The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-03-03
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND
SILVER.

The dispatches a few days ago
briefly state that Senator Allen. Popu-
! list from Nebraska, offered TO pledge
six Populist votes to the forty
four Republican senators. if they
would accept a free silver amendment
to their house tariff bill. This would
have given the Republicans the neces-
sary majority to pass the measure;
but the offer was declined. The brief
account in the dispatches, however.
gave no adequate idea of the intensely
interesting discussion which the offer
of Mr. Allen provoked. And as in the
last campaign in Utah it was frequently
asserted that the only hope for silver
was through the action of the Re-
publican party; and as the belief is
still expressed that free coinage for
silver can be secured through coupl-
| ing free silver and protection to-
gether, and as all these subjects were
dealt with in the rather heated senate
discussion; and also as from it may be
gathered the sentiment in the Republic
can party towards silver, we quote
the senate debate on Senator Aliens
proposition in extenso from the Con-
gressional Record:
'.Mr. Allen-The senator from Yer
| mont has undertaken to cast upon the
| Populfst party the responsibility for a
failure to carry this motion Ito take UP
| the tariff bilD this morning. 1t IS
responsible, Mr.. President, and 1T is
! perfectly willing to assume the respoIl-
| sibility and all the consequences that
may flow from it.
81 see present my amiable and dis
/ tinguished friend, the senator from
Rhode Island Cdr. Aldrich), who al
ways coaches the senator from YER
mont, the chairman of the committee
on finance, and I wish to ask the
senator from Rhode Island, who has
said he is a bimetallist, and that his
party is bimetallic party, whether
! he is willing to take the tariff bill Just
exactly as it comes from the House of
/ Representatives with a free coinage
/ amendment attached to it,?
/ Mr. Aldrich-Does the senator from
! Nebraska wish an answer from me?
! Hr Allen-I desire to have an
answer from some responsible head Of
! the Republican party. if it has one
| Mr. Aldrich-I answer. then, frank
| ", no, with as much emphasis as 1t Is
possible for me to use.
/ Mr. Allen-I am glad to hear it. be-
cause it stamps the Republican party
as the enemy Of bimetallism. Your
party has been masquerading for three
years under false pretepse in this
! chamber.
Mr. Morgan Ito Mr.. Anen).-Ask him
/ if he would take the Mckinley law
with free coinage.
Mr. Allen-You would not even
Mr. Aldrich-Will the senator from
| Nebraska allow me to ask
Mr. AIen-The senator from Ala
ba1na suggests that I ask you If you
will take the Mckinley bill with free
coinage. Will you do that?
| Mr.. Platt-No.
| Mr. Allen-The senator from Con-
necticut says NO Are there any
circumstances under which you will
! take free coinage?
Mr. Aldrich-NO, sir
! Mr.. Allen-No, sir.
| Mr. Platt-Except by an interna-
/ tional agreement.
! Mr.. Aldrich-Unless an international
agreement on the subject shall be first
secured.
Mr. Anen-oh, yes. Now, that dis
! closes exactly what we have always
claimed. There are no circumstances
] uIluGT winch you are DlIIleldlllSlS.
! Mr. Platoon, Mr. President.
Mr. Allen-You have lied upon the
! question, If I may speak netaplTori-
cally, for three years to my certain
! knowledge. For three years you have
stood in this chamber and have under
/ taken to make the people OF this coun-
I try believe that you are bimetallists,
and now when you are put TO the test
you will not take silver with this tariff
/ IT Irz Ill, fTx.
/ Mckinley bin, and you will not take
| it under any circumstances.
| Mr.. Platt-Does the senator from
/ Nebraska intend to say that the Re-
! publican party Of this country has
! ever tried to make the people believe
that it was in favor of the free and
unlimited coinage of silver at the ratio
/ of 16 to L
Mr.. Allen-That is it exactly.
! Mr.. PIatt-Wait a, moment. By the
| United States alone? Does the sena-
tor intend to say that the Republican
party has ever taken that position?
Mr. AldT'ich-AnyWhere
! Mr. Platt-Anywhere?
| Mr.. Allen-You took it in 1892. I
have not got your platform here.
! Mr.. Cockrell-I will turn to it.
! Mr.. Platt-I will tell the senator
what the platform is. 1t is that we
are in favor of the use of both silver
and gold as money
/ Mr.. Teller-As standard money.
/ Mr.. Platt-As standard money, upon
such conditions as viii keep both at a
parity.
Mr. Anen-But you never tried
| that
Mr. PIatt-That is practically the
| language of the platform
Mr.. Allen-I have here the platform
Of 1892
Mr.. Stewart-In your platform OF
1888 you said the Republican party is
! In favor of the use of gold and silver.
as standard money.
j Mr.. Mitchell, of Oregon-It did NOT
say that. 1t said, 1--WE demand the
use of both gold and silver as stand
ard money"
Mr.. Allen-I have the platform here.
Mr.. SteWart-And it said I'VE con-
denim the administration of the Demo-
cratic party for its efforts to demone-
tie silver" But You refuse to use sill
yer as standard money
Mr.. Allen-Here is what the uIatforp,
Of 1892 says:
1.-THE American people, from tradi-
ton and interest, favor bfn1etaIlisro
and the Republican party demands
the use Of both gold and silver as
standard money, with such restric-
tons and under such provisions: to be
determined by legislation, as will Sc
cure the maintenance of the parity of
values of the two metals SO that the
purchasing and debtpaying power of
the dollar, whether of silver, gold. or