Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1896-06-25

- fzsr For1EFr.
time several ot the leading nations 81
Europe demouetix-d silver. and ever
since that time an effort has been
made 10 get hack To- bimetallism- We
have had In that behalf three interna-
iioaal monetary conferences. the oh
Jet - them being 20 agree with other
nations upoa an international rasio.ac-
s5r,iinx 20 which we could have the
free coinage Of silver But all these
efforts have failed
Ii has been constantly and re-
peatstIy declared By both parties that
bim~tallisn was desirable In prefer
suce 20 gold ~ silver mon0uetallism
Both PARTIES have agreed that we
eoui8 maintain = parity 90 the two
metals and bring about bimetailism
again oy an international agreement
>-1Has people have insisted in the
z1~anuz lille that 2 ~ could not do 10
that way. We cssul1 10 Il alone with
cut r~gar4 - wAat oth~r nations
might 500 - 20 30. The republican
party has csszstantiv- consistently and
p---Sistensly s.s--i up agains; that
lea
Fou- years asgo. when ~e held the
eoav~ntloa a. Nian@nu- polls. % vas zsv
fortune - BE- the chairman = the
committee gn r~sslatious. a. was nj
the - Loais eoaF-ntiau- aud u was
my fortune - be asso-iats,i "a that
committee with ~ruator Teller He
and his assorfa-rS from the silver
states cane p that convention and
came before that committee. asking
n - insert plank Pi~d<in< the r.
publican party 10 the free coinage %
silver We refused - do IT, We de-
elar~d that We were in favor - inter
national biusefal ism. bus that until
brought ah-1ut i would bs our p.1i ley
20 maintain silver az a parity vi;h
COED b. issuing no more % il than
could be maintained a. a parity With
gold
They accepted the result aud re-
manned in the republican party. The
declaration was simply a declaration,
a. the one adPated the other day was.
that We would stand precisely where
We we're until ve could do better. We
were agreed that We could safely an
tertake - have bimetallism By inter
national agreement, we were uuail-
ling, and refused to attempt i By zee
and independent coinage
They did not feel called upon 70 90
out 81 the party thea; their conscience
did not seem To trouble them so mech
then as now. They remained in che
party four years longer. When the
last session 81 congress commenced.
a. result Of this democratic free
trade experiment. the government Vas
found to have deficient revenues, nos
enough revenues 20 meet its current
expenses A bill was prepared in the
house and passed that body without
partisan division. almost. providing
for an increase OF revenue The bill
was known a. the Dingley bill. Il
went to the senate. The national
honor. the national life was az stake.
These gentlemen said the bill was un-
Objectionable. but they refused To vote
for il that Is. six Of these gentlemen
from silver states did unless the great
majority who did not agree with them
would sacrifice their convictions and
vote for the free. unlimited aud un-
restricted coinage OF silver The great
majority in the senate would not b.,
eoereed by that minority.
That action upon the part % these
people directed the attention % the
country 70 that subject as it had not
been directed before And, therefore,
when we met a. ~. Louis conditions
were ripe. noe for different stand to
be taken BY the republican party. but
for more explicit declarations OF our
principles than We had heretofore
made, and, inasmuch as they had
thrown down the gage OF bat
tie by demanding free silver
and seeking TO eoeree Us to accept.
we concluded that was a good time
10 meet them half way, Join issue and
let the battle come on. They an
peared before the committee, and were
part Of the committee, Just a. they
were four years ago. They made the
same demand; we made the same an
swer; but when we came TO write the
platform we said, we will make Il 50
pla in all can understand, and so "
declared that we were unalterably oo-
posed 20 the free and unlimited coin
age Of silver until We can have an in
ternatioual agreement. and in the
meantime we will preserve the exist
ing gold standard
To resume and conclude with a
word, the point l was seeking to make
was this:
That when Senator Teller aud his
associates bolted the party at the -.
Louis convention, they had no cause
for it whatever, that did not exist
four years before at the Minneapolis
convention, and when tke repu bliean
party made the declaration il did
make at 81. Louis II did not change its
position one particle, but simply made
il absolutely certain, in order that
there could be a settlement of that
question that the proposition for free,
independent and unlimited coinage Of
silver Is q proposition that we will not
entertain. We will not entertain IL
because. in our Judgment, 1t does not.
as Senator Teller and his associates
claim, mean bimetallism. but simply
silver monometallisu-
According TO q law as settled as
the law OF gravit2tion, the cheaper
money always drives out the dearer.
To have free, unlimited coinage Of
silver would mean 20 put the United
States of America in the same class
with Mexico. China and Japan, and so
long as the republican party has con
troll the United States viii never get
into that class.
We 60 into this SIGHT, therefore
with our gallant stzndard-bearerr er.
reseniing 10 the people % America
pr0sect.oa % American industries ana