The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-06-19
MR.. TELLER's PROPOSITION,

The first proposition submitted 10y
Senator Teller to the Subcommittee
on resolutions on the financial ques'
ton was as follows:
1.-THE Republican party fayors the
| use of both gold and silver as equal
standard money, and pledges It's
power to secure the free, unrestricted
and independent coinage OF gold ana
silver at our mints at the ratio OF SIX
teen parts of silver to ONE OF gold.
When this was voted down Mr.. Tel
Ter offered the following, proposed by
Senator Cannon, and intended to com
bine silver and projections:
Whereas the basis of the great doc
trine of protection is to give con-
stancy of employment and higher
wages to the toilers. and upon tins
basis the great men of the party nave
stood. and the party's victories nave
been achieved; and
"Whereas the effect of the single
standard in this country is to make
employment Insecure and to decrease
the wages of the toilers by decreasing
The price of human production; and
Whereas since the single standard
and protection are irreconciliable, 1t
follows that party cannot reasonably
declare for both and attempt to achleVe
the purposes of both, and if the Re
publican party shall devote itself to
the single gold standard it will be led
to the fatal policy which commends
Americans to where they can buy the
cheapest; aud
whereas if the Republican party is
still to continue as the advocate and
exponent of protection to the Amefl-
can people it must logically oppose
the single gold standard policy. Now,
therefore, be it -.
"Resolved, That the Republican
party, in National convention assem-
bled. holding to the great truth that
it's highest mission is to advance the
interests of the toilers of the United
States, hereby re-affirms the doctrine
of protection to American industries,
and resolves to use all its power to
achieve bi-metallism, being the free,
unrestricted, and Independent coinage
of silver at our mints, as they were
coined previous to 1873"
These resolutions having been dis
posed of by the adverse vote of l to
S. the Colorado Senator then offered
a proposition for the coinage of the
American product. In doing so, he
said that the resolution was not his,
that he offered it by request. He said
that he was not an advocate of the
policy embodied in the proposition,
but that it had been asserted that the
party would accept silver coinage re-
stricted to the American product.
Hence he decided that the committee
should pass upon it. As for himself,
he would only vote for it in lieu OF
absolute free coinage, which had been
rejected. This resolution was worded
as follows:
''The Republican party pledges it
self to the free coinage of all silver
which may be produced in this coun-
try and offered at the minis at the
ratio of sixteen parts Of silver to one
of gold.'
This resolution was defeated by the
same vote as the preceding ones, there
| being eight votes to one against
Mr.. Teller would offer no other pro
position on silver. as he has all along
stated that he would not agree to any
thing like a straddle. He did not be
lieve in any of the three propositions
he submitted, but at the request of the
silver men he made the propositions
although he knew that they would not
be accepted. Mr.. Teller submitted q
minority report on the money plat
form, but not on any other feature OF
| the platform.