Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-09-07
IOWA DEMOCRATS.
Campaign opened by Chosen Candi.
date for Governor.

Campaign opened by Chosen Cnndi-
date for Governor.
AT Fort Dodge, on the evening OF
Thursday, the 10th, the state democ.
racy assembled in convention and nom.
mated state ticket. Mr.. Fred E. White
was chosen as the standard bearer and
in response to the enthusiastic greeting
given him by the people spoke as fol-
lows:
"Mr. Chairman, Ladies' and Gentlemen:
On June % last three separate state con-
ventions were held In the city of Des
Moines. These three representative bodies
nominated and Endorsed one ticket and
united in the expression of a platform of
principles. This being the opening meet
ing of the campaign the public expects and
1t has right to expect truthful EXPOSE
ton of the principles to which we hold.
Our platform declares in its first para
graph that we lay special emphasis upon
that portion Of the national democratic
platform on the financial question. believ.
Ing that the very existence Of the farming,
laboring and commercial interests of this
country depends upon change of our
financial policy and we reassert that we de-
mand the free unlimited coinage of both
gold and silver at the present legal ratio
Of sixteen to one without waiting for the
aid or consent Of any other nation.
Ine most persistent OpJeCllOu uTBeu
against the free coinage CT silver is that
concerning the ratio. The declaration Is
necessarily made by gold standard advo-
Gates of both high end low degree that the
sixteen to one ratio would give US a 90
cent dollar, an essentially dishonest dol
lar, dollar that would not only cheat
the private money lender, but ruin our pub
lie credit by fastening upon our people the
whitening guilt of having become deltber-
ate regulators Of sacred obligations.
II do not care with what an amount of
confidence gold standard advocates talk
Of commercial ratio. the obvious fact. the
historic truth is, there has been no such
ratio since 1873. and there Is no such ratio
now. If true commercial value be natural
value, then a truly commercial ratio must
be natural ratio; that Is to say, 1t must
be a ratio established under perfectly
natural conditions; 1t must be the result
of natural conditions; the conditions al the
mint must be natural; that, is equitable.
equal conditions. Whenever these condi-
lions Of equality at the mint are inter-
fered with, are destroyed, and unequal. I'M
fair, artificial conditions are substituted.
then an actual, natural, real commercial
ratio cannot be established. The ratio or
result will always be In harmony with the
prevailing conditions This is precisely
the case with the present alleged CONNER
cial ratio. It is not in any sense natural,
true commercial, but purely artificial
ratio. The equality Of conditions at the
mint. that is, the equality Of gold and sill
Yer. the unlimited privilege OF each to
be coined. was destroyed in 1878. Natural
conditions. equality OF conditions ceased
to govern; and artificial, that Is, unequal
conditions, were substituted and the re-
suit, the ratio is in harmony with these
conditions, 1t Is an artificial ratio; being
an artificial ratio It cannot at the same
time be natural commercial ratio.
1.-THE equality Of conditions, the natural
conditions. which governed the mints up
to 1873, have been destroyed We still allow
gold its former standing, coin all that
comes, but silver We have outlawed. Its
character as primary money we have de-
stroyed. 1t is the abolition of this use
that has destroyed part of its value and
the inevitable result Is a changed relative
value, changed ratio. When by law you
restricted the coinage Of silver to sub.
sidiary coins. permitting full and free
| coinage to gold is before, you destroyed
| part of the value of the outlawed metal
and augmented the power Of the gold dol
lar by artificially increasing its use; an IN
creased demand for gold resulted when
you outIawed silver, precisely as an In
creased demand resulted for wooden cloth
| when you people outlawed lotion. Under
these conditions, which are decidedly un'
| equal, unnatural conditions. you cannot es
! tablish natural, a commercial ratio OF golt
| and silver. The ratio is purely artificial
| ratio, the inevitable result of artificial
conditions. To get an actual, true com
mercial ratio you must either restore Is
| silver all Its functions and powers which
by law you destroyed, restore silver to 1T
| constitutional status as full redemption
money entitled to coinage upon an equalit!
| With gold, or else you must drag gold dowr
| to the degraded level of silver by destroy
| the much talked of and the little under
stood ratio Of thirty-two to one will disaR
4 pear.
do not tell me that we cannot maintain
the parity Of the do. RS and then point t.
| Mexico for your evidence, as has bsel
your uniform practice. To undertake t
| compare this tremendous country with II
teeming and enterprising population equal
ing in creative power over 20, 10000 OF Eu
| ropeans, with such a comparatively veal
republic as Mexico is no fair comparison
4 or parallel. Mexico Is an infant; our coun
try giant Mexico has scarcely succeed
ed in maintaining for herself visible spo
upon the worlds map. We are by commol
consent regarded as the foremost peopl
upon the globe. Mexico is destitute Of in
ternational influence; at the council tabl
Of the nations she is ignored
Her trade and commerce while CROWN;
rapidly of late is as yet comparatively In
significant, and necessarily must be. Mex
:. trade and commerce-which are the per
petual absorbents of money. Let ma
take silver bullion to the Mexican mint 70
coinage. and the trouble is there is no
much to buy with the coin. for Mexico h.
q but little to sell. The very contrary !
true of us. Let everyone bring silver t
our mint and we will coin 1t into a full
nedged American dollar We will put tn
/, eagle on one side and the goddess of Iii
erty on the other with the superscriptto
added, not in the money power. but !
| God we trust
1--WE will through the power of the Law
the law being backed by the power Of put
lie opinion. make this silver dollar a
actual dollar that will stand in need of n
5 redeemer. We will invest 1t with the chal
, acter of absolute, primary money. W
will not dishonor &, send 1t forth an Of
] phan, a discredited coin. w. will make
an unqualified legal tender. We wi
clothe 1t with every essential function POI
dollar. enjoying the prestige OF the grea
est nation on earth, the owner will have +
difficulty. He can buy with It q thousar
: things each in almost endless quantitie
He can buy our cotton by the millions
y bales, and our petroleum by the million
: of barrels; our rice and tebacco in emo
nous quantities; he can buy our whea
: corn and other graina by the millions
bushels: our beef AID PORK by the unto
millions of pounds; ho can buy our machi
G cry, our butter and cheese. our Iron al
n steel, our boots and shoes, and SO on al
so forth to the end of the almost
= terminable list. We can. therefore, su
9 cessfully accomplish what Mexico cam
even dream of attempting
e my convictions upon the tariff ouestl
q are we'll known. The lapse Of time sery
only to strengthen them. II all the natfo
}, of the earth would conform their laws
the natural law-to the divine law Will
g the Creators finger has written In ind
d structible characters on every physical fe
ture of His universe-then the int
national antagonisms. the Information
dealousies. the enervatinE warfare. Will
dwarf mans powers. would no longer he
him captive. Being free, as God intend
him; working continuously in harmo
with the natural law, instead of warri