The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-06-09
REPUBLICANS WHO BELIEVE
In FREE SILVER.
CHARLEY THE CHAIRMAN
MINNESOTA MAN RETAINS HIS
PLACE AS THE GENERAL
MANAGER.
SIXTEEN TO ONE IS PARAMOUNT
All Other Questions SheIved Pend
ing the Final Settlement of
the Problem of Currency.

were represented at the first meeting OF
the provisional committee of the Ma
t1onal Silver Republican party, which
met IN executive session at the Leland
hotel today. Besides the committee
men of the various states represented,
over 100 silver Republicans were pres
ent from all parts of the country. The
states represented were Alabama, Ar.
kansas. California, Colorado. Connect
cut, Delaware. Idaho, Illinois, Indiana,
Iowa, Kansas. Kentucky. Louisiana,
Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota,
Montana, Missouri, Nebraska, New
Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio,
Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania South
Dakota, Utah. Washington. Wisconsin,
Wyoming and West Virginia.
Promptly at o'clock the meeting was
called to order by ex-Congressman
Charles A. Towne, of Minnesota. He
said in part
give you greeting. upon the suspicious
opening OF this conference and congratulate
you and the great cause wherein We are
gagged that 50 numerous and representative
a body of men has gathered from large ma
1erity of the states and territories to partici-
pate In the first general council of the Silver
Republican party of the United States. We
are happy also to welcome the inspiring pres
ence OF a delegation representing the bimetal-
TIC organization of the women of the coun-
try, whose sympathies are enlisted as ever
in behalf of justice and humanity.
Alter referring briefly to the circumstances
attending and the motives instigating the in
ception of the movement, he spoke of the or
ganization of the provisional national COM
mittee at the suggestion of the Republican
senators and congressman. Continuing, he
said
Our motives are these: We desire, above
all things else of immediate political con-
Germ, the speedy re-establishment in the
United States of true bimetallism; the same
privilege of free coinage at the mint for
both gold and silver, and the absolute equal
ity between them in all money power, when
coined, with the option to every payer,
whether the government of an individual, to
choose what coin shall be the basis of pay
ment in every instance. We wish to do all
in our power to advance this happy consum-
nation, and realize that if this great
cause is to succeed in the elections of 1898
and 1900, it can do so only through the addi-
ton to the allied armies of six million that
followed the banner of the joint standard in
1896, of at least some hundreds of thousands
of the Republicans of that contest.
We have other plans, or may have, and we
believe in other things also; but the restora~
ton Of silver as basic or primary money, along
with gold, is the first and engrossing object
OF our activities and shall remain so until
the crescent of promise shall have rounded
into the full orb Of success.
The general method of procedure will
be that demanded by the depths Of our con-
issue that has moved US. With us the
cause is everything. Men and parties sink
into relative inconsequerce. All armies
marching to invest the citadel of the gold
standard are our allies, all their soldiers our
comrades. We will loyalty and trelessly
cooperate with all other organized forces
to bimetallism that honestly profess the
faith and resolutely and undeviatingly keep
it. Harmony is of vital concern to the
success of the cause, and nothing but con-
sideration of its welfare shall limit the bur-
dams will lodi hnon fhn fTirO-
will eagerly make to advance it. But the
sincerity we offer we shall also require. Our
allegiance is to the cause alone, and we should
as readily abondon an ally who would i'm
Peril the cause as we turned from the old
Republican when it was false to its duties.
Our allies must. recognize that the present
critical situation in American politics signal
ICES the irteraction OF forces preparing an
alignment of parties. Old things being
done away with and all things are becoming
new. Let the dead past bury its dead Re-
toned ties must be swallowed up in the sat
isfaction of forming new ones that shall link
US to the duties of the future rather than
to the memories of the past
1t would be useless to deny that social and
Industrial evolution is shaping for political
treatment other questions that will sue
ceSSively ripen for settlement after the none
tary reformation shall have been accom-
plished and that the underlying principles on
which their wise settlement depends such
as naturally place their achievement in the
same hands Many of these have been long
advocated by that great advance guard, the
Populist party and some of the most urgent
ones are more and more commencing them
selves to the reason and sympathies of men.
Is 1t TOO much to expect or is 1t inJud1cious
in me to express the hope that silver Demo-
Gratis Populists and silver Republicans may
by 1900 be welded into one strong and serv-
iceable instrument in The hands OF Providence
for the political regeneration of the country
and the beginning of reform, restoring the
spirit of the constitution and contributing to
the advancement and happiness of mankind.
Committees on order of business and
plan of organization were then named,
OF which latter ex-senator Dubois, Of
Idaho, was made chairman. A reso-
luton was passed, admitting to the
meeting the visiting silver Republicans,
who were not members of the provi-
SIGNAL committee, and giving them all
privileges except that of voting.
J. B. Manager, of West Virginia, was
chosen secretary Of the conference.
kilograms of regret were read from
Senator Cannon. of Utah, and Gen.
Warner. A feature of the opening
session was the visit of a delegation
of women representing the Women's
Bimetallic union and headed by Mrs.
T;llinghast, Of Cleveland. Just pre-
vicus to the national meeting the dis
trict delegates from Illinois met at the
call of Chairman G.. G. Strawn, of Pom
tfac, and perfected the state Crganiz-
alton.
At the night session resolutions were
adopted outlining the plan of action to
be pursued by the party, and recon-
mending the appointment of a national
executive committee of seven, which is
to have general control of the conduct
of the party. The members of the
committee will be named tomorrow.
The resolutions were as follows:
Whereas, 1t is not the province Ct this
committee TO anticipate the action of the
national convention in the formation of a
platform and declaration of principles; but
Whereas, In order to preclude any basis for
either misunderstanding CT misrepreSenta-
tion as to the object of this organization it
is prudent to make known the controlling
principle of its existence; therefore
Resolved, That the Silver Republican party
of the United States favors the immediate
establishment of biTnetallism by the indie
pendent action of the United States, through
the free coinage of both silver and gold at
the ratio of Is to /. and the clothing of both
metals equally with every attribute of full
money. with the right to every debtor to
choose which coin should be the basis of
payment.
Resolved that the achievement of this great
object is deemed by us of paramount political
Importance and should form the controlling
motive of our political action until it Is ac-
complished.
The committee on plans and organization
recommended:
national executive committee OF seven mem
bers. including the national chairman. to be
appointed by the chairman of the national
committee.
Second-That this committee be empowered
to take such acton as may be necessary in
order to fill any vacancies existing or which
may exist at any time in the national COM
mittee.
Third-The executive committee. with the
advice and consent of the national committee
is authorized to call convention of the Silver
% al oh tina o,1d