Birmingham state herald., 1896-05-26
DnMooRAoY,s oPpoRpUrIrY.

l and regain control of the national govern
 ment lies in the adoption of free silver 1 platform and the nomination of an honest l candidate who is known to be true to 1 that policy; one whose record would be 1 in and of itself an assurance to the peo-
 pie that the pledges of the party would
 be redeemed under his administration. l The developments of the last few weeks confirm this judgment. In every state
 that will probably cast it's vote for the
 democratic nominee that has already
 elected delegates or adopted resolutions on the financial question, free coinage
 delegates to the Chicago convention have
 been chosen and ringing declara tions in l favor of the white metal have been l passed; and it is more than probable l that every state that has not yet taken action that will give its electoral vote to the democratic party will do likewise | While this is true, it is also fact that l in many states in the west and northwest, 1 which have not usually been found in the | democratic column, the great majority of 1 the voters. whether democrats, republi- l cans or populists. favor the free coinage 1 of silver and will vote for 1t in the No vember election, irrespective of past party afliliatio In fact, the demand l for the restoration of silver as full legal tender standard money has become we'll nigh universal in the southern, western, central and northwestern states, and the party that controls their electoral votes will be the one most favorable to silver. | The people-the great masses of the yoters-have studied the question and the situation more earnestly and with less partisansh.p than any that has hereto fore engaged their attention. They can
 no longer be moved to vote against their interests by appeals to sectional preju-
 dice and war-engendered animosities.
 They know that something is wrong with
 our monetary system, and believe that
 by virtue of long study and close observa-
 ton of current events they have a pretty
 intelligent conception of the cause of
 the trouble and what should be the rem
 edy. They know that under the unre-
 strained operations of the single gold
 standard the country has suffered the
 longest and severest business prostration
 in it's history; that notwithstanding un-
 remitting industry and the most strin-
 gent economy they are daily growing
 poorer in the face of natures most abun- ud Tt feWdIuS anu DleSStIBS, lIloll tllC Pio-
 gressive process of contraction is squeeZ-
 ing the exchangeable values out of all commodities and products of toll and skill
 until prosperity and comfort are no longer the legitimate fruits of honest in- dustry and frugality, and that the con-
 ditions have grown from bad to worse
 under the influence of the British system of finance now being forced upon the peo-
 pie against their will and in defiance of
 their protests, and that these conditions
 will continue with increased intensity
 until that system is overthrown and the truly democratic and American doctrine of bmetallism, as 1t existed prior to 1873. is re-established.
 | On the other hand, they are firm in their conviction that the free coinage of gold and silver means the commercial and industrial liberation and re-enfran- | chisement of the American republic and l the peace, prosperity and happiness or | it's 70,000 900 people, and that to use the l words of the Cincinnati Enquirer: "The free and unlimited coinage of sil- 1 yer means that neither the president nor 1 his secretary of the treasury would be | allowed any longer to boycott the 426,OO0,- l 900 of standard silver dollars now in ex- l istence. The power that could re-estab-
 
 l of silver with gold in the redemption of l greenbacks. This would do away with the false pretense that bonds must be
 sold with which to buy gold to redeem l greenbacks. It would remove the con- | stant menace by the gold gang that the l legal tender quality shall be taken away l from the vast amount of silver dollars | now in existence. It would add enough 1 to the money in circulation in the country | each year to keep pace with the increase | of population and the requirements Tor l domestic exchanges It would make all l the silver bullion in the world worth l just as much as though 1t were already | coined into dollars. It would stop green l backs from being presented Tor redemp- l ton at the treasury, because Heidelpacn, l Ickelheimer & Go. and the rest Of the | breed of gold spectators would be oiter- | ed silver when they demanded gold, and | they would not want it. Free coinage
 would guarantee the stability of the | currency The grinding contraction now | going on would cease. The borrowed 1 surplus in the treasury of nearly $2O0,- l 100000 would be expended in grand public | improvements, including coast defenses, l and thus be restored to circulation | among the people. It would gradually l raise the general level of prices. The l production of wheat and other farm prod l ucts would be resumed on the former 1 scale Manufacturers of every descrip- | ton would no longer engage in mere | hand-to-mouth production, but would l manufacture for the requirements or the l coming year. This would give work to | those now in distress and would enable | laboring people themselves to buy what | they are now going without under the
 harsh compulsion of poverty. The com | merce between forty-five states would be
 resumed; railroads would be taken out
 of the hands of receivers, because they
 could again earn interest on their debts
 and expenses and something more. The
 occupation of the panicmaker would be
 gone With free coinage would come a l president and secretary of the treasury
 who would not spend half their time 1 bawling to the world that their govern
 ment is bankrupt and is compelled to l sell it's bonds at 20 per cent discount from
 the interest rates of the world to enrich favored syndicates for some unfathoma- l ble reason. Free coinage would stop the | borrowing of money in times of peace
 for the purpose of obtaining gold with
 which to pay obligations not payable in | gold
 Tn brief, free coinage would mean a back seat for syndicates and their official
 instruments-a back seat for the bears of