The Louisiana populist., 1898-02-25
ISSUE ADDRESS FOR CON-
SOLlDATION
Of the Forces ALI Along tho Line
for the Supreme Struggle-Sen-
ators Jones, Butler and
C. A. Towne Sign It.


popuIist and silver republican par
ties which are the result of the
conferences which have been in
progress among the leaders of
these parties at the capitol for the
past few weeks, were issued to-
day. They seek to unite the mem
bers of the three parties in future
elections upon the financial issue as
the question Of paramount impor-
tance and are separate appeals to
each of the parties to consolidate
all along the lines for this purpose.
The address to the democrats is
signed by Senator James K. Jones
of Arkansas, chairman Of the dem
ocratic national committee, and is
endorsed by the democratic con-
gressional committee. That to the
populists is signed by Senator Ma
rion Butler, chairman of the pop
ullst national committee, and twen-
ty.fve other populist leaders of the
senate and house, and that of the
silver republicans by Chairman
Charles A. Towne, and the silver
republicans in the senate and house,
and also by ex-senator Dubois.
SILVER DEMOCRATS ADDRESS.
The democratic address is as
follows:
To the people: The surrender
Of the republican party to the ad-
vocates Of the gold standard and
monopoly is at last complete
The present administration called
to power upon the solemn pledge
of the republican national conven-
tion at st. Louis to promote BIZ
metallism has formulated and sent
to congress a bill, the leading pur-
pose of which, the honorable Sec
retary of the treasury avows,
is ''to commit the country
more thoroughly to the gold
standard" The country has al
ready, for twenty-four years,
been so thoroughly committed to
this standard, partly by law and
partly by the usurpation of the
executive branch OF ihe govern
nlent that its effects are seen and
felt on every hand; wages are re-
reduced; 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 estab.
lished-
The continued rise in the value |
of gold, or which is the same
thing, the continued fall Of prices,
must inevitably transfer the prop
erty Of those engaged in active bu-
siness, 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
increasing scarcity, from 1909 to
lS49, as admitted by leading advo-
Gates of the gold standard, found
expression at that time in extreme
ly low prices and conditions of un-
I,aralleled distress. The discovery
)f gold and silver in extraordinary
quantities and the great increase
IN the volume Of metallic money
therefrom relieved this
distress and brought in its stead
wonderful prosperity. Prices rose,
business fourished, producers pros
3ered, all were happy. Substan-
tally this condition would be con-
;inucd if both precious metals had '
,een allowed to remain in use as
money, because they were before ,
n sufficient quantities to increase
he volume of money IN proper
ion to the developments of bust {
less. A wicked conspiracy, how
yer, deprived one Of them Of the {
money function. This was done
With the deliberate purposes of {
aising the value of The other by
the supply Of metallic |
money relatively scarcer as com t
jared with the demand. From the j
our Of the consumation of this
rime mankind has suffered COM il
lercial disaster and distress in al d
lost constantly increasing meas d
re. just in proportion to the p
roWth of arts and civilization and s.
le expansion of commerce, busi- l.