West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1896-10-22
REPLY or
Judge Daniel B. Lucas
Senator Elkins' Parkersburg Speech.

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presentation Of your case in favor OF
Mckinley. Upon more careful pc
rusal, however. i find il will not stand
the test Of critical analysis. Indeed
4 am almost tempted TO say that you
ara indebted 70 your rhetoric for
your logic, aud to your fancy for
your facts. AS printed and circu-
lated ia supplemental newspaper
form, flnd in the irst two columns
Of the supplement an attempted de
scription Of the Republican and
Democratic Platforms" Not q word
OF either platform is quoted. You
presnme upon the faith Of the PEG
PIE, when you suppose we can take
your Interpretation Of the respective
Platforms as infallibly correct. L
propose to show that as an oracle,
sop are singularly unreliable, and
"a an interpreter strongly at vari.
aaee with the record.
The money plank ia your platform
= Inconsistent and contains within
itself palpable self contradiction.
THE GOLD PLANK
@The Republican party is unreser
vedly for sound money. 1t caused
the enactment OF the law providing
fo' the resumption of specie pay
ments in 1879; since then every dol
lar has been as good as gold.
We are unalterably opposed to
every measure calculated to debase
our currency or impair the credit OF
our country. We are therefore OPP
posed to the free coinage OF silver
except by international agreement
with the leading commercial nations
Of the world, which we pledge our
selves TO promote, and until such
agreement can be obtained the exist
ing gold standard must be preserv-
ed. All our silver and paper cur
rency must be mqirta, asd at
parity with gold. AID we favor all
measures. designed TO maintain in
violably the obligations OF the Uni
ted States and all our money, wheth
or coin or paper, at the present
standard. the standard of the most
enlightened nations of the earth"
The first half declares for bimet-
allism based on international agree
Rent, while the second clause pledg.
ses the party to favor all means ever
designed to maintain the "present
gold standard, the standard of the
most enlightened nations of the
earth"
In repudiating the international
Aereement pledge of your party, you
ate much more frank and honest
&han your leaders who formed your
platform. They understood, what
you virtually admit, that your
party favors and would maintain the
Ilresent English gold standard and
That If they succeed in electing Nc
Kinley nofurther effort will be made
30 restore silver either here or here
after. You say "the attempt to
maintain the double standard of
value-~or TO keep the legal tender
coins Of gold and silver in use as
money upon a ratio of value fixed
by law--has been, wherever attemp-
tod, q failure throughout ell histo-
ry.' You repeat this proposition
over and over. aud in various forms,
until there can be no doubt whatever
as TO your meaning--that no legis-
lation by Congress and no interna-
tiopal agreement, can safely open
our Ioints to the coinage Of silver.
This Is the real platform OF your
party, and ] am glad you have the
manlinesa aud frankness TO avow it,
And Stand upon 1t. Let me then
5 conduct the discussion upon this
admitted attitude Of the two great
parties towards silver: The Re.
publican, that there shall be no
more cottage OF silver, now or Ia the
future; the Democratic, that all sill
yer presented at the mint shall be
coined into legal tender coin money
at the ratio Of 16 to l.
You commence the discussion by
copdemnipg this administration for
The fact and the method Of issuing
and selling bonds TO keep up the
gold reserve in the Federal treasury.
condemn the administration more
heartily and consistently than you
do. because ! condemn both the sale
Of bonds and The construction Of the
lav which renders any gold reserve
necessary; while you and your party
by an unauthorized and fraudulent
construction Of the Law under which
orr obligations we're contracted,
made them redeemablo IN gold only,
pstead of 10 'coinp or both silver
end gold, and at The option Of the
government, az called for in the con
kract Compare the two platforms
on thissuhect, and sec which is the
better Yours, in feeble, left
banded way, 80 if conscious Of the
guilty participation OF your own
party in a fraud upon the people,
condemns the administration which
"has kept o perpotual menace hang
Ing over the reoemDfion fund Dawn