Omaha daily bee., 1899-03-29
FREE COINAGE IS DECLINING
Council Of Sound Money League Meets to
Promote Honest Currency,
J. STERLING MORTON OCCUPIES THE CHAIR
Reports OF the Last Year show n
Healthier Condition of the Pub-
lie Mind on Subjects
of Finance.

NEW YORK, March 2s.--The central
council Of the National Sound Money league
consisting OF the vice presidents of the
league. met today in this city reelected
the officers of the league listened to the
reports OF officers and exchanged views as
to the vitality OF the silver movement.
The western men reported that the free
coinage agitation was declining, but by no
means dead and there was general concur
renee In the view of Secretary Gage ex-
pressed in a letter that "it would be wise
for the sound money forces to hold them
selves in line to resist attack OF the kind
which was so successfully resisted in the
fall OF 1896"
Some Of the delegates pointed out that
though free silver had been defeated, the
currency system had not been perfected.
Tho work OF the league will continue.
The council at / O'Clock was entertained
ut luncheon by Henry Willard, ]. K. Tod
and w. l.. Trenholm. At o'clock the ex-
ecutive committee OF the league held
meeting.
J. Sterling Morton of Nebraska city Neb
presided over the meeting this morning
Eight vice presidents of the league, who in
part constitute the central council, were
present.
All the present ofticeholders were re-
elected as fellows:
J. Sterling Morton of Nebraska, president; ;
"a. 3. Hepburn of New York treasurer; G..
L. Hutchinson of Illinois, associate treas
urer, and f. V. Sp,elley of Minnesota gen.
eral secretary
MIR. Rogers of Colorado and Senator Carey
of Wyoming addressed the delegation upon
the conditions in their states.
RoPers said that N COloradO the
Pile are beginning to ask whether, after all,
the gold standard Is not better than the
silver. Another phenomenon is that the sill
yer 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 populsm and give up
the 16 to 1 issue. He did not believe the
change would be immediate.
Wyoming May become Gold State.
Senator Carey, in speaking OF the condi
tions in Wyoming, said that In the coal
mining camps and in his state generally
there was great interest in the money
question. He spoke of his experiments in
three coal districts, his efforts to explain the
financial situation and the excellent results.
He believed that Wyoming was to be a 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. Sterling Morton indorsed the
sentiment Of the two previous speakers, but
added that every species OF discount was
found under the bead of 16 to l. He called
attention to the great opposition to trusts,
which also took refuge under the free sill
Yer movement All the disordered and dis
Contented people in the west, he believed,
Rad organized under Bryan and his success
hat
Harveys daily income, he had been told,
was $500 which showed that the free sill
Yer fiends were getting to work
General Secretary E. V. Smalley was at
once called upon for his report. 1t was as
follows:
In presenting to the governing body Of
this league my report on the operations of
the last year l desire first to congratulate
the members OF the central council and OF
the executive committee on the very encour-
aging results that have been accomplished
in combating the dangerous free silver de-
fusion and in spreading sound ideas of ma
tional finance. The formidable movement for
opening the mint to the free coinage OF
oliver at the obsolete ratio OF 16 to l with
gold has been steadily declining since its
defeat at the presidential election OF 1896.
The state elections of last fall showed enor-
nous changes on this question in the states
whore the movement for lowering the money
standard had been most active and sue
cessiul.
The states of Oregon, Washington, Cali
fornia, 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 Sttaes senate for al
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 congress is for the gold standard
In both its branches and the evident impos-
sbility OF securing any legislation to make
silver instead of gold the standard money
metal has produced new encouragement
that has resulted in fresh desertions from
the slvor ranks. Only few politicians who
committed themselves so fully TO the cheap
silver dollar delGsion in 1896 that there Is
no line of retreat open to them now insist
upon the readoption of the Chicago platform
by the national democratic convention oi
1900
Adhcrents Are Apathetic.
The masses of voters who gave an enthusi.
astic 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 present any demand in the public press
that II be revived leading issue in the
next presidential campaign. The present in
dications are that il there is any mention OF
the free coinage Of silver in the next demo
cratic national platform there will be moth
Ing said about the ratio of 16 to l and the
question will be made secondary TO new is
sues that are now taking shape In the pub
lie mind.
The National Sound Money league may
fairly claim some credit for the remarkab BILE
change Of opinion on the money question
shown by the returns of the elections of last
year in the western states. Our publications
were widely distributed by local committees
in all those states and they furnished facts
and arguments which were used by the
sound money speakers. Our monthly paper