chicago platform on the
Supreme court Of tie United States and
said that the entire federal judiciary were
included in the attack upon what they
called government by Injunction. %
Ho then cited the Chicago riots of 1894
and said ''phis declaration of this
platform has reference to this incident
Read in the light of this fact, it is 6he
purpose of the Democrats, AS declared by
this platform, to give US not only free
trade and free silver, but to give also free
license to every man who SECS fit to take
the sceptre into his own hands and, DEFY
ing the constituted authorities, substi
tute riot and anarchy, Dloodshed and
violence, for law aud order, peace and
prosperity -