Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-09-15
LEGISLATION WANTED.

1t is rather early to be discussing the
actions of our next congress. but we no.
tice decided tendency among our re-
publican contemporaries to fall into the
regarding monetary legislation. GU,
legislators in Washington next winter
viii be largely governed by the senti-
ment Of their constituencies, which can
find expression only through the press,
and it is this duty of keeping before
their minds the call the people of this
country have made for gold standard
legislation that we now refer TO the sub
ject. To those editors who are inclined
to do nothing policy because times are
so good now we have only to refer theml
to the Arkansas cracker who neglect
FED to patch his leaky roof. Old andl
threadbare as that story is, we know OF
no more forcible Illustration of the folly
lin refusing to enact monetary legsla-
lation because the country does not now
/ happen to be suffering business distress.
After more than ten years of public
discussion the country at last demands
from congress an explicit legislative
definition of what a dollar really is. 1t
further demands that that definition be
4 couched in the terms of a most unmis-
4 taxable gold standard law.
Today god is the standard money OF
the whole civilized world. 1t is in this
country, thanks to most fortunate de-
feat of the democratic party. but it
rests upon executive action, not upon
law, and could at any time be aban-
doned by a president committed To the
double standard doctrine. During the
a long run of the silver craze in congress
both parties We'd with each other in eff
forts to prevent the decline of the white
metal, by acts and resolutions making
the various forms of obligations issued
by the government payable in coin.
land leaving the determination OF
whether the coin should be gold or sill
yer to the secretary of the treasury
There can be no doubt as TO which way
$ the question would be settled if Bryan
2 We're president and Altgeld controlled
the treasury Those politicians and al
the silver advocates believe that /
would be public blessing to have tw,
kinds of money cheap silver money il
which debtors could pay their creditors
~ 4
$ loan to borrowers with the assuranc
7 that they would never get it bac
$ again. The only thing clear in the mud
t die of indecisive monetary legislation i
: which congress has wallowed in recen
# years is that this Legislation is all per
u meated with the bmetallic idea an
4. that the single gold standard rests nc
e upon law, but executive action.
e The republican party, which has a
II ways been a gold standard party. ha
e at last full control of all branches of til
k carry it's convictions into law. Cor
gress is strongly republican enough
D. both branches TO adopt a law next viii
ot ter declaring that the dollar of IL
is United States is a coin containing
pc $40 grains of gold, and that all oblig'
m tions of the government, whether in Il
"a form of "coin:' bonds or of circuiatr
N notes. are payable in goio com. 1t no
remains for its legislators to place upt
in the statute books of the country the
ne triumph Of years of contention. II
ly spokesman of the party. the medium
er that express public opinion should star
ly as unit in calling upon those leglsla
lr ors to do their duty.