Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-02-13
ARE AGAINST THE SCHEME
Washburn's Plan to Drop Free Sill
YER Not Accepted.
Chairman Butler Gives Ii as His
Opinion That the Currency
Question Is the Most
Important of All.

washington, Fen, mVlh-
bers Of g do m take kindly to
the proposition of National Committee
man Washpurn of Massachusetts, that
the peoples party abandon the silver
question and fall back upon the two
question OF government issue Of paper
money and government control OF ran
roads. Neither do they indurse the idea
of Secretary EdgerJon OF the populist
national committee for a conference of
uhe leaders OF the party to determine
what shall be the course OF The parry.
Chairman Butler expresses the opin-
ion that the populist party Is committed
to free silver as the main issue until
that question is disposed OF. Then, he
thinks. it VIII be time enough for the
party TO take up other matters.
''The logic of the situation won't per-
init the party TO cut adrift from the sill
yer question" said Representative KEN
OF Nebraska yesterday. Il agree with
what Mr.. Washburn says as to the flu
ture OF the party, except as to silver.
His portrayal az the situation is correct.
Times have grown no better and will
grow no better. The p~Opulist party is
FNl'llSNA ~ ~ ~ 4 ohIlAA 4 VI FA'
YER. l have never been a silver man be-
cause | believed it would be a solution
Of the money question, but because /
knew 1t would give the country more
money, and hat is what is needed
Representative Bell of Colorado. was
asked the question whether the popu-
lists would leave the silver democrats.
silver republicans and the silver cause,
on tn themselves aud a1N.plfa an .y-
elusive paper currency, as advocated by
Mr.. Washburn. or would stay with their
platform md allies Of last year, as adj
Nised by Secretary Edgert0n.
The great mass OF the populist
party" said Mr.. Bell, advocates the
free coinage Of both gold and silver and
the supplement of The deficiency of
these metals with q sufficient volume of
fun legal tender paper money. to be
safely limited in quantity. many think
ing $50 per capita about right. others be-
lieving hat as the needs of circulation
are controlled by the amount of proper
t. to be eXchanG Il rather than by the
rambler of people who use 1t, the
amount of money should he proper
tioned to the value of the property in
the country to be exchanged. Mr.. Cal
houn suggested that probably there
should be at all times one dollar in cur
rency for each $50 worth OF property.
The populists do not believe in u
forced redemption of paper money.
They believe in coming all the gold and
all the silver that can be obtained, II
you reach $50 per capita. or 81 In money
for each $50 worth Of property; if that
test is adopted, hen we would have TO
paper money at all, except silver or gold
certificates representing the coin. bu, If
0 failed to find enough coin, and the
world has always so failed. then we be
lleve in issuing paper money, to be au-
tomatically taken up as the mines in
crease their output. If not automatic
ally taken up, then they will be lnden-
nitely I'm existence.
Some of our people believe in a sci
cntifiC paper money bottomed on taxes
receivable by the government for all
dues and made a fun legal tendcr for
all det,s, public and private. However.
all Of our pubic obligations are sp citic-
ally payable in coin of the standard
value of July IA. 1870. embracing the
standard silver dollar and our present
gold coin, which makes 1t idle for any
one to contemplate d%isplacing gold and
SilNNi NSAiARS' ~ " NNliNtA y ~ N'iiANa
Furthermore, nine-tenths of the party,
in my opinion, fully believe in the last
party platform in it's entirety.
THE urty is welded also to a form
Of legislation, long practiced in Switzer-
land, known as the initiative and refer
sndum: that If the legislative body. on
the petition of a given number of cleo
tors, to be fixed by law, formulates a
law covering the important measures
and refers IL back to the people, and it
Is determined by direct vote Of the cleo
tors in the same manner that voters of
the states pass amendments to their
state constitutions.
NO form Of the initiative and refer
andum could submit the none question
to a more direct determination of the
people han the attitude of the different
parties submitted 1t at the November
election.
THE battle is not so much a question
of gold and silver as it is whether we
shall have a national currency or a
mere bank currency. 1t Is now clearly
lawning upon the people that this is not
a battle of the standards. but a battle
Of the banks for a pure bank, instead of
any kind OF IA national currency.
mo, 1t Is my opinion that we will not
divide the silver vote in 1900 nor nor
abandon the platform of 1896, nor cas-
our efforts until the great middle classes
are recognized in governmental action,
as well as in stump speech p~arlance, as
the bone and sinew of Inc republic"