The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1897-11-10

Cleary addressed a large and enthusiastic
Republican meeting here tonight. delivering
what is generally acknowledged to be one
Of the strongest contributions to the cam
paign in this state. He said in part:
A problem we'll stated is half solved.
What is the Silver Question:" Stated IN
its simplest terms it is this: Shall we or
shall we not permit the men who own Sill
yer bullion to carry that bullion to the mint
OF United States and have it converted into
coin for them at the rate Of 31.25 grains
Of pure silver Cor 412 5 grains standard Sill
ver) to the dollar; shall this service be
rendered by the government free of charge;
and shall the government authorize them
to carry forth the coins thus made and
use them according to their pleasure in the
payment Of debt or the transaction of
business?
TO this question a large number of good,
honest. right-minded. patriotic American
citizens answer Yes emphatically. yes;
| yes, quickly-the sooner the better" al
other large number of good, honest, right
minded. patriotic American citizens an
[ swer. No; utterly, absolutely, unequivo-
I, caly, nor
| What is the present situation? The man
! who owns gold may take it to the mint
| of the United States and have it converted
! for h m into the form Of coin. at the rate
| of IS 20 grams of pure gold Cor 25.S grains
| of standard gold to the dollar. This ser
| vice is rendered for him by the government
without any charge, and the coins are
| handed back to him with full authority to
use them according to his pleasure in the
| payment Of debts, or the transaction OF
business.
To the man who owns gold we say yes;
! to the man who owns silver we say no.
| BY this statement of the case it would APP
! pear that Uncle Sam does not treat these
| two classes of his citizens equally well.
and the sense of fairness in the minds of
! each of us prompts us, at first glance, to
condemn his course of action But every
| good man and woman is slow to believe as
J true that which ought not to be true.
Whenever such a person hears story
| which reflects upon the good name of any
, one whom he she has learned to honor,
! such man or woman feels that his proper
! course is to reserve judgment until all the
| facts have been ascertained. We all re-
| spect Uncle Sam; all believe that he
! would not Intentionally do wrong to any
| one So we are prompted to believe that
| there must be something else in this mat
| ter that has not yet been stated. And
| there is. The man who owns the gold SUBJ
| mits to Uncle Sam this proposition: Uncle
! Sam. here are 25S grains of standard gold,
worth $40 here. worth $40 anywhere in the
world, worth $40 coined or uncoined. Won't
| you be kind enough, Uncle Sam. to certify
| to this fact? The easiest way for you to
| certify to it is to put this gold up in the
| form of a coin and mark it SO. To this
| proposition Uncle Sam makes answer:
why, certainly, my son; l am always
| glad to serve one of my children when
| can do so properly
/ The man who owns the silver desires
permission to submit to Uncle Sam this
| proposition: ''Uncle Sam, here are 412.5
| grains of standard silver. worth in the
| terms to which we are accustomed 40
cents. Won't you be kind enough. Uncle
! Sam, to certify for that it is worth 100
cents?" To this proposition Uncle Sam
a keS ia
knows itself!'
We thus see, in part at least, why Uncle
Sam says Yes" to the one and NO to
| the other.
McCleary in all this is very adrot,
and very liable to deceive the unthink-
| ing.
And yet McCleary knows very well
| that for five thousand years gold and
silver stood on an equality, as to right
of coinage, all over the world wherever
there was civilization. And he knows
that twenty-four years ago all this was
| changed.
In this country the change was made
without being demanded in the plat
form of any political party, or without
|
pie, who are supposed to constitute the
government of this republic.
And this piece of rascally knavery
produced the fall of the price of silver;
and McCleary, instead of demanding that
that gigantic wrong shall be righted,
plants himself on the accomplished re-
suits of the wrong and demands that it
shall be perpetual
Imagine McCleary in very cold wealth
er campaigning in Minnesota. He has a
magnificent, astrachan, fur-lined over
coat worth $780, "A thief steals it and
leaves tattered shoddy garment, worth
S. in it's place. McCleary demands re-
dress. He seeks out the nearest Justice
Of the peace, clad in the ragged robe
the thief has left him. McCleary states
his case. The justice is Gin cahOots"
with the thief What" he cries, "you
want me to make your tattered IS coat
worth 800! That is not what 1 am
here for The robbery is accomplished
the villainy enacted; it is not for me
to overturn existing conditions"
"But am robbed" shrieks McClcary.
put me back where 1 stood before I
was robbed. Give me back my own
coat. Here is this wretched rag. Give
me an order for the arrest of the thief
and the return of my coat
at can't be did, says the justice,
"your demand is equivalent to making
a SIS coat worth 500. 1t can't be did
not if the court knows itself"
And thereupon the indignant professor
sails in to the justice of the peace,
blacks his eyes, knocks out his front
teeth and punches him in the belly with
his umbrella. And thereupon he is ar
rested for assault and battery, with in
tent to KILL tried by jury of thieves
(the foreman wearing his overcoat), and
sent 70 prison.
There let us leave him. while he writes
Populist address to the voters of the
Second district, showing that represent
tativc government is failure. ana
threatening to go back to Canada.