Rocky Ford enterprise., 1900-08-17
A. N. STEVENSON LEAVES
THE SILVER REPUBI

ran stuIe Central committee and In the
following letter announced his return
la III. Republican party: .
-u-ny.r. Colo. Aug. IL. i.sG
TO the Members III the Teller sh'
YER Republican State Central Cum
nittss'. r7sr- OF W. u. sriihth. s'-f"-
4. Iary.
"t;.nil-un.n-I have this day AL
dr.ss.i To you and delivered Ia the sec
rvtary al ia. committee my resignation
ns chairman. ! have not wished tn u"
NOR. than formally n-si.n the chnir'
nianship Of the committee; but after
advising with my friends whose opin-
| ion I value. ! have concluded that u
proI-r respect for your opinions NJ
auirrs ihni I stat. the reasons which
ImIsi M. To III. course have taken.
Il wa, a ,i-i-.ni. Ia III. Republican
National convention nj ST. L0eis ih
isai. AMI acted In harmony with the
other delegates from this state. In otcy-
ing the instructions Of III. ltrpublicnn
State convention. which In effect direct
,.i the delegates Ia withdraw from the
national convention II the party nt ~.
Louis adopted n gold standard plat
form. We attended thni convention u-
r-pr-s-ntnIiyr- IL the Republican par
IL Of the state of Colorado. The ne
,ion taken by rs was In Obedience to
The. ,icman, Of tho people OF the state.
The is-oplc dlp~trI us to do Just what
we did do. and no silver Republican
ran Justly L. criticised for that action.
nor III. position taken by us In the
campaign of 1870 and issss.
AT ~. Louis we declared that We
wcr. Republicans on all questions but
the money question. After the defeat
OF Mr. bryan. whom We NIL Loyalty snip
iort.,i. and ON the anniversary Of the
birth OF the 'fir.t American. February
-. 1897. nn address was issued from,
Washington. signed 10y distinguished
senators and representatives OF Con.
.rc-.. urging the organization OF Ma
iionai silver Republican party. The
a,i,lrrs. declared that In differing with
the National Republican party on the
money question. we did not surrender
our convictions ON the other great
questions OF political economy and gov
rrnmcnt.
In June following. the representa-
lives of thirty-on. states of the Union
met In Chicago and completed the or
rnnixation Of this party. The platform
adopted nj the Chicago meeting stated
,iint the achievement Of the fire. coin
n.c OF silver and gold was deemed by
us Of paramount political Importance
aud should form the controlling motive
Of our political action until II wns ne
coippiishcsi. Such hns been. In fact.
the declaration Of all state. district nnd
county conventions held by this party
In Colorado. The Kansas City plat
form does not so declare.
Il have been actively connected with
the party since Its organization and
have done my sharc In trying to build
np the organization aud make II pow
spcct. When the party was national
lied. ! hoped that I, might become n
power for good IN the politics Of the
country. still believe that such might
have been possible had not new condi- |
lions. new responsibilities Of govern |
mcnt aud new issues been pressed for |
consideration and settlement. There " |
now no hope-in fact. no prctcnse-that |
the party can live beyond the present |
campaign. and ] ~ not believe II possi- |
ble To aid the cause OF bimctallisfn by |
continuing the fight this fall.
''On this great question the people of |
Colorado have not changed: but condi- |
tons and issues hayc changed. and in |
my Judgment the silver question Is not |
to-day live issue before the American |
people. and never will become an issue |
OF great political Importance until the
necessities OF the country compel cor
rect monetary system. We are daily |
Informed that the great body of gold
standard Democrats who refused to |
support Bryan In 1896 are to-day nc-
cordihg him loyal support-and why? |
Certainly because they believe that the
financial question has been settled or
side-trackcd for the present The rea
son that prompt" them to return to
their old party allegiance, in n measure
nt least. persuades me that I am cor
rect In my conclusions about this Qucs-
tion. In 1896 the Democratic party de-
clared the financial question to be one
OF controlling and paramount political
Importance. In 1900 thu same party |
declares another issue to be Of para
mount Importance and every one
knows that the open declaration in ia
vOr of free coinage was forced upon the
after the representatives of |
a majority of the delegates had voted
against such n declaration in commit
tee. and the resolution could not have
been adopted in the committee had II
not been for the votes of the territories
If Hawaii Indian territory. Oklahoma.
Arizona and New Mexico, none of
which has any voice in the election of
the President.
I'm 1896. Senator Hill of New York
denounced the majority of the Chicago
convention and the platform advocated
by them, in language, every sentence
Of which was joyfully repeated during
the campaign by those who opposed
the election Of Mr.. Bryan. He and
hose who acted with him sullenly re-
FUSED to support the nominees OF the
Chicago convention. In 1900 the same
Senator Hill was the hero of the Kan
sns City convention, and would have
been It's nominee for vice president had
he not declined the nomination and i'm
plored the convention and its leaders
not to nominate him.
II cannot understand how any man
who witnessed the scenes at Kansas
City can honestly say that the conven-