The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-07-21
Address of the Silver NOnparti-
sans Issued Today.
Reasons Given for the Faith
That is i'm Them
FORMER PLATFORMS
Of the Republican Party Are
Compared
With Its Recent Utterance in
Which 1t Changes Front.

The following address is issued today
by the committee authorized to prepare
it at the non-partisan silver conven-
ton held in Topeka July 16:
To the Republicans of Kansas:
At a meeting of the Republican dele
gates to the free silver convention held
in the city of Topeka on July Is, 1896,
the undersigned were appointed a com
Enittee on their behalf to publish to the
Republicans of Kansas the reason why
they stand by free silver and against
the gold plank of the St. Louis plat
form In performing that duty we fully
recognize that prejudice is strong, that
party tradition is strong and that party
discipline does not willingly relax its
hold upon those who have once sub
mitted to its dictatiOn. And we also
realize that the campaign of vitupera-
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
rom voting their sentiments. But, re-
lying upon the intelligent and indie
pendent Judgment and courage of our
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 tne 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 people and is the one topic Of dis
cussiOn among all voters.
FREE COINAGE IS REPUBLICAN
DOCTRINE.
The present platform is q 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 it's efforts to demonetize sill
YER"
That this 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 Republi-
cans of Kansas In the state 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 fncreas-
ing the value of silver, is a good step in
she 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 J. K. Hudson was
chairman of the committee that report
cd 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 o. 1891, by a
vote "a he
resolution:
Whereas, The recent action Of the
senate Of the United States in promptly
passing the free coinage of silver bill
is a 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
house of representatives the prompt
concurrence in the passage of the SEN
ate silver bill; that this body, repre-
senting the Republicans of Kansas, re-
specially but earnestly requests our
delegation in congress to insist in the
interest of the country and the welfare
OF the Republican party in the west
upon the passage of the bill and it's ap-
prOVal by the Republican executive as
being in line with Republican pledges
To show that the foregoing was the
deliberate opinion of the Republican
Topeka Daily Capital of June II, 1885:
Our fathers declared that 371.25
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 may be
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 be 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 presidents
message, but it will do the country and
the Republican party more good, If 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 legislation"
But that there should be no doubt
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, from tradi-
ton and interest, favor bimetalliSln,
and the Republican party demands the
use Of both gold and silver as standard
money"
1t is a fact that prior to June Is. 1896,
the Republican party, at 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 it suggested any other ratio than
16 to l. 1t is safe to say that the
great body of Republicans honestly
subscribed to this doctrine. Now the
same party distinctly announces that
those who support it must indorse the
gold standard and oppose the free coin
a Ee Of silver except upon terms wholly
inconsistent with national self-respect,
and this without pretending to give
any reason therefor. This brings us
face to face with the question whether
a party platform is to be the exponent
or the dictator of public opinion. Re