The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-08-12
GOVERNMENT LOANS TO THE PEOPLE.
A Greater Question Than Free Silver.-Don'
Like the St. Louis Convention.

Greater Question Than Free Silvor.-Don
Like the st. Louis Convention.
Editor Representative:
The treatment you received In st. Louis
at the hands of the Minnesota delegation
was an outrage. Instead Of injuring you
in the esteem OF fair-minded men that del
egation disgraced itself. The Popul:sts of
Minnesota should resent this insult to one
Of the greatest Of our party leaders, man
who is respected and loved by all true Pop
ulists. Never give up the fight. No
other man can fill your place. We need
you now more than ever, and from time
to time we want to see the traitors in our
ranks impaled upon the glittter:ng spear
Of Ignatius Donnelly. 1t will not do for
Achilles to sulk in his tent when the battle
10 raging for human liberty. What the
world needs above all other things is free
money-money loaned to the people by
their governments on good security at not
more than per cent interest per annum-
and nothing of this kind Is proposed by
either the Democratic or Republican par
ties Free coinage Of gold and silver is
an insignificant and contemplate policy In
comparison with free money as a remedy
for financial distress. Metal money never
was and never VIII be the currency . OF
America, except to very limited amount.
We had but little Of anything except bank
notes as q circulating medium before the
war, and since that time we have had more
paper currency than anything else. . The
people don't want specie. They want good
paper money; and every well posted imam
knows that II we had an adequate supply
Of legal tender treasury notes that would
pay all debts without exception. gosq and
silver coin would not circulate at al, be-
cause the paper money would be equally
useful and far more convenient. we
should not forget that congress has the
mower to coin money out OF paper, and,
according to Harvey, we need right now
at least three billion dollars more to do
business on cash basis. Then why wait
on the miners and minis when all the gold
and silver bullion produced IN this coun-
try would not pay the interest and divi-
dends due by us annually to European
capitalists. We must have paper money,
and plenty Of it, to do the business of this
great nation. But how are we to get 1t
under either the Democratic or Republican
platform? can see no relief for the peo-
pie during the next four years. The two
old parties are slaves OF the money power
and the Populist party has been crippled
What authority did the national Populist
convention have to nominate Democrat
for president? None whatever! They
They had no authority to do anything else
They had no right to lay the Pcpulist par
ty as bleeding sacrifice upon the altar Of
w. J. Bryan, who comes from a state
which polled only 1924 Democratic voter
In 1895, the Populist vote being 70,566 and
She Republican 1886. They have done
all that they could to ruin the Populist
party. They have eliminated it from the
presidential contest. They have placed II
in ridiculous attitude before the Amer
lean people. And they have tried to form
an unnatural and unwise alliance between
Populists ana Democrats And all fol-
what? To secure, they say, the free COIN
age Of silver But would a free coinage
law make rs happy? Banker Mitchell
says ''Free silver coinage can make nc
country prosperous" And ex-Gov. Waite
Of Colorado, said last year that Even II
we had free coinage of silver, with the
power to control the currency left with
banks all the benefits of free coinage
would be discounted by Wall street inside
OF ninety days" My conclusion Is that the
national Populist convention at St. Loui;
was a fraud John r Beasley.
Nashville, Tenn.