The San Francisco call., 1899-01-01
FORSAKES THE
SIXTEEN TO
ONE RATIO
An Illinois Democrats
Advice.
FRIEND OF ALTGELD SPEAKS
PARTY OF BRYAN MUST ALTER
ITS POLICY.
Declares 1t Should Favor No Set
Figures as to the Relative
Values of Silver
and Gold.
FRIEND OF ALTGELD SPEAKS
PARTY OF BRYAN MUST ALTER
ITS POLICY.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

CHICAGO, Dec 31.-EX-Judge S. z.
Mcconnell, one of the Illinois delegates
at-large to the National Democratic
Convention in 1896, delivered an ad-
dress before the Monticello Club to-day,
which caused a good deal of talk among
local Democrats, particularly in view
Of the fact that he has been a close
political associate of Ex-Governor John
P. Altgeld. The speaker began by
quoting these declarations of the club:
We oppose all trusts and monopolies in
order that wealth may not gain undue ad-
vantage and that competition shall be
free and unrestrained among the people.
We oppose the single gOiu standard and
favor the restoration of bimetallism, re-
gardless of the action or desire Of any
other nation.
He said in part:
These declarations, in my judgment. are
expressive of the great mission of the Dem
ocratic party. | am inclined, however, to
believe that the first includes the second,
and that the war against monopoles and
trusts means war against the single gold
standard, If the contest is to be Waged
intelligently and effectively. / am certain,
too, that the first declaration requires
and means hostility to protective tar
iff laws. In fact under the ENCOURAGE
ment and aid of these laws the trusts and
combinations encrOaching upon free COM
petition are called into existence. Even
d1ter all that has been SAID q ~alnSt the
combinations, trusts and monopolies, am
far from convinced that the body of the
people equally appreciate the great peril
TO their worldly welfare springing from
these vast aggregauOns Of capital. which
are gradually absorbing and controlling
the industrial activities of the country.
Thousands who voted for Mr.. Mckinley
in 1896 are ready TO join us In campaign
to be Waged against trusts, combinations
and monopolies. They only need evidence
that we will fight enectively.
Iforn fc ~ r,ir Il 4t1v 4fnV-
of 1896 which prevents these thousands be-
ing openly and aggresSiValy with us. They
do not believe in the reconciliation of
silver at the ratio of 16 to l of gold. They
regard it as even less defensible now than
two years ago.
The question for us to consider is
whether we are showing an appreciation
of the relative Importance Of issues when
we seem to be willing to run the peril
of repeating the experience of 1896 rather
than to modify our proposition regarding
the ratio between silver and gold. To my
mind the 16 to l proposition Las always
saVored something of superstition, and
| have come to believe that the best
friends of bimetallism are not those who
ton. ! should begin to be skeptical of
their value as opponents of monopoly If
in connection with those radical demands
for the restoration of silver at the value
it had more than quarter of a century
ago:
With aggressive declarations in the
platform of 1900 against trusts and mon
opolies and against their great allies and
supports--the gold standard and protec-
tive tariff-without insisting on a particu-
lar value for silver in a plan for its re-
monetizatiOn or a particular schedule for
revenue tariff, and with the same great
leader (Bryan) for its candidate, the
Democratic party Will be assured of sue
cess and the people through its victory
will be assured of the blessings of healthy
competition, freedom in trade and honest
mOneV.