The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-07-23


| Motives and objects of the Non-Parti
san Silver Forces In the State-Forms
Party Platforms Quoted to Show Form
err Attitudes Upon the Subject.
The following address is issued toda.
by the committee authorized to prepar'
it at the non-partisan silver convention
held in Topeka July 16:
At a meeting of the Republican dele
gates to the free silver convention helt
| in the city of Topeka on July is, 1895
the undersigned We're appointed com
mittee on their behalf to publish to th+
| Republicans of Kansas the reason why
| they stand by free silver and agains
| the gold plank of the st. Louis plat
i form. In performing that duty we fully
recognize that prejudice is strong, thai
party tradition is strong and that party
discipline does not willingly reieast It's
hold upon those who have once sub,
mitted to its dictation. And we alsc
realize that the campaign of vftupera'
! ton already begun by the advocates
| of the gold standard is to be kept up in
the hope of lettering voters who favor
the free coinage of both silver and gold
from voting their sentiments. But, re-
lying upon the intelligent and indie
pendent judgment and courage of ouI
people we submit the following:
MONEY THE ONE ISSUE
The Republican party, by driving
forth the Republican senators from the
mountain states, made it highly i'm
probable that they can again control
the United States senate within the
next four years, If not impossible to
do so. This makes it practically i'm
possible to secure the passage of a pro-
tective tariff bill within the next four
years. In declaring for the gold stand
ard they acted with full knowledge of
the consequences. and they deliberately
chose gold and the Wilson bill rather
than both gold and silver and a pro-
tective tariff. The great body of
voters concede that the ST. Louis plat
form offers but this one issue. It is
the dominant thought in the minds of
all the people and is the one topic of dis
cussion among all voters.
FREE COINAGE REPUBLICAN.
The present platform is a complete
change of position. The Republican
platform Of 1888 says:
The Republican party is In favor Of
the use of both gold and silver as
money, and condemns the Democratic
party in its efforts to demonetize sill
YER"
That meant and was intended to mean
that both gold and silver was to be
coined upon equal terms and neither
was to be favored before the law, is
shown by the actions of the Republic
cans Of Kansas. In the same platform
of 1890 We read:
The practical operation Of the sill
yer act now in force, recently passed
by Republican majority in both
houses of congress, is rapidly increas-
ing the value of silver, is a good step in
the right direction; but we, the Repub-
Hcans of Kansas. demand the free coin
age of silver"
Upon this platform we elected the
state ticket. Major ]. X. Hudson was
chairman Of the committee that report
ed the resolution, and a convention of
over 800 delegates unanimously adopt
ed it.
Again, to emphasize the position of
the Republican party, the Kansas state
senate. then being almost unanimously
Republican, on January %, 1891. by a
vote of "a to 3. passed the following
resolution:
Whereas The recent action of the
senate of the United States in PROMPTLY
passing the free coinage of silver bin.
Is move in the right direction of the
restoration of prices and property to
the agricultural industry, therefore be it
Resolved, That the senate of the
state of Kansas urge upon the national
mouse or representatives the prompt
concurrence in the passag e of the SEN
abe silver bill; that this body. repre-
senting the Republicans of Kansas. re-
specuully but earnestly requests our
delegation in congress to insist, in the
interest OF the country and the welfare
or the Republican party in the west.
upon the passage OF the bill and the an
prevail by the Republican executive as
being IN line with Republican pledges,
10 show that the foregoing was the
deliberate opinion of the Republican
party. We quote the following from the
Topeka Daily Capital of June II. 1889:
Our fathers declared that 371.a5
grains OF pure silver should be a dollar
That has not been changed. but now
unless the Republican party declares in
favor Of the free coinage of silver and
gold, there is danger that silver NAV he
still further deprecated and prices of
products still further lowered"
And the same paper on the 4th day of
January, 1891. says:
The Capital wishes TO send A short
message to congress. It will he brief
but important to the west. 1t is this:
stop your windy speeches about the
election bills; pass the Plumb measure
for the free coinage of silver and give
the country one or two hundred millions
OF paper currency
1t is not as long as the president'e
message, but Will do this country and
the Republican party more good. IL act
ed upon, than a dozen messages like
the last one. The west and south are
growing very tired of seeing the money
influences OF the east stop the prom
ised financial tegisla ton"
But that there should be no dol,bt !
that the Republican party favored
placing gold and silver upon an equal
ity before the law, in 1892 the national
platform declared:
The American people, frorl tradi-
ton and interest. favor bin etallisyn.
and the Republican party demands the
Use OF both god and silver as standard
Il is a feet that prior TO June Is. 1896.
the Republican party. az all times. al
legged its loyalty to the doctrine that
silver and gold should stand upon an
equality before the law and at no time
has II suggested any other ratio than