The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1896-07-02

Europe demOnetlZed silver, and ever
since that time an effort has been
made to get back to bimetallism. We
have had in that behalf three interna-
tional monetary conferences, the OBJ
ject of them being to agree with other
nations upon an international ratio, ac-
cording to which we could have the
free coinage of silver. But all these
efforts have failed.
''It has been constantly and re-
peatedly declared by both parties that
bimetallism was desirable in prefer
ence to gold or silver monometallism.
Both parties have agreed that we
could maintain a parity of the two
metals and bring about bimetallism
again by an international agreement.
Some people have insisted in the
meanwhile that if we could not do it
that way, we could do it alone with
out regard to what other nations
might see fit to do. The republican
party has constantly, consistently and
persistently stood up against that
idea.
-Four years ago, when we held the
convention at Minneapolis, it was my
fortune to be the chairman of the
committee on resolutions, as was at
the st. Louis convention, and it was
my fortune to be associated on that
committee with Senator Teller. He
and his associates from the silver
states came to that convention and
came before that committee, asking
us to insert a plank pledging the re-
publican party to the free coinage of
silver. We refused to do it. We de-
clared that we were in favor of inter-
national bimetallism, but that until
brought about it would be our policy
to maintain silver at a parity with
gold by issuing no more of it than
could be maintained at parity with
gold.
"They accepted the result and re-
mained in the republican party. The
declaration was simply declaration,
as the one adpoted the other day was,
that we would stand precisely where
we were until we could do better. We
were agreed that we could safely un-
dertake to have bimetallism by, inter-
national agreement; we were unwil-
ling, and refused to attempts it by free
and independent coinage.
''They did not feel called upon to go
out of the party then; their conscience
did not seem to trouble them SO much
theE as now. They remained in the
party four years longer When the
last session of congress commenced,
as a result of this democratic free
trade experiment, the government was
found to have deficient revenues, not
enough revenues to meet it's current
expenses. A bill was prepared in the
house and passed that body without
partisan division, almost, providing
for an increase Of revenue. The bill
was known as the Dingley bill It
went to the senate. The national
honor, the national life was at stake.
These gentlemen said the bill was un-
Objectionable. but they refused to vote
for it (that is, six of these gentlemen
from silver states did) unless the great
majority who did not agree with them
would sacrifice their convictions and
vote for the free, unlimited and un-
restricted coinage of silver. The great
majority in the senate would not be
coerced by that minority.
''That action upon the part of these
people directed the attention of the
country to that subject as it had not
been directed before. And, therefore,
when we met at St. Louis conditions
were ripe, not for different stand to
be taken by the republican party, but
for more explicit declarations of our
principles than we had heretofore
made, and, inasmuch as they had
thrown down the gage of bat
tie by demanding free silver
and seeking to coerce us to accept,
we concluded that was good time
to meet them half way, join issue and
Let the battls come on. They ap-
peared before the committee, and were
part Of the committee, just as they
were four years ago. They made the
same demand; we made the same an
swer; but when we came to write the
platform we said, we will make it SO
pla in all can understand, and SO w
declared that we were unalterably op-
posed to the free and unlimited coin
age of silver until we can have an in
ternational agreement, and in the
meantime we will preserve the exist
Ing gold standard"
ITO resume and conclude with q
word. the point ] was seeking to make
was this,