The Princeton union., 1896-10-29
OUR POSITION.


OUR POSITION.
People who know me personally are
we'll aware of the fact that no pressure
| could be brought to bear that would
cause me to change my views on the
financial or any other question, unless
L was honestly convinced that I was in
error. No pressure has been broug
to bear on me by gold bugs, silver bugs
or any other kinds of bugs. I>have not
changed my views. I do not believe
in the gold plank adopted by the St..
Louis convention, and have said SO re-
peatedly. If the Republican party
wins in the present campaign, and of
that have not the least doubt, it will
not be because of the gold plank, but
in spite of it. I predict, right here
and now, that never again will such a
plank be incorporated in a Republican
national platform. I think it was a
mistake to repeal the purchase
clause of the Sherman law, and, in my
feeble way, protested against it's re-
peal-I urged our senators and repre-
sentatives in congress to vote against
its repeal, while men who are now
shouting for Bryan and free silver
urged them to vote the other way.
And I am firmly convinced that if the
Republican party comes into power
legislation favorable to silver will be
enacted.
While do not endorse the gold
plank of the Republican platform,
am equally opposed to the free and un-
limited coinage of silver at the ratio
| of l6 to L. That is the other extreme.
l do not believe that this country can
open it's mints to the silver of the
| world, and maintain silver at a parity
with gold. If Bryan is elected and a.
law providing for the free and unlim-
tied coinage of silver is enacted, am
firmly convinced that there would be a
panic the like of which this country
has never seen. Even Bryan himself
| admits that there would be a
panic. I have talked with INTELLIGENT
Democrats and Populists on this ques-
| tion, and they have all admitted to me
that a panic would ensue-of course,
they claimed that it would be of short
duration. But there is the rub. No
living man can tell how long the bust
ness depression would last. The
friends OF free coinage say three or six
months. But we have no assurance on
that point. The depression might con-
tlnue for one, three or six years. Ger
tainly gold would go to premium and
be withdrawn from circulation. It
would be like jumping out of the fry
ing pan and into the fire. ''Better
bear the ills we have than fly to others
we know not Of" Times are hard
now, but they can be worse. In this
connection desire to quote portion
OF an editorial from the Willmar T1l6-
al'1e, edited by DR.. Christian johnson,
one of the ablest and most uncompro-
missing Populists in the Seventh con-
gressional district. The editorial in
question appeared in the Tribune of
Sept, 1896, under the caption of ''Pre-
pare for Battle:''
Are you ready to deliver the country from
this debt slavery at any or all hazard? If you
are well and good, but if you are not, and will
turn back like the children of Israel in the will
derness towards the flesh pots Of Egypt if you
are not prepared to travel through the wilder
t6s ness OF nromiseg panic bel before you reach
where you are and stop campaigning
We want to be honest with you. We can see a
possible condition brought on by the< money
power that may cause untold sufferings and
misery. And we want you to consider this mat
ter with full understanding of all the possible
conditions that may supervene
Prior to 1892 we had REASONABLY good
times. Place our tariff where It was
in 1892, and let us coin limited
amount of the American product Of sill
yer, and then stop the agitation of the
tariff and the currency questions and
hard times will speedily disappear.
Under Republican administration
the people of the United States were
fairly prosperous and happy. Put the
Republican party again in control and
il that party fails to meet the expecta-