Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1896-02-01
SILVER RESOLUTIONS.
Platform Adopted by the Free Silver Con.
ference at Washington.

w
Jones, of Nevada, read the following
as the declaration of the conference:
The paramount issue at this time in the
United States is indisputably the money ques-
ton It is between the gold standard, gold
| bonds and currency on one side, and the BIZ
metallic standard, bonds and government
currency on the other.
On this issue we declare ourselves to be in
| favor of distinctive American financial sys-
tenn. We are unalterably opposed to the single
gold standard and demand the immediate re-
| turn to the constitutional standard Of gold and
| silver by the restoration of this government,
| !ude pendently Of any foreign power, of the I'M
restricted coinage of both gold and silver into
standard money, at the ratio of 16 to l. and upon
terms of exact equality, as they existed prior to
| 1873 the silver coin to be full legal tender
equa42y with gold for all debts and dues, public
and private.
! We hold that the power to control and regu-
late a paper currency IS inseparable from the
| power to coin money; and, hence, that all cur
| rency intended to circulate as money should be
| issued, and it's volume controlled by the gen.
eral government only, and should be legal ten
der
We are unalterably opposed to the issue by
the United States of interest bearing bonds in
time of peace and denounce blunder
worse than a crime the present treasury policy,
concurred in by republican house, OF plung-
| ing the country in debt by hundreds of millions
| in the vain attempt to maintain the gold stand
payment of all the coin obligations of the
| United States as provided by existing laws, in
| either gold or silver coin, at the option of the
government and not at the option of the cred
| itors.
Whereas, The characterization Of silver in
1878 enormously increased the demand for gold,
enhancing its purchasing power and lowering
all prices measured in that standard and,
Whereas. Since that unjust and indefensible
act, the prices Of American products have
| n nearly
| rying down with them proportionately the
money value of all other forms of property. ex-
cept in peculiarly favored localities; and,
| Whereas, Such fall of prices has deStroye ed
| the profits of legitimate industry, injuring the
producer for the benefit of the non-producer,
| increasing the burden of the debtor and swell
| ing the gains of the creditor paralyzing the
productive energies of the American people,
RELOCATING to idleneSs vast numbers of willing
workers, sending the shadows of despair into
the home of the honest toiler, filling the IanG
with trampS and paupers and building up
colossal fortunes at the money centers; and
| Whereas, II the effort to maintain the gold
| standard the country has, within the last Is
months, in a time Of profound peace and
plenty, been loaded down with S162, 0000 900 of
additional interest-bearing debt under such
| circumS tanceS as to allow a syndicate of ma
| tive and foreign bankers to realize a net profit
| of $4,000 ,00) on single deal and
| Whereas, Another call is now pending for a
further gold loan of 10000, OOO which but for
| an outburst of popular Indignation would also
| have been negotiated in the same secret man
ner and through the same syndicates; and,
| Whereas, It stands confessed that the gold
standard can only be upheld by so depicting
| our paper currency as to force the prices OF
our products below the Europeans, and even
| below the Asiatic level, in order that may
sell in foreign markets, thus aggravating the
very evils of which our people so bitterly COM
plain. degrading American labor and striking
at the very foundation of our civilization it.
| self: and,
| Whereas, The advocates Of the gold standard
persistently claim that the real cause of our
distress is overprodnctfon, that we have pro-
| duced so much that it has made US poor, which
| implies that the true remedy is to close the
factory, abandon the farm and throw multi
| tude Of people out of employment-a doctrine
that leaves US absolutely without hope for the
future: and,
Whereas, The difference of exchange between
silver standard countries and gold standard
| countries is equivalent to bounty equal to
the difference between the value of gold and
silver, in favor of the products of silver stand
| ard countries exported in gold standard coun-
tries. and CORES ponding tariff against the
products of gold standard countries exported
to silver-using countries: and
| Whereas, The cost of production otherwise
in the old world, and particularly in China and
| Japan, is far less than the cost at which SINH
lar products can be produced or manufactured
in this country by American labor, without re-
ducing our farmers, miners, mechanics. manu-
facturerS and other industrial workers to the
level of Chinese coolies: therefore, be it
! Resolved, That over and above all other
questions of policy, we are in favor Of restoring
TO the people of the United States the time
honored money of the constitution gold and
| silver, not one, but both-the money Of Wash
ington and Hamilton and Jefferson and Monroe
and Jackson and Lincoln-to the end that the
| American people may receive honest pay for
| an honest product; the American debtor pay
his just obligations in honest standard. and
| not in standard that is appreciated 100 per
cent. above all the great staples of our coun-
try: and to the end further that silver standard
countries may be deprived of the unnatural
| advantage they now enjoy in the difference in
exchange between gold and sllver-an adj
vantage which tarir legislation alone cannot
overcome
We therefore confidently appeal to the peo-
pie of the United States that leaving in abey-
ance for the moment all other questions. how
ever important, even momentouS, they may
| appear. and sundering if need be all former
party ties and affiliations, that they unite in
one supreme effort to free themselves and their
| children from the domination of the money
power-a power more destructive than any
! which has ever been fastened upon the civil
| lied men of any race or in any age. And upon
the consummation of their desires and efforts
we invoke the gracious favor OF Divine Provi-
| dence.
| EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
The following executive COMMITTEES
| was chosen:
| Arizona-M w. Brennan.
Colorado n. Stevens.
Connecticut-Hon. Joseph Sheldon.
/ California-George w. Baker.
| Idaho-John p. Clough.
| 1owa-AmoS Stechr.
nlinois-Dr George NJ. Emerich.
| KanSaS-A G. Shnn.
observation-disclosures Z. Smith
| observation-disclosures c. Hill.
| NIichigan-Judge j. G. Ramsdel
| Montana-W H SWEET.
| NebraSka-G. L. Laws.
i Nevada-George s. Nison
| New Jersey-Mortimer Whitehead.
| North Caroipa-B F. keith
/ Ohio-Henry L. Miller
| PennSy lvInia-R E. Defenderfer.
4 Tennessee. III. Achlen.
| Virginia-A j. Wedderburn
| Vermont-JoSeph Battell.
| District of Columbia-C ]. Hillyer
Utah-Richard Mcintosh.
hon