The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1898-02-17

| The stand taken by the Republicans
raises the most important question that
can confront nation, namely, the right
of the people to logislatc for themselves
The Republican platform is the first
platform which ever declared in favor Of
repeating the Declaration of lndepend
ence. That platform expresses transfer
from America to Europe the right to de
termine the financial policy of the
United States According TO that plat
form the American people should seei
international cooperation in restoring
bimetallism, but must maintain the golt
standard until the act cooperation Il
secured. Tho Republican plans to in
vite foreign assistance, but while we may
invite, European nations are at liberty tC
refuse the invitation, and they have thus
far done So 1he Republican platform
therefore, means that we must have the
gold standard as long as European nations
favor the gold standard, and can have
bimetalhsm only when they consent tC
it,
Recent events have demonstrated that
Europe has turned the money question
over to England, and England seems tc
have turned it over to the English hnan
ciers, who, on the 22nd of last September,
met at the clearing house, pledged them
selves TO secrecy, decided upon the gold
standard, and thus determined our
financial policy as long as the Republi'
can plan prevails.
No one believes that bimetallism will
prove panacea for all political ills, but
the money question must be settled be-
fore other questions can be reached.
Financial independence is a condi ton
precedent to reform along 9th er lines.
The power that controls our financial
policy can control the policy of our gov
ernment on every other subject whenever
occasion arises for the exercise of that
control. Suppose, for instance, that the
money question were dropped and the
fight against the trusts made the main
issue Much foreign capital is invested
in trusts, and foreign tlnanciers could an
nounce that any legislation hostile to
trusts would be followed by the with
drawal of foreign capital and panic. II
they can threaten the withdrawal of for
eign capital to prevent a change Of oul
financial policy, they can threaten such
withdrawal to prevent the annihilatior
of trusts or the regulation of other cor
| porations. Not only can this threat bt
made in regard to our domestic policy
| but it can be made to prevent the adop-
ton of any foreign policy which does not
meet with favor in Europe. We cannot
protect the rights Of our citizens, aVenge
an insult to the flag, enforce the Monroe
doctrine or express our sympathy WIFI
those who are struggling to be free, If we
are to be deferred by the threats OF for
eign investors The right to legislate fol
our people the money question involves
| the right to legislate on all questions,
and until this right is secured, the dis
cussion of other questions will avail
NOTHING. When we have released our
selves from the dictation of foreign fnan'
ciers and overthrow. the local money
trust which controls our financial policy,
we shall be in a position to undertake
the determination Of other trusts and the
protection of our people from all forms OF
monopolist oppression.
The other planks Of the Chicago plat
form are not to be abandoned. Those
who favor free coinage at l6 to l, advoca'
ted and will carry out all the other reforms
enumerated in the platform, but they
will not lessen the emphasis placed upon
the money question by the party Itself in
its last utteranoes.
But there are some who admit the
necessity for blmetallism and who confess
that it can only be secured by indepand
ent action, but they suggest a change OF
ratio. They ask, Why 16 to /? answer
tn Il there are several reasons. Sixteen
to one is the ratio at which we had free
coinage fromg1S3I to 1878. 1t is the ratio
now existing between the gold and silver
coins Ia circulation, and it is more fav or
i'able to gold than the ratio now existing
in most European countries.
To change the ratio by independent
tracts, lessening our currency and in
curing great expense, wouli put us out
Of harmony y ith France, the European
nation most friendly to silver, where the
ratio is 151% to /. If, by internationa
agreement, we should change the ratio
to 80 to 1, for instance, it would necessi
tate the recoinGge of more than four bill
lions of silver into coins twice as large
provided the chance was made by in
creasing the size of the silver ooirs) TC
double the size of the silver coin of the
world would diminish thereby one-hali
the silver money of the world; it would
diminish by one-quarter the entire vol
ume of metallic money of the world
Such shrinkage in the volume Of
money would in effect, add billions Of
dollars to the debts Of the world. Should
so great an injury be done without the
necessity for it being proven beyond q
reasonable doubt
Bimetallists contend that gold and
silver have been driven apart by hostile
legislation, and that they can be brought
together by friendly legislation. They
contend that legislation favorable to gold
has increased the purchasing power of an
ounce of gold throughout the world and
lowered the general level of prices while
the same legislation has lessened the de-
mand for silver and lowered the price Of
that metal They contend that the re-
storation of the free and unlimited coin
age by a great nation like the United
States will increase the demand fol
oi1,-,,, b., q, ,,oint ,ubora tho n,ints will ra