Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1896-07-09
Hon. X. L. Joiner on Silver.

people, and party managers will do
we'll to consider it. While but very
few republicans of this county sub
scribe to the doctrines Of ultra sill
verites, or endorse the demand for
free coinage at the l6-to-l ratio, a
large per cent. agree with Mr..
Joiner that the tendencies and effect
of our financial policies for a num-
Der of years past have been In the
interest of the rich ruling classes
who count their wealth by millions.
Among the people there is settled
conviction that no earnest, deter
mined effort has been made on the
part Of this government to accom-
plish international bimetallism, and
there is fear that the influence of
the millionaire, who have most to
gain by an infeXible single gold
standard, may in the future, as it is
believed to have been in the past,
effectively exerted to make the de-
claration of the republican national
convention in favor of International
bimetallism nullity. Fortunately,
there is confidence that Mckinley Is
heartily in sympathy with the idea
that a double standard is highly de-
sirable for the public good, and that
as president he will earnestly and
vigorously labor to bring about an
international bimetallic agreement.
1t would be we'll for the Wiscon-
sin republican state convention and
the congressional conventions, to
strongly declare purpose on the
part of the party to make good the
pledge in favor of an international
agreement. Following is Mr.. Joiner's
letter. We hope for more from his
pen during the campaign:
TO the Editor: Itseems to me that
the right course is not being taken by
the leading newspapers of the state
Eon the currency question. Nearly all
of them, both democratic and repub-
lican, are professedly in favor of
"sound money" but judging from
their editorials and clippings from
articles and speeches on the currency,
nearly, il not quite all of them lean
little too much towards that ideal
state OF financial affairs so attractive
to the man who counts his money by
the million, viz, gold monometallism.
They, the said newspapers, seem to
| be ignorant of the fact that an almost
unanimous silver sentiment exists
and has always existed among the
common people. This silver senti-
ment was fully and satisfactorily
recognized in the St. Louis republi-
can platform by almost, if not en-
tirely as large a majority, as that
which nominated Mckinley; by a
pledge to promote an international
agreement to restore silver to the re-
demption money of the world. This
silver sentiment has in this state up
to a very recent period embraced
very few republicans who believed
that 1t would be advisable for this
country to attempt the free coinage
of silver, Independently of the great
powers Of Europe, and to keep our
present silver coinage in circulation
and as good as gold.
They believed that silver was de-
monetized by those great nations, at
the behest and in the interest of the
rich ruling classes. They knew that
there was among the people Of
Europe strong feeling in favor Of
silver. They watched with much
interest the extension OF the fran
chise in popular direction, and they
knew that bimetallism, as an econ
omic doctrine, was making progress
in the schools and universities OF
Europe. They saw that to restore sill.
yer as money in the world and al
j iAAN saAhN AAiAlA h'tH aiA VIZ ttdN 81
tages Of that action without disturb.
ing the value of other things than
silver, would require a united effort
of the world. They have desired and
| do desire to see this nation take a
firm, decided, unmistakable stand
on the side Of silver They do not
believe that for the last four years at
least, any thing has been done by
this nation in that direction. They
doubt if ever, even under Harrison s
administration, an honest, earnest
determined effort has been made to
obtain any such international agree
ment. They believe that the powers
that have been, from interest or
through necessity, have adopted and
put in execution the policy of those
men who believe, as one of them re-
Gently expressed it, that silver
money is a relic of half civilized
races, too bulky and unwieldy to be
used To settle the balances Of trade
l.