The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-11-12
THEY FAVOR BIMETALLISM
INCOMING ADMINISTRATION ASKED
TO BRING 1T ABOUT If POS
SIBLE.
INTERNATIONAL SILVER SCHEME.
New Plan Suggested in a Paper Read
Before the Delegates at In
dianapOlis.

President Harrison to address the
body. The president of the congress,
referring to bill pending in the United
States senate, providing for an indus
trial commission, said that action
should be taken by the farmers con-
vention looking to the appointment Of
one or perhaps two Of the five mem
bers of the commission from the mem
bership of this congress. The session
was largely devoted to resolutions, and
they were referred to the committee on
resolutions as follows:
Suggesting S. w. Allerton, of Illinois,
as secretary of agriculture; requesting
congress of the United States to ap-
point corps Of civil engineers to ex-
anime and report as to the practica-
bility of constructing a ship canal
connecting the Atlantic with the Great
Lakes by way of the river and gulf of
Mexico; that it is the sense of this con-
gress that women should be given the
right Of suffrage; that the congress Of
the United States should take active
measures to restrict undesirable immi-
grafton discOuntenance class legisla-
ton and discourage sectionalism.
w. H. Hoffman, of Illinois, introduce
ed a resolution to the effect that mas
much as the supreme court of the
United States had decided that the tax
on incomes is unconstitutional and
whereas the farmers income includes
all the products of the farm, all farm
products should be exempt from assess
ment or taxation.
Mr.. Stahl. Of Illinois:
Whereas, Trusts are annually robbing the
American people of millions of dollars, be it
Resolved, That this congress demands that
the laws against trusts be enforced and such
laws as are now inadequate be strengthened.
A resolution was also offered and
referred favoring the initiative and re-
ferendum; also a graded land tax.
J. Adam Bede, Of st. Paul, said he
was Democrat, but he knew that
silver could only be mined by the
wealthy, by great corporations, and
that they alone could get any profit
out of it. A resolution with a decided
silver ring introduced by Mr.. Offut, Of
Indiana, was substituted by the follow
ing resolution by the committee on
resolutions and adopted, against the
warm protest of Mr.. Offut:
Whereas, The general concensus of opinion
Of the people of the United States is that gold
and silver coin on just parity of value
should be equally money OF ultimate redemp-
l1Oil N4IIOuI llu11l, III WHICH IHlS FARMERS
National Congress concurs, but differences of
opinion exist as to the methods by which this
policy can be secured; and
Whereas, The recent election resulted in
favor of bimetallism by international COM
mercial nations; therefore,
Resolved, That the Farmers National
Congress urgently requests the incoming ad-
ministration Of the national government to
speedily adopt all practicable methods to OBJ
tain the concurrence of a sufficient number
of nations to secure international bimetal-
lism with the unlimited coinage of gold and
silver as equally money of ultimate redemp-
tion and thereby to restore bimetallic prices
for the worlds commerce.
Mr. Lawrence, chairman of the COM
mittee, said the committee, with one
exception were of the opinion that the
resolutions expressed the opinion of a
vast majority of the people of the
United States and that the substitute
was a proper one.
J. A. Hunter, Of Tracey, Mimi, was
elected chairman of the Minnesota
delegation. James Quirk, of Waterville,
Mimi, was appointed on the finance
! committee; W. H Hams, on the reso-
luton committee, and j. Adam Bede,
on a committee of three to wait on
| Benjamin Harrison with the request to
| make a speech at the Farmers con-
| gress. The committee on location re-
commended ST. Paul as the next place
of meeting for the Farmers National
CCHSIGSS, 10 UG H01Q III IIl6 InOuIn Oh
August or September, 1897. This was
approved by the delegates ]. Adam
Bede made a witty speech on the To-
! cation Of the next Farmers congress,
and received great applause.
The afternoon session Of the congress
was devoted to the reading of papers.
One on good roads was read by Otto
! DCrner, of Wisconsin, a member of the
executive board, League of American
Wheelmen. Gen. Keystone, Of the
! agricultural department at Washing
ton, read a paper on the silver ques-
ton after the election. Gen. Stone
! said:
Though, the presidential election of 1896
turned admost wholly upon silver, it touched
only side issue of the great silver ques-
| ton; it dealt only with the merits and the
perils of American free coinage. Even upon
that side issue this election of itself may
! settle nothing 1t is not in human nature
! that party which has made such head in
its first fight should be willing to accept
one defeat as final. Unless, therefore, the
situation is wholly changed by some wide
action of the victors, this campaign may
only serve to line up the opposing forces
and embitter them for another conflict in the
! future, and one in which this minor detail
will still continue to obscure and displace
the main question in the case-the question
! that will have to be met and met with de-
liberation when the strife has ended in
ruin or exhaustion.
Various plans for currency reform had
/
none had commanded any general assent.
! The essentials of such a plan were:
1t should provide new, natural and grow
! ing use for silver. 1t should be capable of
! being put in operation gradually tentatively
and without shock. 1t should be terminable
any time without serious loss and without
| danger to the present system. 1t should
not be liable to defeat itself in practice by
! stimulating the production of silver and
| therefore 1t must not assure any definite in
crease in demand or price to cause rush
! of capital and labor into silver mining
1t is not likely that such additional use
| can be found in the local currency of any
country, fol, with the temptation of loo per
cent profit in coinage, probably the govern
| ments are already coming silver very near
| the limit Of safety
Gen. Stone submitted the following project
| for international silver money:
An international mint to be opened under
! ernments of the chief commercial countries
| of the world. Silver international coins which
may be known as globe dollars and frac-
! tions thereof bearing their denominations in
! shillings, francs, etc. on one side and an
| international symbol with the names Of the
| Union states the other. to be coined and
| freely issued is exshange for gold coin or its
equivalent, or for silver bullion at the mar
| ket price. Heavy bars or blocks of silver to
| be numbered and stamped with their full in
! ternational coinage value, for use in bank re-
! serves, for export domestic transfer
| Certificates to be issued, on deposit of silver
| bullion at the market value, or Of these pro-
! postd coins, bars or blocks. The international
coins, bars, blocks and certificates to be re-
| ceivable for public dues and to be exchange
agencies IN all countries or the Union. All
| profit of the coinage, stampage and issue of
| ceti0cates for bullion to be shared in a re-