Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-07-24
THE SILVER PARrY's CONVENTION.

THE SILVER PARTY's CONVENTION.
The silver party is holding its national
convention at st. Louis this week. The
following dispatch appeared in Wednes
days dailies
"ST. LOUIS, July 2l.-The national
committee of the national silver party
met this morning at the Lindell hotel
but after a brief session Il recess was
taken until o'clock, when a secret ses-
sion was held at DIR. Motifs room at the
same hotel George Z. keeney of Cali
| fornia presided.
Zone of the features of the afternoon
session was speech made by Joseph
Battell, the member from Vermont. Mr..
Battell created considerable enthusiasm
when he asserted thar the farmers of Yer
mont were in open revolt against exist
ing conditions. The great majority. he
said, cannot be induced to 90 INTO the
demOcrtc party, but he predicted that
many of the number would support
Bryan and Sewall because of their belief
in silver. He asserted that the repub-
licar State committee was astOunded at
the attitude assumed by the republican
farmers, and they were uncertain what
course to pursue.
"Mr. Foster of Oregon in speech as
serted that Bryan and Scwall would carry
Oregon by a majority of 10000.
George Thompson of the State of
Washington was elected to place on the
committee. and following this came the
appointment of a special committee con-
sisting of Senator Jones of Nevada and
Messrs. Stevens of Colorado, Baker of
California, Thompson of Washington and
Davine of Nebraska, to draft an address
to the public calling upon all friends of
silver to support Bryan.
The convention proper opened We'd
nesday. Congressman Francis G. New
lands of Nevada was chosen temporary
chairman and made an extended ad-
dress, in the course of which he said:
before entering upon the considera-
ton of the platforms of the respective
parties let me correct a misapprehension
INDUCED in so largely by the eastern
press as to the purpose of this move
ment. 1t Is not intended to pay debts
with 30 cent dollars, or to drive away
gold or to debase our currency. Our
purpose simply is, by increasing the
coinage and use of silver and by giving
it equal privileges with gold, to raise its
value and by diminishing the strain on
gold which gold monometallism has
caused, to take away its unjust appre-
citation, and thus, by pulling up the
value of silver and pulling down the
value Of gold, to restore the old ratio so
that lG ounces of SILVER will be worth (in
bullion as we'll as in cOin) one ounce of
gold. Thus the old unit of value-the
dOllar-based on both metals instead of
one, will be restored, and we shall have a
gold dollar worth 100 cents in silver and a
silver dollar worth 100 cents i'm gold.
If we are asked why this ratio is deter
mined upon, our answer is not only that
that has been the customary ratio for
years. but also that the total stock of
silver coin in the world is 81. 900 OO0. 600:
that the total stock of gold coin is ap.
prOXimately the same, and that if the
total stocks of silver and gold were each
melted into a solid mass the silver mass
would be about lG times as great i'm
weight as the gold mass. We also an
swer that today the relative production
of the two metals is in Approximately
the same proportion. We must establish
by law some ratio of value between the
two metals. And we propose to value
silver as it will stand after restoration
to equality of privileges with gold and
not while it is discredited by unequal
laws"
Chairman Newlands read the following
telegram from senator Teller:
DENVER, July u.
l. ". .SteoeiS, 81. Louis -
The money question Overshadows all
others. On its rightful determination
depends the prosperity of the people and
the perpetuity of the people and the con-
tinuance of republican institutions. All
other questions must be subordinate to
it. \ vote for Bryan and Sewall is IA
vote for industrial and financial indie
pendence of the American people from
foreign domination and control. and they
should have the support of all opponents
to England's standard.
The sentiments pleased the delegates
and were vigorously applauded.
VIM. II. st. John of New York was
made permanent chairman and on taking
the chair explained the purposes of the
party. 1t was voted to appoint a COM
mittee consisting of one from each State
to meet similar committee from the
pOpulsts to take up the question of diff
ferences between the two parties for the
purpose of coming TO some rational
agreement, to the end that the nomina-
ton of Bryan and Sewall might be rati-
fled by the two conventions. Mr.. Battell
is the Vermont member of this commit
tee. No other business of importance
was transacted Wednesday.