The herald., 1896-05-21
Iowa Democrats Meet in State
Convention
A FIGHT OVER FREE SILVER
With Speeches From the Chair On Either
Side
New Hampshire Democrats Speak Unequivo-
cslIy and Unanimously for the Gold
Standard-PoiticaI Notes
Associated Press Special Wire.

| Associated Press Special Wire.
DUBUQUE, Ia, May 20.-The Demo-
| cratic state convention did not meet I'M
| til IL o'clock. G. S. Ranck, chairman of
| the state committee, announced S. 5.
Wright as temporary chairman. The
| hearty welcome given to him by the con-
vention set at rest all anticipation of an
| open protest from the silver men. Mr..
| Wright delivered a carefully prepared
| speech, in which he opposed the free
| coinage of silver at 16 to l. Mr.. Wright'S
| speech was frequently interrupted with
applause.
| In his speech, Mr.. Wright first paid
his respects to the legislation of the Re-
| publican party of the state on the liquor
question. He was particularly severe
upon the present law, known as the
| ''mulct" law. After lengthy consid-
Grafton of state affairs, he touched on
the tariff question, charging the Re-
| publican party with fostering monop.
olies and making the rich richer and the
poor poorer.
| 1T has been said that the Democratic
party" he said, when it did have the
! power to enact laws, did not make an
ideal tariff schedule. While it may be
true that the Wilson law is not perfect
in many respects, still it comes nearer
representing the best interests of the
|
been enacted for years."
| On the financial question he said:
"The coinage of gold and silver is de-
| fined by an eminent political writer as
being the right to assay and purify them
| and mark on each coin it's weight and
f1neness. In other words, the govern
| ment has a right to declare the purity
and certify the actual weight of the
metal to be used as a circulating med
ium. I believe that the government
should do no more than to stamp upon
| a coin that which represents its purity,
fineness and weight and let 1t battle for
supremacy among the commodities and
| in the accounts of the world. That man
| who advances the argument that the
debtor can, after the establishment of a
| free coinage law at the ratio of 16 to 1,
| pay his debts at half their face value,
may fold to his bosom all the comfort
derived by asserting proposition so
glaringly, so palpably at variance with
| the fundamental principles Of a free
| government, based on true ethics. To
| make a piece of money out of 81 or 50
| cents worth of silver and say that it
| shall be received in the payment of all
debts as 81 is but to confiscate one-half
of the wealth of every man whose
money is loaned; 1t Is to cut in two the
little bank deposit of the laborer and
! to double the price of all things he
buys.
II am opposed to any system of laws
| that would even have a tendency to-
wards decreasing the purchasing power
| of money and increasing the price OF
commodities without in the same de-
gree raising the price Of wages. The
wage market is always slowest to rise
| and in case of cheap currency reaches
the level attained by the manufactured
commodities Of the country.
| II am opposed to any system of finance
that will drive the recognized legal
| standard into vaults or out of the couh-
try and thus create financial strin-
| present would be considered time of
| bountiful harvest and overfiowing
| riches. I am Internationally opposed
| to our government coming so cents into
a dollar. I am unalterably opposed to
| the free coinage Of silver at the ratio of
/ 16 to 1, or at any other ratio inconsist-
ent with the true, honest, intrinsic value
of both metals
Chairman Carr said, upon assuming
the chair:
| II congratulate you, gentlemen, be-
! cause 1 know that you are here pledged
| to the cause of human rights and op-
posed to the selfShneSS of wealth. A
great question is now before the peo-
! pie of the United States. 1t affects
| every home and every Individual in the
| land. 1t Is a contest between man and
man, and I rejoice to know that the
Democracy of Iowa stands true to our
| party teachings, true to the wealth pro-
ducers Of the nation, true to the toiling
| millions of the land. In this campaign
all masks must come eff, all deception
| must end.
-Four years ago the platforms of both
the great parties declared for the COIN
| age and usage of silver as standard
money. They appeared quite fair to the
casual observer, but on close inspection
were found to contain secret trap doors
| large enough to allow the escape Of
| every gold-standard official. There are
only two sides to this question. 1t is
bimetallism against the single gold
standard. There is no middle ground
for any party to honestly stand upon.
and should such an attempt be made in
| this campaign the object will be to de-
ceive. and retribution will follow"
s. D. Evans and Horace Boies were
chosen Observation-Disclosures to Chicago
During the election of delegates the
committee sent for Governor Boies, his
| appearance being the signal for an
| other enthusiastic demonstration, and
at the conclusion of the election of del
egates he said
when this battle begin few weeks
ago / was determined that the masses
| of the Democratic party of this great
state of Iowa should be heard on this oc-
casion. I believed as / believe now.
| that there were many occasions, in
many conventions of political parties
where the views of the people have been
| silenced AS far as was concerned,
was determined the Democracy of Iowa
should speak. believe this is the safety
and the only safety of any political
| party on earth. And so say oyou that
| when 1 see such convention as this
whose delegations have been selected
in the way that the delegations of thic
! convention have been selected, it is a
| source of qualification that am unable
to expires in the English language. T.
| want you from this time forward to
know that in Iowa the spirit of the
Democratic party lies within It's masses
| (Applause) And from this time forward
| I want the masses of the Democratic
party to take it's destinies into their own
hands. and If they do assure you that
the Democratic party will march on to
certain victory" (Applause.)
The committee on resolutions then re-
ported. Judge French of Scott county
| presented the minority report and made
| an impassioned speech in it's favor. A
stormy scene followed and for half an
| hour the factions howled themselves
| hoarse. The majority report was then
adopted by reclamation. In part 1t is as
| follows: