The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-06-08

Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri,
Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New
York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma,
Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota,
Utah. Washington, Wisconsin, Wy
oming, West Virginia, Iowa and Michi-
gan. Promptly at 1 o'clock the meeting
was called to order by eX-Congressnan
Charles A. TOwne of Minnesota.
Chairman Towne in calling the COM
mittee to order said in part:
''I give you greeting upon the auspic-
iouS opening of this conference and
congratulate you and the great cause
wherein we are engaged that so nuner-
Gus and representative body of men has
gathered from a large majority OF the
states and territories to participate in
the first general council of the silver
Republican party of the United States
We are happy also to welcome the in
spring presence of a delegation repre-
senting the bimetallic organization of
the women of the country whose SYM
pathieS are enlisted as ever in behalf OF
justice and humanity"
After referring briefly to the circum-
stances attending and the motives in
stigating the inception of the move
ment he spoke of the organization of
the provisional national committee at
the suggestion of the Republican sena-
tors and congressman. Continuing he
said:
Our motives were these: We desired
above all things else of immediate po-
ntcaI concern the speedy re-estab ablish-
ment in the United States of true BIZ
coinage at the mint for both gold and
silver, and absolute equality between
them in all money power, when coined,
with the option to every payer, Wheth-
er the government or an individual to
choose what coin shall be the basis of
payment in every instance. We wished
to do all in our power to advance this
happy consummatiOn and we realize
that if this great cause is to succeed in
the elections of 1898 and 1900 it can do
so only through the addition to the al
he'd armies of 5000 600 that followed the
banner of the joint standard in 1896 of
at least some hundreds of thousands of
the Republicans of that contest.
I'VE have other plans, or may have,
and we believe in other things also but
the restoration of silver as basic or
primary money along with gold is the
first and engr0ssing object of our activ-
tiles and shall remain so until the cres-
cent of promise shall have rounded into
the full orb of success"
The general method of our procedure
will be that demanded by the depths of
our convictions and the dominant
choice of the issue that has moved U.s.
With us the cause is everything. Men
and parties sink into relative incon-
sequence. All armies marching to in
vest the citadel of the gold standard
are our allies, all their soldiers our
comrades. We will Loyalty and tireless-
1y cooperate with all other organized
forces of bimetal1ism that honestly pro-
fess the faith and resolutely and unde-
viatingly keep it Harmony is of vital
concern to the success of the cause and
nothing but consideration of its vel
fare shall limit the burdens we will
gladly bear or the sacrifices we 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 abandon an
ally who will imperil the cause as we
turned from the old Republican party
when it was false to it's duties Our
allies must recognize that the present
SETr-1 ion A
signalizes the interaction of forces pre-
pairing a realignment of parties. Old
things are being done away with and
all things are becoming new. Let the
dead past bury its dead. Regret for
the necessary sundering of accustomed
ties must be swallowed up in the salts
faction 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 So