The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1898-11-04


who had supported Mckinley in 1896.
and its work received his especial COM
mendation in his message to the last
congress; the leading factor in the Indi-
annapolis monetary convention. Hugh II.
Hanna, is prominent candidate for the
senate should the Republicans control
our legislature; the convention S bill was
introduced iii the house by Overstreet
of Indiana, who is once more their cam
didate for congress and whose renomi-
nation was urged at the time by the Re-
publican management on the ground
that he stood for this currency legisla-
ton; the bill slightly amended has been
favorably reported by the house COM
mittee who recommend its passage; this
reported bill is known as II. X. No.
10. 2s9. and the action Of the house COM
mittee in reporting it for passage estops
the party from disclaiming it now; their
action was manifestly the result OF a
caucus and almost every Republican
member signed a petition asking for its
report. Besides. Mr.. Hanna declares
III q public letter that a careful poll Of
y the house shows that the friends of
"sound money" will support the meas
ure.
\ This currency reform was conceived
by a convention OF business men" it
remains now for the common people to
pass judgment ON it. Ii will not do to
stand idly by and await the action of
the next congress. II that congress is
Republican we know what currency re-
form they will give us. 1t means tnat
our silver dollars shall cease to be stand
ard money. but, by being made redeem
able In gold, shall sink 10 the level Of
mere token coin. IL means that the
volume of our standard money shall be
contracted. making gold the sole money
of redemption. Ii means making our
public debt. now payable III coin,
debt payable in gold alone. 1t means
the destruction of our governm ent cur
rency and the substitution of national
! bank currency to take its place-a cur
rency whose volume can be absolutely
\ controlled, that can be expanded or con-
tracted at WILL leading 10 speculation
or panic, initiation or Dankru ptcy OF the
masses at the pleasure and profit OF the
few. A Republican congress means the
passage of this legislation, and then in
any attempt to change IL or repeal it,,
! we will be met with the old argument
of ''vested rights" with which the
) money power has defended all Of its
usurpations-
The time to speak out is now; and
upon the issue impending in this elec-
ton, we may confidently appeal to men
of all parties. You may be a ''middle
of the road" Populist and disinclined to
: accept bimetallism as the best solution
or the end of the financial question. In
! this campaign we are both fighting for
our lives. fighting TO the end that, in
1900, we may be able TO renew our
struggles for our respective ideas. The
; final triumph of gold redemption, the
decentralization of the coined silver that
Is left us, and the establishment of ma
tional bank currency which will be
achieved in their proposed currency
REFORM" will make both our efforts
childish and vain. Let US stand to-
gether Let US not lose a vote. Let us
not waste a shot in defending ourselves
against the further encroachments Of
the banking power.
Are you Republican? Well, you
;. may not be prepared to accept blmetal-
!, lism. and perhaps the free coinage Of
silver could not be restored under this
administration even though we carried
the coming elections. But you surely
do not want our volume Of standard
money contracted still more; you surely
do not want to see the money function
taken ava from the silver dollars al
ready coined by making them mere
subsidiary coin, redeemable in gold;
you surely do not want to see our ma
\ tional debt. most Of which was created
on a greenback basis and all of which is
now on a coin basis and payable in
either our coined silver or gold, made
payable in gold alone; you surely do not
want to see our government retire its
paper money simply that the national
/ banks may issue their currency to take
\ its place. Upon these issues we may
certainly agree. and these are the liv-
/ ing issues of this campaign. These and
not matters Of party pride or colonial
expansion or the glorious "reminiscences
7 of a war, go to determine the success Of
your life and the prosperity of your
business.
The present mission of the Demo-
cratic party. the object to be attained
by Democratic success in the coming
polls, is. above all things. to prevent q
further contraction Of our standard
money. To preserve the contractual
option Of paying our coined bonds In
either gold or silver; to maintain the
sovereign and constitutional right Of
the government TO issue all money; and
to prevent the grant to national banks
of the power to issue and control the
volume OF our currency.
The elimination of a gigantic strug-
gle Is at hand, and above all other ques.
tions rises the interrogatorys"who shall
rule in this republic, humanity or
wealth? Who shall issue and control
our money. the national banks or the
people speaking through their congress
as the constitution provides?" What
will your answer be?
HENRY WARRuM
In life as in chess, forethought
wins -Rnytap