The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-06-24
AN APPEAL.
The Silver Leaders Issue an I'm.
passioned and Able Address
to the Public.

st. Louis, June 19.-At the secret confer
ence Of. the boiling silver delegates yes
terday Afternoon and last night after much
careful consideration, the subjoined ad-
dress to the people Of the United States
was agreed upon and authorized to be CIV
en- to the press. While the address con-
tains much In the nature of silver coin
age argument, the concluding paragraphs
show the determination of the boiling del
egates to bring about the nomination If
possible Of Senator Henry M. Teller, of
Colorado, as the candidate for the presi-
dency on the platform having for its card
inal principle the free and unlimited COIN
age Of silver. The address in full Is as fol-
lows:
To the People Of the United States:
Obeying the call of duty and justified by
the common citizenship of this republic,
we address, this communication to the peo-
pie and the forthcoming conventions of
the United States. In doing so we claim
no authority or right other than that
which belongs to every man to express
personal convictions; but we respectfully
solicit the cooperation of all who believe
that the time has come for a return to the
simpler and more direct method Of naming
men for national service than has obtain
ed in recent years.
Political party organization is necessary
because, without it, the individual voter is
dumb. but the party is only the means not
the end; it is the voice and not the sense
AS the world advances in this wonderful
epoch of intellectual development and
physical improvement there is a constant
requirement for better things. The indi-
vdual feels that requirement and needs it,
or he fails in life's endeavor. Parties
must also obey the same law. 1t follows
hof fho "a
choose to stand still or retrogress it is no
longer efficient to achieve the end to which
the people are necessarily destined. There
is no sanctity in mere party name; and
the mark of decay is set on Individual
strength in a nation, when the absolute
rule Of political organization coerces men
from the truth for the sake of expediency
and establishes insincere submission to
partisan rule for the sake Of power.
Recognizing the value and the splendid
achievements of political parties in this
country, as elsewhere, we are yet con-
strained to believe that for more than 20
years no one of them has been entirely
sufficient for the needs Of the people. The
great trend to better things, resting in
| tie heart and purposes Of all men. has
been stayed during the latter part Of this
generation by the failure Of parties to ex
press in their achievements the highest
| hope and aspiration of the mass Of the
people who constitute the parties. And
| there has been growing. in this country;
| swelling with each recurrence of national
elections, a great mass of independent
| thinkers and voters, which, failing within
| itself to control, has gravitated between
| the two great parties. Since 1872 Except
| ing possibly the election 1870, the pendu>
| lum has swung from side to side with
| each four years. In 1872, the Republican
| party elected the president; in 1876 the
| Democracy claimed the election; in 1880
| the Republican party elected; in 1884 the
| Democrats elected in 1888 the Republicans
| elected; in 1892 the Democrats elected; in
1896, until within few weeks, it has been
| conceded that the Republicans would
| elect.
What has been the cause of this mighty
| oscillation of mass, which, this year. has
| probably obtained controlling proper
| tions? Every man can answer to himself.
If he has been an observer, II he mas had
interests that were affected, if he has felt
| hope to see greater justice done and has
| seen that hope blasted, he knows that the
general dissatisfaction has arisen from
the fact that party promises made were
broken to the people by party perform
ance; he knows that so soon as the cleo
ton was over and successful candidate
installed they became the servitors Of the
party and the advocates Of narrow and
non-progressive policy within which alone
there seemed to be an assurance of selfish
| safety and partisan approval. During al
this period we have lacked a great con-
| structive administration. No new sOcia
| truth has been put forward in an effective
way. While IN all the departments OF
| physical life there have been developments
and achievements OF ease and comfort tt
the favored of mankind: in the still great
| err and more important domain of SOcla
reform we have stood still or retrOgressed
It is not that the people have not fell
the STRINGS of determination, that thi:
inaction has endured, but because OF thu
| io1, Low mol
| in and out of Office. 1t has become {
source of reproach to any man that h
| should dare to renounce allegiance to or
SANITATION. Men have been expected t
| submit their views to the dictation Of con
| ventions, although it is common knowl
edge that conventions have been swayet
,, to views and declarations not the mos
approved by the mass of the people no
. progressive for their welfare.
, We do not arrogate to ourselves one lot
more of intelligence, patriotism or courag
than is possessed by any Of our fellow cti
zens, but we feel that the time has com
! for the performance of duty to the coun
try; and for our part, though we shall
; | stand alone, we will make an endeaVor i
> the direction Of that duty. Parties ma
: | outlive their usefulness; the truth neve
: | becomes obsolete. Every generation o
: freemen has the right to affirm the truth
of past knowledge and present acquire
ment and if the enforcement of thes
| truths shall make necessary QepdFluI
| from party organization the people hav
| this right and will exercise it until old pal
| ties shall return to the truth or new pal
, ties shall be created to effect it into law.
. If the voices which have sounded to
f from every state in this union are an II
e dication of the real feeling this year
:, the appointed time for the people to a:
u sert themselves, through such medium
) as may give best promise of the achieve
ment OF Justice but whether we are mis-
t taken or not concerning the general sent
r ment in the United States, we have M
: mistaken our own duty in withdrawn
!, from the Republican convention feelin
u that it is better to be right and with tt
4 minority in apparent defeat than to
s wrong with the majority in apparent tr
1 umph.
i We hold that the great work Of soci
+ evolution in this country, monetary reforl
stands as the first requisite. No polio
however, promising of good results, ca
take it's place. Continuation during II
next four years upon the present final
cial system will bring down on the Amer
I. can people that cloud Of impending ev
e to avert which should be the first though
It of statesmen and the first prayer Of pa
{ riots.
/, Our institutions are at stake. Toda
- - with the rapidly increasing populatio
n with widely swelling demands, the basis
l. our money is relatively contracting ar
re the people are passing into a servitut
II all the more dangerous because it is n