The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-03-29
NOT YET DEAD, BUT DYING
GOLD FORCES WILL CONTINUE
TO SPEND MONEY.
j. Sterling Morton's Wing of the
Republican Party Felicitates It
self Over the Election of a Gold
Standard Congress-Reports From
Colorado and Wyoming.

dents of the league, met today in this
city, reelected the officers of the
league, listened to reports of officers
! and exchanged views as to the vitality
of the silver movement. The western
men reported that the free coinage agi-
tation was declining, but by no means
dead, and there was general concur
renee in the view of Secretary Gage,
expressed in a letter, that sit will be
wise for the sound money forces to
hold themselves in line to oppose any
fresh attack of the kind which was SO
successfully resisted in the fall of
1885,
Some of the delegates pointed out
that though free silver had been de-
feated; the currency system had not
been perfected. The work of the league
will continue. J. Sterling Morton of
Nebraska City presided. General Sec
rotary E. V. Smalley was at once
called upon for his report. 1t was in
part as follows:
In presenting to the governing body
of this league my report on the opera
tons of the past year, desire first to
congratulate the members of the cen
trad council and of the executive COM
nlittee on the very encouraging results
that have been accomplished in COM
batting the dangerous free silver delu-
sion and in spreading sound ideas of
national finance. The formidable
movement for opening the mint to the
free coinage of silver at the obsolete
ratio of 16 to 1 with gold has been
steadily declining since it's defeat at
the presidential election of 1896. The
state elections of last fall showed enor-
nous changes ON this question in the
states where the movement for lower
ing the money standard had been most
active and successful.
THE states of Oregon, Washington,
California, Wyoming, South Dakota,
Nebraska and Kansas were captured
by the sound money forces, and
changes were effected in the political
complexion of the legislatures of those
and other states, which give the control
of the United States senate for at least
six years to come to the opponents of
all forms of cheap money legislation
and of all schemes for the Reputation
of public or private debts.
THE new congress is for the gold
standard in both its branches, and the
evident impossibility of securing any
legislation to make silver instead of
gold the standard money metal has
produced a new disbursement that
has resulted in fresh desertions from
the silver ranks. Only a few politicians
who committed themselves so fully to
the cheap silver dollar delusion in 1896
that there is no line of retreat open to
them now, insist upon the readoption
of the Chicago platform by the nation
al Democratic convention of 1900
THE masses of voters who gave an
enthusiastic support to the Chicago
platform only three years ago now
show no interest in the silver question,
and only in the south is there at pres
emit any demand in the public press
that it be revived as a leading issue in
the next presidential campaign. The
present indications are that if there is
any mention of the free coinage of sill
yer in the next Democratic national
platform, there will be nothing said
about the ratio of Is to 1, and the
question will be made secondary to new
issues that are now taking shape in
the public mind"
The report by A. B. Hepburn of New
York was next read. Mr.. Hepburn
stated that the receipts of the league
during last year had been $12, 300, and
the expenses 81, 300 The expenditures
had been for the dissemination of lit
erature. This distribution would be
continued, he said, when it was war
ranted by the political situation.
NJ. f. Ingalls, of Cincinnati said that
he believed that the league ought to
make its attitude understood through
out the United States. With a view to
this, he offered a resolution pledging the
league to favor the immediate adoption
OF legislation fixing % $40 grains of
gold as the standard dollar, the estab-
lishment of a separate bureau of issue
and redemption in the treasury depart
ment in which should be held, not for
current expenses of the government, a
sufficient amount of gold to cover the
redemption on demand of all obliga-
tons of the government. the issue of all
government paper in denomination of
SO, and multiples of ten, and thar all
smaller notes should be silver certifi-
Gates, and that banks should be re-
quired to redeem their notes in goll at
their counters. This resolution aroused
considerable discussion.
Congressman Fowler of New Jersey.
proxy for John Kean of New Jersey, adj
vocated the appointment ~ the chair of
a committee to prepare a short, sue
cinct declaration of the league and re-
port thereon later. This was carried
and a committee of three, composed of
Edward Atkins of Boston, i. II. Wells
Of North Dakota and A B. Hepburn of
New York, was appointed to report
later.
WESTERN GOLDBUGS.
Mr.. Rogers of Colorado and Senator
Carey of Wyoming addressed the dele
cation upon the conditions in their
states. Mr.. Rogers said that in Colo
RADIO the people are beginning 20 ask
whether, after all, the gold standard is
not better than the silver. Another
phenomenon is the fact that the silver
mines in the last two years have turned
into gold mines. He believed that the
time was not far distant when Colorado
would abandon all forms Of Populism
and give UP the 16 to 1 issus He did
not believe the change would be imme-
date.
Senator Carey, in speaking of the
conditions in Wyoming, said that in the
coal mining camps and il his ctate
generally, there was a great interest in
the money question. He spoke of his
experiments in three coal districts, his
efforts to explain the financial situa-
ton and the excellent results He he
lieved Wyoming was to be gold state.
The best place for good work, however,
was in Colorado, for the influence Of
that commonwealth was wide in the far
west.
President J. S. Morton endorsed the
sentiments of the two previous speak
ers. but added that every species of
discomfort was found under the head of
16 to 1. He called attention to the great
opposition to trusts, which all took ref
uge under the free silver movement All
the disorders and discoutented people
in the west, he believed, had organized
under Bryan and his success in the
west was owing to that fact Mr.. Har-
vey's daily income, he had been told,
was $500, which showed that free sill
vers friends were getting to work
All the present officeholders We're re-
elerted as follows: G. Sterling Morton
of Nebraska, president; A. B. Hepburn.
New York, treasurer; c. L. Hutchinson
of Illinois associated treasurer, and E.