The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1897-09-23
AN ADDRESS
SETTING FORTH THE DECLARA
TION OF PRINCIPLES
OF the 8 liver Republicans of Ohio who
See That the Triumph of DEM
ocracy Is the Hope of the
Plain People.

Plain People.
Columbus, O.. Sept. ls.-(Special y
The following official letter has been is
sued to the silver Republican, Of Ohio;
To the People of Ohio:
The Silver Republicans of Ohio not
having met in convention for the purpose
of drafting platform # principles; and
not having nominated candidates for
offic at the coming election; and having
by its stste central committee formally
resolved to lend its assistance to the cleo
tion Of the nominees Ct the Democratic
party for the state and legislative tickets ,
we regard it as fitting and proper that
we should, by public declaration, place
ourselves fairly and candidly before the
people to the end that our course and
conduct may not be misunderstood or
miscunstruei as 1t Is possible might be
done by a course, on our part, less frank,
open and direct We therefore submit
as the grounds for our action individu-
ally and as an organization hitherto,
and 10 the future the following simple,
uuequivocsl propositions:
1. Il is the duty of every citizen Of
our republic to interest and inform him.
self touching those vital questions aris-
ing cor stantly in the politics Of the
state and nation, by close and earnest
study Of them, so that he may be able to
proceed intelligenty and patriotically In
his thought and action upon these ques-
tions; and it is further the duty Of every
citizen to either join himself of some poll
ical party or place himself in such re-
lation to such party as to make hs sover-
eign power felt in the political affairs Of
the country.
2. The Silver Republicans Of Ohio,
feeling that the great rarty of Summers,
Lincoln, Wade aud Stevens-and later,
of the beloved Blaine, not forgetting
many others who were statesmen-has
so far departed from its original as well
as its subsequent filth and declarations
by it's recent utteranc,s and conduct
upon the money question, the paramount
issue in the politics Of our country at
this time and indeed at all times, as to
become the secret emissary and agent
of Lombard and Wall streets and the
willing purveyor of ideas and influences
emanatiug from those sources relative to
the money question perversive of justice
and of the best interests of all Of our
people; and keeping in view the apes
tassy Of ex PI esident Cleveland and that
element in the Democratic party con-
stituting his following in the past and
present-haying its inspiration in the
same influence that controlled the action
of the st. Louis convention-we are not
at this time ready to join ourselves, for
the present or future, wholly and uu
quslifedly to the fortunes or purposes of
either of these great parties
8. Prior to 1878 the Republican party,
to which it has been cur privilege and
pleasure to telong, vas, in common with
sll the polite al parties in the history OF
our government up to that time, firm
adherent of the principle of Independent
bimetsllism. And indeed up to a date
much later than 1878 and never in fact
openly until the Republican national
convention of 1896, did the party of our
original choice waver in its support of
the great interest for which we now so
earnestly contend. The action Of the
last convention of the Republicans at
st. Louis aGd the subsequent declarations
ard actions of the party through its
leaders, cJEvinCe US beyond reasonable
doubt that the Republican party is
now firm sdherent to the theory OF gold
monometallism, and that all its recent
declarations ard actions looking in the
direction of bimetallism either indepen-
dent or International are delusion and
a snare. Therefore we cannot longer
sustain it, but must, by every just and
honorable means in our power, seek to
cause its d. feat and overthrow as long
a1 it maintains its present relation TO the
money question.
A. Notwithstanding the secr,t infln-
ence at work in certain localities Of our
country for the prom otion Of gold and
nor ON etallism under the guise of Demo
cracy aud considering the heroic and pa
triUtic declarations OF the Democratic
national platform Of 1896 respecting the
money question-the second great AmCri |
can declaration of indeIendet ce-and the !
subs qu5nt firm adherence Of the ruli z
Of that party TO those principles,
and sincerely regarding the gravi Cf
the prese0t political situation Of our
country We deem it not only wis3 and
but our b3uuden duty to lend our
efforts to the Advancement Of the cause
of the legal restoration of silver in the
most rational and effective way by
Joining our forces with these of the
Democratic party in the cause Of in
dependent bimetallism and to both vote
and work for the election of the nominees
of that party upon both the state and
legislative tickets at the coming cleo
tinn.
We do not deem it expedient in the
scope of this manifesto to enter upon an
extended discussion Of all the merits of
independent bimetallism as a national
policy, but for the benefit of the cause
which is so dear to uH, as we believe 1t |
should and tiually will be to every citizen
of our country, we wish to state sue