Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1899-12-29

After the passage, on the 18th, by
the House of the financial bill, the
Silver Republican leaders in Washing
ton held a meeting and adopted an ad-
dress setting forth their views as to its
effect. The address is as follows:
"To the Members of the Republican
Party Who Still Believe in Bimetal.
lism: The passage by the House OF
Representatives to-day of the gold
standard and bank currency bill, ex.
actly as agreed upon by the Republi-
can caucus and without the opposition
of a single Republican vote, marks the
elimination of policy long and care
fully pursued by certain influences in
control of the leadership of the Re-
publican party, and justities the action
of the men who in 1896 refused to re-
main in that organization after the
adoption of the st. Louis platform.
"The Republican national pla tforms
Of 1888 and 1892 had been unequivo.
cally in favor Of bimetallism and the
use of both gold and silver as standard
money. Nevertheless, it was apparent
several months before the assembling
of the national convention of 1896 that
the machinery of the Republican
party had passed wholly into the
hands of the banking and creditor in
terests, and it was the purpose of the
latter to commit the party to the ad.
vocacy and achievement of the gold
standard.
Against this danger the under.
signed and many other Republican BIZ
metallists at that time vainly attempt
ed to arouse the masses of the party.
The politicians and newspapers privy
to the scheme denounced our fears as
unfounded or simulated, and by skill-
full use of catch-words and generalities
succeeded in forestalling any wide
spread comprehension of their designs.
When the convention met, . similar
ingenuity governed the framing Of the
declaration on the money question.
Its essential part was as follows:
"We are therefore opposed to the
free coinage of silver, except by inter
national agreement with the leading
commercial nations of the world,
which we pledge ourselves to promote,
and until such agreement can be OBJ
tanned, the existing gold standard
must be preserved. All our silver and
paper currency must be maintained at
parity with gold." etc.
at is strange that so manifest in
sincerity should have deceived any.
body. Clearly, if the gold standard
was desirable, the free coinage of silver
was undesirable. If the gold standard
was right, free coinage must be wrong.
Nobody could intelligently and honest
ly demand the international free coin.
age os silver, and at the same time ex.
press such emphatic satisfaction with
the gold standard as an alternative.
As matter of fact, this declaration
was intended as q definite assurance
to the speculative banks and their al
lies shat the Republican party, if sue
cessful in the election, would proceed
with all political speed to the estab-
lishment Of the single gold standard
in all its rigor.
"The promise to promote the in.
ternational free coinage of silver was
never meant to be observed in good
faith, yet it proved q good enough
slogan until after the election. Rely.
ing upon it, enforced as it was through.
out the west and central portions OF
the country by the editors and orators
of the Republican party, millions oI
voters were held in line for the ticket,
for, as stated in the Republican cam
paign text book for 1892, the Repub.
lican party was bimetallic party
No one whose political judgment has
the slightest weight will deny that a
frank pronouncement for the gold
standard in that platform, or O
straightforward Interpretation of it by
the Republican candidate for Presi.
dent as meaning the gold standard and
nothing else, would have elected Mr..
Bryan by an overwhelming majority.
To construe the election of 1896 as a
mandate by the American people for
the establishment of the gold standard
is to appropriate political goods under
false pretenses.
As soon as the election was over,
and the fruits OF chicanery had been
gathered, the great Republican news.
papers began to discard their conven-
lent antiquities about sound money
and honest money and to claim the
result as a definite victory in favor OF
gold. These utterances increased in
volume and precision as the advent of
the new administration approached.
The President also, although not able
at once to form the habit of directness
in speech, soon showed by his actions
that he no longer considered the pre-.
election construction OF the platform
to be binding. His appointment as