The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1898-11-04
OVERSTREET BILL
Dangerous Scheme Designed to Es
tabIish the Gold Standard

And Permanently Demonetize siiver-Ths
N.fsrious scheme wholly In the In.
terest OF Goidbugs aud Their Allies.
Taking into consideration the hercu
lean efforts Of the Republican party and
those who have acted under its auspices
to bring about what the goldbugs de
nominate comprehensive and enlight.
ened monetary legislation" by congress-
people who attach value to facts. will
be prompted to investigate carefully &C
lind the facts which will enable them &c
arrive at rational conclusions relating
to the schemes of goldbugs and their
allies to circumvent the people and foisi
upon them a currency system utterly al
war with the welfare of the country
The pioneer advocates of this com.
prehensive and enlightened monetary"
scheme to erect gold standard. degrade
silver and give the national banks un-
limited control of the currency. hailed
from indianapolis. aud the monetary
convention" which they had the great
satisfaction OF organizing was made up
of delegates. as the title page Of its re-
port shows. from "boards of trade,
chambers OF commerce. commercial
clubs and other similar commercial
bodies OF the United States" And it is
interesting to note that the great agri-
cultural interests and the great labor
interests OF the country were not in
vited to send delegates TO the monetary
convention" nor were there any repre-
seatatives Of these great interests in the
convention. AS now organized. "boards
Of trade, chambers Of commercl, com
mercial clubs and other similar COM
mercisl bodies" include gamblers on
change In all agricultural products.
stocks. bonds and gold.
To have in the monetary conven-
tion" only delegates from commercial
bodies. such as have been named. was
strictly in accord with the goldbug idea
OF finance-of the superiority of wealth
over men who produce wealth; OF gam
blers on change. men who corner
commodities; bucketshop statesmen,
who have in their nomenclature such
slang as "put," "call" and other glib.
berish. quite as intelligible to the "plain
people" as the slang terms used by
knights Of the jimmy"-terms which
an honest farmer or an honest mechanic
could no more understand than if these
delegates to monetary conventions were
to use the "click" Of hottentots.
1t is important in discussing the la
bors of such men as composed the none
tary convention to know. not their per-
sonal antecedents. but their business
status. or employments. associations.
etc. They were goldbugs. as devoted to
the gold standard as savages are to their
fetch. and regarded the $500. 900
Americans who voted for Bryan and
bimetallism as idiots" anarchists, "
''lunatics. demagogues. and dangerous
to the peace and welfare of the country,
and that for some inscrutable reason
members of boards Of trade. gamblers
in grain aud gold. should meet In con-
vention and prepare bill 20 be pre-
sented to congress 70 bring about q
comprehensive and enlightened none
tary" system Of finance for the nation.
When the Ffty-fifth congress met in
its second session there was q food Of
bills introduced. all bearing the imperial
stamp Of goldbugism. as for instance
there was the Walker bill. 5.lSi. Then
Mr.. Walker of Massachusetts,. not con-
tent with 5.lel. introduced bill l0. 2s9,
and. not yet satisfied. introduced bill
10. 1888. This done. Mr.. McCleary in
troduced bill 9.725, prepared by the
special subcommittee Of the banking
and currency committee" Finally. Mr..
Overstreet of Indiana Introduced bill
5,S55, prepared by the board OF trade
delegates to the Indianapolis monetary
convention. The bills offered by Mr..
Walker and Mr.. McCleary. though
their authors sought by cunning worthy
OF . fox. by playing tricks with words
equal to juggIer handling cups and
balls. and by duplicity. worthy Of q
Machiavel. could not obscure the real
purpose they had In view, which was
to establish goldbugism on IN enduring
basis In the United States, and it may
be said that the monetary convention
Overstreet's bill. which it is proposed to
examine. in frankness Of declaration In
favor Of all goldbug heresies vas much
more In consonanoe with straightout
talk on the money question. And as
Mr.. Overstreet's bill may be regarded
as quasi Indiana production. IL IL pro-
posed TO show the people Of Indiana
what 10 in store for them II the bill or
any similar hull became law. The Is
sue OF the gold standard Va free and
unlimited coinage Of silver at the ratio
of 10 10 10 in the campaign now going
forward In Indiana. aud this being true
IL becomes specially important for
Democrats TO fully comprehend the
scheme. and thwart the designs of
RoldbuRs at the polls in November.
What Does the Overs,reet B,Ii Propose ?
In discussing the scheme embodied in
the Overstreet bill. IL Is not required TO
aDalyse the sophissries and vagaries
upon which the gold standard advocates
rely to make black appear white. and
vice versa. Such discussions are along
labyrinthan pathways. which ending
nowhere. siTc.y confuse those who at