The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1898-03-03
SOLID FOR SILVER.
PARTY LINES TO BE WIPED OUT IN THE
FIGHT FOR THE WHITE METAL.

!
PARTY LINES TO BE WIPED OUT IN THE
FIGHT FOR THE WHITE METAL.
| Democratic, Populist and Silver Re-
publican National Chairmen Appeal
to Their Supporters to Present an
Unbroken Front Against the Gold
| Standard and Watch
word for the Coming Campaign.
| WASHINGTON, Feb. 15.-The ad-
dresses on behalf of the Democratic,
Populist and silver Republican par
| ties, which are the result of the con-
ferences which have been in progress
among the leaders of these parties at
! the capitol for the past few weeks,
were issued today. They unite them
selves in the future on the financial
issue as the question of paramount
importance, and are separate appeals
to each of the parties to consolidate
all along the lines for this purpose,
The address of the Democrats is sign
ed by Senator James X. Jones, of
Arkansas, chairman of the Democrat
ic national committee, and is en-
dorsed by the Democratic central
committee; the Populists by Senator
Butler, chairman Of the Populist
National Committee, and the 25 Pop
ulist members of the Senate and
House, and the silver Republicans
by chairman Chas. A. Towne and the
silver Republicans in the Senate and
House, and also by ex-senator Du
Bols. The Democratic appeal is as
| follows:
DEMOCRATIC ADDRESS.
! To the People The surrender of
the Republican party to the advocates
of the gold standard and of monopo-
ly is at last complete. The present
administration, called to power upon
the solemn pledge of the Republican
| National Convention at st. Louis to
promote bimetallsm, has formulated
and sent to Congress a bill, the lead
ing purpose of which, the honorable
Secretary OF the Treasury avows, is
Ito commit the country more thor
oughly to the gold Standard"
The country has already for
twcnt y-four years, been so thorough
| " committed to this standard, partly
by law and partly by the unsurpa-
| tions of the executive branch of the
government, that its effects are seen
ana felt on every hand; wages are re-
duced; work is harder to get; the
weight of debt is doubled; the value
OF land and other property is reduced
one half or more, until the lives of
the people are 'made bitter with hard
bondage.' 1t is certainly not in the
interest of humanity to have this
condition of things more thoroughly
established.
The continued rise in the value of
gold ore, which is the same thing as
the continued fall of prices, must
inevitably transfer the property of
all those engaged in active business,
the actual creators of wealth, whether
by hand, brain, or capital, to those
who avoiding the risk and effort of
active business, only draw interest.
The increase of 145 per cent. in
the value of money, caused by its in
creasing scarcity from 1909 to 1S49,
as admitted by leading advocates of
the gold standard, found expression
at that time in extremely low prices,
and conditions of unparalleled dis
tress. The discovery of gold and
silver in extraordinary quantities.
and the great increase in the volume
of metallic money resulting there
from, relieved this distress, and
brought in its stead wonderful pros
perlty. Prices rose. business flour
lShed. producers prospered; all were
happy. Substantially, this con
dition would have continued if both
the precious metals had been allowed
to remain in use as money, because
they were being found in nearly
sufficient quantities to increase the
volume Of money in proportion to
the development of business,
CONSPIRACY AGAINST SILVER.
BY a conspiracy, however, one of
them was deprived of its power
This was done with the deliberate
purpose of raising the value of the
other. by rendering the supply of
metallic money relatively scarcer,
as compared with the demand. From
the hour of the consummatiOn of this
crime mankind has suffered COM
mercial disaster and social distress
in almost constantly increasing meas
ure. just in proportion to the
growth of arts and civilization, and
| the expansion of commerce. business.
and industry. the inade9uacy of the
volume of gold is felt, its scarcity is
| emphasized, its value increased.
The repression of life and hap
piness. which is inseparable from a
long course of declining prices, has
now checked development. and. if
continued. will ultimately stifle civil
iZation.
An eminent American, President
Andrews. of Brown University. some
years ago. said: Our national debt
on September l. 1865. was two and
three-quarter billions: it could then
have been paid off with eighteen
million bales of cotton. or twenty
| five million tons Of bar iron. When
ii had been reduced to billion and
quarter. thirty million bales of cot
ton. or thirty-two million tons of
iron would have been required to
pay it, In other words. while a
nominal shrinkage of about So per
cent. had taken place in the debt. it
had. as measured in either of these
two world staples. actually been en-
larged by some 80 per cent.
Although more than half the princi-
| pal of this enormous debt. and every
cent of accumulated interest. has been
paid by the labor of the United
States. the holders of the bonds still
hold = claim for more of the labor OF
the people than they held before
these enormous payments had been
ever begun. This cruel contiscation
! of the liNeS and lihnrtr Of tho La hnr=