The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-06-22
Foraker Explains the Conven-
tion's Attitude on Silver.
THE SAME AS FOUR YEARS AGO
When Teller and His Associates Made
the Same Demand.
The Same Reasons Were Given Then
as at the Recent Convention. Yet
the silver Men Did Not Go Out
They Sought Nono-m taliisfn and
Not Bi-mctaIiism.

Cincinnati, June g1.-In view of Senator
elect Foraker's relation 10 the making OF
+ the platform al St Louis, and his relation
/ with Senator Teller four years ago IN
similar capacity, his utterances on the
subject OF gold and silver last night, in his
( ratincali speech, become OF peculiar
( interest. He said:
/ II want 10 take advantage OF this op-
I perfume time TO say a word about the
effort now being made 10 make IL appear
I that The Republican party declared il It's
money plank for something new in ST..
/ Louis. That is not true.
+ THE declaration OF the Republican par
I ~ as embodied in its financial plank, de-
fines exactly what has been the position
/ of the Republican party through al the
years with respect TO this silver question.
Silver was demonetized In 1873, and ever
/ since that We have been on single gold
/ standard. About the same time several
/ OF the leading nations OF Europe demone-
tized silver and ever since that time an
effort has been made TO get back 10 the
/ standard. We have seen three interna-
tional money conferences. the object Of
them being to agree with the nations upon
! an international ratio according 10 which
We could have the free coinage OF silver.
But all these efforts have failed.
''It has been constantly and repeatedly
declared by both parties that bi-metailism
was desirable In preference 10 god or
silver monometalIism. Both parties have
/ agreed that We could maintain the parity
/ OF the two metals and bring about the BIZ
[ metaIism again by an international agree
I ment. Some have insisted In the meanwhile
that il we could rot do il that way we
( could do IT alone without regard 10 what
| other nations might see it 10 do. The
| Republican party has constantly, consist
entity and persistently stood up against
| that idea.
-Four years ago when we held the aon-
vention at Minneapolis IL was my fortune
/ TO be the chairman of the committee on
/ resolutions, as IL was at the ST. Louis
convention, and II was my fortune 10 be
/ associated on that committee with Sena-
/ tor Teller. His associates from the silver
/ states to that convention came before that
| committee asking us to insert a plank
| pledging the Republican party to the free
| coinage Of silver. We refused 10 do il.
| We declared that we were in favor or in
| ternational bi-metallism but that until
| that was brought about Il would be our
policy TO maintain silver at a parity with
! gold by issuing no more of IL than could
| be maintained at a parity with gold.
! They accepted the result and remained
| In the Republican party. That declaration
was simply a declaration. as the one
I adopted the other day, that we should
| stand precisely where We were until we
could do better.
They did not feel called upon to go
from the party then: their consciences did
| not seem to trouble Them so much as now
| They remained IN the party four years
| longer. When the last session of congress
! commenced, as a result OF this Democratic
| free trade experiment, the government
| was found to have deficient revenue; not
! enough revenues to meet its current ex-
| penses. A bin was prepared In the house
! and passed by that body. without partisan
| division almost, providing for an increase
| OF revenues That bill was known as the
Dingley bill. 1t went to the senate. The
! national credit the national honor, the
| national life were at stake. The gentle
men said the bin was unobjeetionable. bat
1 they refused to vote for II Chat is. six OF
( these gentlemen from silver states did
/ unless the great majority. who did not
| agree with them, would sacrifice their
! convictions and vote for the free, unlimit-
| ed and unrestricted coinage of silver The
great majority In the senate would not be
! coerced by that minority.
That action upon the part OF these peo-
! pie directed the attention Of the country
/ to this subject as IL had not been directed
| before And therefore when We met at
/ ST Louis we were not for different
/ stand TO be taken by the Republican party.
| hlft for more explicit declarations Of our
| principles than we had heretofore made;
| and inasnsueh as they bad thrown down
| the gaga Of battle BY demanding free sill
/ YER and seeking TO coerce US TO accept 1t, we
/ concluded that that was a good time 20
| meet them half way. Join Issues and iet
! the battle come on. They appeared before
/ the committee and were part OF the COM
/ rnitsae. Just as they we're fOur years ago.
/ Thsv made the same demand, and we made
/ the same answer We did four years be-
/ fore. . but when we came 10 write the
platform we said we would make Il so
! plain all would understand. and we de-
| clarea that We were unalterably opposed
/ % the free and unlimited coinage of silver
! until We can have an international agree
/ fuent. and that In the meantime we VIII
/ preserve the existing gold standard
! ITO conclude with a word When Sena-
( tor Teller and his associates bolted the
/ nartv At the ST. Louis convention they
had no cause for II whatever that did not
7 exist four years before AZ the Minneapolis
{ convention. and when the Republican
partv made the declaration ~ did make at
4 s., Louis Il did not change its position
one pa~tfcle. but simply made - absolutely
{ certain in order that there could be a
: settlement of that question, that the
( proposition for free. independent and uu-
/ limited coinage of silver Is a proposition
I that W. did not entertain We did not su-
/ tertatr II because in cur Judgment IL does
+ not as Senator Teller and his associates
/ claim. mean bi-ruetarism, bat simply
( silver r1ono-metalltsFu-
we 20 into This therefore VIII our k1t-
( liant standard bearer representing 20 the
+ Ysear.te cf America protection 20 SHert-
can industries and American labor. and
i an absolutely sound dollar with which 70
. do our business An absolutely sound dol
lar. not simply for the merchant and ths
1 banker but for the wage Garner as vel.
/ Whep q man does n fgi days work he
/ tz entitled 20 have f}8I if@ cents In the
( dollar with whieh he Il paid and We pro-
{ nose that ne shall have ~ We propose
fnat The dollar we put f0fo circulation
.h~ metallic dollar-shall he worth 10
/ cents IN gold al over the world. no mat
{ .a~ -yhether 50 carries TIE eagle and su-
( r,s~a~rfution or not. Take a silver dollar
ana pound s. into bullion and it Is worth
8. cents. take a gold dollar and pound Il
/ fnto bullion and IL IS worth 100 cents al
( ever the world Noboay is cheated by
.hat aeiar. nobody Is misled BY IT,. 10
B stsrrrzt is excited every body has conf
I srra frs -. and when Gov. Mckinley shall
hsve beer. elected. prosperity xiii 81 once
rarse again. because thaf wlH insure
saun.l tarin. reciprocity and a sound cur
! rcncy."