The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1898-03-12

HaIlOns OF capital, organized IN trusts, or
otherwise, to control arbitrarily the con-
dition of trade among our citizens"
Equally clear and unmistakable was its
language expressive of the partys posi-
ton on these two great questions. em
ployed by its national convention in 1892,
The American people, from tradition
and interest, favor bimetallism, and the
republican party demands the use Of
both gold and silver as standard money,
and we reatlirm our opposition, declar-
ed in the republican platform OF 1888, t.
all combinations OF capital organized in
trusts or otherwise to control arbitrar-
lily the condition of trade among our cit
izens.'
BY 1896 the time was deemed ready
for step forward in the execution of the
plan whereby the republican party was
to become the open champion of special
interests. Everybody is familiar with the
republican platform of the year which
declared against the free coinage of sill.
yer except by international agreement.
and that, until such agreement should be
maintained, " the existing gold standard
must be preserved" 1t is of the deepest
significance that this platform, which alb
solutely reversed the attitude of the par,
ty on the great question of bimetallism.
was as silent as the grave in regard to
trusts and monopolies. There seemed to
be perfect realization of the fact that
a party which proposed to preserve the
gold standard must also be ready to up
hold all other forms of monopoly and
special privilege In the campaign which
followed, unexampled for the exhibition
it afforded of the most wicked and aban-
doned political methods, it is notorious
that "All combinations of capital or
ganized in trusts or otherwise" through
out the United States were arrayed IN
solid phalanx in support of the repub-
lican platform and candidates.
The twelve months which have now
elapsed since the republican administration
came into power have only served to con,
firm the fidelity of that party to the evil
interests it was elected to subserve While
a commission Of distinguished gentlemen
were in Europe eobsequiously wooing the con
sent of foreign governments to our exercise
OF the right of sell government and osten
sibly carrying out the empty promise OF
the st. Louis platform to promote" the
free coinage of silver by international
agreement, and atsa time most critical to
the success of that embassy, if any success
at all were possible, the president OF the
United States, in special message to con
gress on the oath OF July, 1897, indorsed
the scheme of alleged monetary reform pro
pounded by the so-called indianapolis
Sound Money convention, based on the
maintenance of the single gold standard,
the retirement of all kinds of government
notes. and the surrender to banking cor
porations OF the sovereign function of is
suing paper money. This conspicuous re
| pudiation at home of any disposition to-
ward bimetallism must inevitably, if no
other cause had existed, have sufiiced to de-
| feat all negotiations in its favor abroad.
When the present session OF congress
| convened it was addressed by the chief ex.
eoutive in an annual message whose utter
lnces and recommendations on the money
question were inconsistent with any other
system than that of the gold standard, and
| the secretary of the treasury laid before
| that body an elaborate financial scheme.
| the principal object OF which, as he himself
candidly informed committee OF the
| house of representatives, was "to commit
the country more thoroughly to the gold
standard" More recently has appeared the
report of the commission constituted by
the indianapolis Sound Money convention
|
| by the president of the United States.
From this Endorsement. and from the meth
cd of its constitution, the character of its
deliberations and the treatment accorded il
| by the great gold standard republican
newspapers, this report goes before the
country with almost the character of an
administration utterance. The speech OF
| the president at the New York banquet
| of oil isIi N
and plants his administration squarely on
| the gold standard, where Secretary Gage
had said it stood.
Thus it is apparent that the interests
which are concerned in the perpetuation of
the gold standard and its attendant wrongs
in the United States have selected the re-
publican party as the means wherewth to
carry out their purposes. 1t is equally ap-
parent that unless that party shall be over
| thrown, currency contraction, the exten-
sion of special privileges, the rapacity of
monopoies, trusts and iniquitous combina-
tions of capital are not only to be uncheck-
ed, but to increase without limit. Under
such conditions the many must be sacri-
feed to the few, social and industrial CON
ditions become intolerable and self govern
ment an impossibility. Against such peril
| il is the duty of all friends of social justice
and civil liberty to unite in vigorous and
ceaseless opposition. The issue is clearly
drawn between the republican party on the
one hand, and all those who oppose these
| iniquitous designs on the other. At this
| juncture no friend of the people can afford
to hesitate in his duty. Those who do not
exert their utmost to defeat the candidates
OF the gold and monopoly party are respon-
sble for its success to precisely the extent
to which their efforts have resulted in di-
viding the opposition.
Permit me to quote a few lines from a
letter written by me to Mr.. +. s. Corson,
at Minneapolis, MINI, upon this same sub
ject, which quite clearly expresses my
| views:
"He who assumes the task of opposing
the amalgamation OF forces will find that
! in order to sustain his case he must dem
onstrate that part is greater than the
| whole, and that a more successful assault
can be made upon the common enemy by
the soldiers of the army opposed to that
enemy turning upon each other and des-
| troying themselves
The opportunity for success in 1898 and
| 1900 is ours, ii we but have the wisdom,
| the patriotism and the courage to grasp
it. The contest can only be won by con
Quoting our campaigns upon the high plane
of moral grandeur and unselfish patriotism.
The selfish desire OF men, or of political
parties, must not be permitted to stand in
the way of an equitable cooperation upon
grounds OF mutual concessions by the three
political parties whose great mission is to
destroy Hannaism, Clevelandism, and Nc