The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1896-07-30
THE SILVER CONVENTION.

Bryan Nominated for President and
Sewall for vice-President.
st. Louis, Mo.-At the first days
session Of the silver convention not
much headway was made. The pro-
gramme of the conference was all ar
ranged in advance. 1t included simply
the adoption OF 16-to-1 platform and
the nomination Of Bryan and Sewall.
but those in charge Of it deemed it
good policy to go slow in the belief that
they might. by remaining in SESSION, be
able to exercise an influence in shaping
things in the Populist convention. To
this end, they appointed committee Of
seven, headed by Judge Scott, Of Cali
fornia, to meet similar committee Of
the Populists for the purpose Of reach
ing a common plan Of action The
convention was called to order by Ma.
tional Chairman Mott, who introduced
Francis B. Newlands, Of Nevada, as
temporary chairman. Mr.. Newlands
addressed the convention at some
length, and was followed by other
speakers setting forth the claims of the
silverites.
The Second Day.
The second days session Of the silver
convention was given over to speeches
and songs. No business Of any i'm
portance was transacted. The ladies
were in evidence, and the assembly
was addressed by Mrs. Helen Couger,
of Indiana, who denounced the gold
bug monopolists as wall street plu-
tocrats" and English bond sharks"
and said the only salvation Of the peo-
pie from serfdom was to declare for the
free coinage of silver.
The Third Day.
II was ten minutes to II O'Clock
when Chairman ST. John called the
silver convention to order. g. w.
Baker, Of California, said that the
Peoples Party convention had appoint
a conference committee and moved
that the convention defer action
on the platform and postpone the nom.
ination until $3.50 P. NJ. The motion
prevailed.
No business was transacted during
the day, the time being taken up in
the rendering Of silver speeches,
poems and songs.
Friday night, after the committee Of
seven appointed to confer with the
Populists, had reported that no agree
ment could be reached, the convention
proceeded to close its business. The
platform was read and adopted with
out change. A motion was then made
to nominate Bryan and Sewan by 40.
clamation. Amid much excitement
the motion carried. The convention
then adjourned sine die.
The Platform.
The demonstration of silver In 1873
enormously increased the demand for
gold, enhancing the purchasing power
and lowering all prices measured by
that standard, and since that unjust
and indispensable act, the prices Of
American products have fallen upon an
average nearly 80 per cent. carrying
down with them proportionately the
money value of all other forms of prop
erty. Such fall Of prices has destroyed
the profits Of legitimate industry, in.
juring the producer for the benefit Of
the non producer, increasing the bur.
den of the debtor, swelling the gains OF
the creditor, parslyzing the productive
energies Of the American people, rele-
eating to idleness vast numbers Of
willing workers, sending the shadows
of despair into the home of the honest
toiler, filing the land with tramps and
paupers, and building up colossal for
tunes at the money centers.
In the effort to maintain the gold
standard, the country has, within the
last four years, in time Of profound
peace and plenty, been loaded down
with $262, 900, 900 Of additional In.
terest-bearing debt, under such cir
cumtsances as to allow syndicate OF
native and foreign bankers to realize q
net profit Of millions on single deal.
It stands confessed that the gold
standard can only be upheld by SO de-
pleting our paper currency as to force
the prices Of our products below the
European and below the Asiatic level,
and enable us to sell in foreign mar.
kets. thus aggravating the very misery
of which our people 30 bitterly COM
plain, degrading American labor and
striking at the foundations Of our civ.
ilization itself.
The advocates Of the gold standard
persistently claim that the cause of oul
distress is overproduction; that we
have produced SO much that 1t has
made us poor; which implies that the
true remedy is to close the factory,
abandon the farm and throw a multi
tude Of people out Of employment, a
doctrine that leaves us disheartened
and without hope for the future.
We affirm it to be questionable that
there can be no such economic paradox
as overproduction and at the same time
tens OF thousands of our fellow-citizens
remain half-clothed and half fed. and
who are piteously clamoring for the
common necessities of life.
Inasmuch as the patriotic majority
of the Chicago convention embodied in
the financial plank of its platform the
principles enunciated by the American
bimetallio party, promulgated at Wash.
ington, D. c., January %, 1896, and
herein reiterated, which is not only
paramount, but the only real issue in
the pending cam. align; therefore. rec
ognizing that their nominees embody
these patriotio principles. we recon.
mend that this convention nominate
/ w. J. Bryan, Of Nebraska, for presi.
dent, and Arthur Sewall. Of Maine,
for vioe-president.
A cloudburst occurred at Springfield,
! O., flooding everything. People in the
/ East End moved up stairs on account