Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1897-04-10
BimetalIic Conferenc s
Called by Them.
The Silver Shouters in Democratic and Populist R
Opposing international Action.
They Question Settled 1t Might End Their
Employment

lican). after speaking the movement as
having the ''air of grotesqueness," said:
IF we must fawn further at the feet of
those who control the finances of the
world, let us at least preserve our self
respect and do it when we are their
hosts"
On January Goth. during the discussion
upon the bill, Senator Jones. of Arkansas.
chairman of the Silver Democratic Ma
tional Committee, put himself on record
as to his real sentiments by saying: "This
scheme is not ours: we have not originated
it; we do not believe it is the proper
scheme for the solution of these difficult
ties" p. q iisa.
On January 10Th. when the vote was
ia ken in the Senate on the bill, those who
voted against it were: Allen (Silver-Popu-
list, Pettigrew (Silver- Republican,, Roach,
(Silver-DemocraD, Villas oId-Demo-
craft Not a Republican voted against
the bill. iH DOOR
On February 26th, when the bill came
up in the House. Mr.. McRae (Silver-Dem-
ocraD, and Mr.. Dockery (SiIver-Demo-
craft. INSTRUCTED its consideration by de-
handing a second. r. "
On February 26th. during the discussion
in the House. Congressman Hartman
(Silver-Republican). said: 1--WE desire to
register our unqualified detestation at the
idea embodied in the declaration that we
must have the consent of the leading COM
mercial nations of the earth before we
can legislate for ourselves ...f..-...=.,
On February Goth. when the bill was
under discussion in the House, Mr. Coop.
er. of Texas (Silver-Democrat), threw cold
water on the proposition in the opening
sentence of his speech by saying: 81 be-
iieye this measure to be will-o'-the-
wisp." .. ... s.- F .i.if 81 iG.,4aF IS ~,
Contrast this attitude of the professed
friends of silver in the Democratic. Popu-
list and ''Silver Republican parties, with
the ringing utterances of two men, Sena-
tor Allison and Representative Dingley
Here are some extracts from the remarks
of Senator Allison, the leader of the Re
publican party in the Senate, and a mem
Der of the last international bimetallic
conference. Contrast them with the words
and attitude of the professed friends of
silver quoted above. On January 29th
when the bill was under discussion. Sem
ator Allison said: Those who believe in
an international agreement on this SUBJ
ject are not abdicating the power and in
dependence of our nation. but are making
an honest endeavor to bring these two
metals, now widely separated in inter-
national value, nearer and nearer and
! they believe that can be done by their in
| ternational use. This nropos;
ed policy of the United States since 1875
| by repeated acts of Congress, and by re-
peated statements in platforms and never
departed from in a single instance by
either of the great parties until at Chicago
in 1885, Opponents of the bill
| Jeer at the idea that there is a possibility
OF securing concurrent action of num-
Der of commercial nations of the world
| with this country. Tharo hoe
never been a conference which has moi,
made progress respects the concurrent
use of both gold and silver, and venture
the assertion that outside of the control-
| ling portion of Great Britain and perhans
also, the Scandinavian States, there is NOT
a country in Europe that is not in favor
of the effort which is proposed here and
which will not support it and advocate II
| excepting only Germany, which stands
upon pivot, as to its parliamentary SIT
uation, and as to the governing forces
surrounding the Emperor. do not adyo-
| cate this policy because it is found in the
platform adopted in ST. Louis I4advo-
| cate it because l believe it is in the in
i terests of concurrent circulation of these
two metals in the world, and because If
| promotes the commercial interests of tho
world to minimize the difference in the
power of exchange between great con-
meeting trade countries. One or the other
| of these two'metals, SO long as these con-
ditions prevail, will be the paramount
| metal. Which of them is to be nara
| mount until we have the concurrent az
|
| standard in the nations having the chief
! trade of the world. Who are these ma
tons? Are they China. Japan or the
South American States. some of them
having gold standard and some of them
having a silver standard, and all of then
having a deprecated paper standard but
one? Here lies Europe. with its silver
and its gold. having the gold standard
with a trade twelve times as great as al
the trade of all the silver countries com
bined Therefore. unless we can mini
i mize the difference in the value of thess
two metals in the exchange of the world
this divergence will go on and the people
who have the silver money are those wht
will be most distressed in the exchange:
which are necessary to be made"
On February Goth, during the discussion
in the House, Representative Dingle,
said:
THE Republican party at St. Louis de
clared against the free coinage of silve
by the independent action of the country
because they believed, as 1 believe, ant
as every scientific bimetallist in the worIs
outside of politics believes, that such in
dependent free coinage of silver at tn,
ratio of 16 to 1. is nothing in the worll
but silver monometallism- But the part,
said at the same time that they wouls