Mexico weekly ledger., 1896-03-05

ed the eth congressional district on
the committee to formulate the ad-
dress which follows.
FRANCIS CHOSE CHAIRMAN.
After the recess the committee re-
ported that it had chosen d. r. Fran
els as permanent chairman and W. o.
L. Jewett, of Shelby, secretary. The
following address to the voters of the
State was adopted without a dissenting
vote:
ADDRESS TO DEMOCRATS.
"To the Democrats of the State of
Missouri: The national convention of
the Democratic party, to formulate it's
policy and nominate candidates for
President and Vice-President, has
been called to meet in the city of
Chicago on the 7th day of July, 1896.
The convention of the party in Mis-
souri, to elect delegates to the national
convention has been called to meet in
the city of Sedalia on the 18th day of
April. This unprecedented action call
ing for the election of delegates three
months in advance of the meeting of
the convention to which they are to
be accredited, has been had with the
avowed purpose of influencing the
party in other States and committing
the national Democracy to the free and
unlimited coinage of silver at a ratio
of is to 1 of gold regardless of the
relative commercial value of the two
metals and regardless of the action of
world.
"To make to the country at large a
showing of strength that they do not
possess, the advocates of this policy
openly avow the intention to secure
the national delegates from every dis
trict in the State, if need be, by de-
priving the voters of the several dis
tricts of the right, lever before ques-
toned, of choosing their own repre-
sentatives and electing them through
the action of the entire body of the
State convention. And while these
advocates of free silver propose, if
they find themselves in a majority in
the State convention, to deny all right
of representation to the minority,
many of them at the sa me time avow
they purpose not to submit to the
majority in the national convention, if
that majority shall be adverse to them,
but to array the Democracy of Mis-
souri, against the platform and nomi-
nee of the national Democracy.
A POLICY OF RULE OR RUIN.
"The reputation of the only Dem
ocrat elected and inaugurated to the
within forty years, and the
lowering of the existing standard of
values, upon which public and private
credit and all business prospects are
based, are sought to be made the tests
of state and national Democracy, and
every Democrat who refuses to sub
NIT thereto is to be prescribed. Those
who purpose this policy of rule or
ruin assumed the direction of the
party at the election and their lead
eliminated in overwhelming
disaster. The last election gave us
for the first time in more than twenty
years Republican State officials, a Re-
publican legislature and a Republican
in Congress. The same
if adopted by the national
will be attended by the
results.
"The Democratic party is bound by
Ill its traditions, by the teachings and
example of its great leaders, jefferson,
and Benton, to the principle
If freedom of trade with all the ma
ions of the world and as an indispen-
able condition of such commercial
reedom, to a money that will pass
at it's face value in every
quarter of the globe.
"The tree coinage of silver at a ratio
hove it's market value is but another
'hase of that paternalism and favor
o the few at the expense of the many,
gainst which the Democratic party
as always struggled.
SILVER A PROTECTION DOCTRINE.
"The threat of the senators of the
silver mining states to OPP
'ose any further extension of the pro-
ective policy unless they Are support
d in their demand for free silver by
he manufacturing states, attests the
elfsh interests and undemocratic mo-
ives which prompt to the debase-
1ent of the national currency. To
K by law a value upon silver which
does not command in the open
larket is to do for the silver barons
{ the Rocky mountains what has so
,ng, under the specious guise of pro-
sction to home industry, been done
the iron barons of the Alleghenies.
he farmers of the great central val
y of the Union sell the fruits of the |
elds they till at prices fixed by free !