The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-12-31
THE SOUND HONEY PLANK
PRESIDENT M,KINLEY SAYS HE
WILL STAND UPON 1T

He Says HO Will be True to the St. Louis
Platform-His Message to = Gathering Of
Prominent Indiana Repablicsns-sena
tor Fairbanks speaks ON the Question Of
Currency Reform and Pledges the Repub.
licsns in Congress to the Measure
Indianapolis, Ind, December 28.-Five
hundred representatives of the republic
a party of Indiana, outside Of the city
of Indianapolis, attended today's con-
ference. The meeting was for talk and
little else and was the largest "on
year" meeting the party even held. The
meeting was held a little later in the
year in order that the United States
senator from the state and the republi-
a representatives might be here and
they all came.
Influential men in the party were en-
-couraged 10y the statements of the SEN
ator and representatives that there is
p for currency reform, not radical
legislation, but action that will tend
ito set the party right before the peo-
pie. The unaniminty of the party in
the state on the proposition that the
currency must be reformed was a sur
prise TO a good many of the men at
tending the conference. The demo-
Gratis, it was averred, will declare for
free silver in their next state platform,
and the republicans will, of course,
take the opposite ground. In the event
OF the failure Of congress to take action
looking to the reform of the currency,
members of the party said, the party
in this state would go into the state
campaign embarrassed and on the de-
fensive from the start.
In the hotel Hobbies there was a great
deal OF talk against the civil service
law, but it came largely from men who
made application for office Immediately
after the nomination of Mckinley and
have been disappointed. The promi-
nent men CT the party agreed that no
>One need fear that the republicans OF
Indiana will ever declare against h
law. The chief speakers were United
States Senator Charles w. Fairbanks,
and Governor James A. Mount.
Senator Fairbanks expressed the be-
lief that the Dingley law will prove a
only by the Mckinley Law itself.
On the subject OF currency reform,
Senator Fairbanks spoke as follows:
Our democratic friends say to the
old democrats, the republican party
will not keep faith with us. When the
republicans declared in favor Of sound
money at st. Louis they did not mean
it The republican party with McKin-
ley as our leader, intends to keep faith,
Ito preserve the gold unimpair-
ed to the american people. The cur
-rency question is a great question, and
ITO it the president of the United States
his advisors are addressing them
selves with ardOr and intelligence. I
saw the president but a day before
coming here. / asked MIN if he had
any message for the republicans Of In
diana. He commissioned me to say to
you that he gratefully remembers the
encouragement and assistance which
the republicans of his splendid state
have given. heretofore, and he further
said: I am going to keep the bond. I
am going to vindicate the sound money
plank in the ST. Louis PLATFORM
"a party which keeps faith with the
American people will, in my judgment,
he supported and sustained by them.
Nc party a afford to vary from it's
platforqnpledges the width of a, solitary
pslair.' AT the coming session OF ongres
I the great currency question will be in
debate. I cannot foretell what will be
the result of the issue; for unfortunate
1y we a a majority only in the house
of representatives. In the senate
the free silver democrats, free
silver republicans and populists consti-
tute the majority. Whether we can
pass through the senate any measure
that will commend itself to the con-
sentative judgment of the American
people l cannot say. But 1 do believe
the American people will give us credit
for an honest, determined effort, n
that effort they will surely witness. If
we fail, it will not be because of any
lack of determination and perseverance
in purpose on the part of the %.JeI,ubli-
cams of the United States senal>."