Mexico Missouri message., 1900-01-25
to his memory lofty monument. on
which should be chiseled these words:


This man led the Republic leans into commit:
ting the most colossal act OF bad faith recorded
In the entire annals OF the human race.
REPUBLICAN FINANCIAL PLANK IN 1896.
In order that there may be no mis-
take about it, here quote the financial
plank of the St. Louis platform.
The Republican party is unreservedly for
sound money. 1t caused the enactment or the
law providing for the resumption OF specie
payments In 1879; since then every dollar has
We are unalterably opposed to every mea-
sure calculated to debase our currency OF i'm
pair the credit OF our country. We are there
fore opposed to the free coinage OF silver eI-
cept by International agreement with the
leading commercial nations OF the world, which
we pledge ourselves to promote, and until such
agreement can be obtained the existing gold
standard must be preserved. All our silver
and paper currency must be maintained at
parity with gold and we favor oil measures
designed to maintain inviolably the obliga-
lions OF the United States and all our money,
whether coin or paper, at the present standard
the standard OF the most enlightened nations
OF the earth.
l undertake to say that William
Mckinley owes his election to the
twelve words, Except by interna-
tional agreement with the leading
commercial nations of the world" At
least so says Hon. WILLIAM f. CHAND.
LER, Republican Senator from New
Hampshire, and he ought to know, for
he has had a good deal to do with Re
publican politics.
A QUEER CONTENTION.
Senator JOSEPH BENsoN FORAKER,
of Ohio, and Hermann II. Kohlsaat,
editor and owner of the Chicago Times
Herald and the Chicago Evening Post,
| are at the present juncture engaged in
| a heated controversy as to which of
| them belongs the honor Of having writ
ten that plank of the St. Louis plat
form. I understand that Mr.. Kohlsaat
keeps what he claims to be the original
draft of that wondrous and wicked
straddle, in his own handwriting,
framed and hanging above his desk as
| evidence that he is the author.
! suppose Senator FORAKER carries
| around in his inside pocket next his
| heart copy in his handwriting; but
l make bold to predict that the day is
not far distant when Mr.. Kohlsaat will
be perfectly willing that Senator
FORAKER shall have the dubious honor
| of it's paternity, and that Senator
FORAKER will be eager to unload the
| obloquy attaching to it upon the Shout
| ders of Mr.. kohlsaat; for ! am certain,
| absolutely certain, that not only the
United States but the whole world will
| return to bimctallism under an i'm
pulse of self-preservation too strong to
| be resisted.
| In that day every man who had any
| hand in constructing that miserable
and infamous straddle and every man
| who stood by consenting will hasten to
disclaim any connection with that per-
Torrance, which will stink in the nos
trils of mankind. With that straddle
staring them in the face, why are the
Republicans in such hurry to pass
this monstrous measure? The solu-
ton of this apparent riddle is not far
| to seek. The national bank furnished
a large portion of the vast sum of
money used to carry the election of
1896, and they now demand their re.
ward and are now foreclosing their
mortgage on the Republican party.
| THE OHIO FINANCIAL STRApDLE OF
| 1896.
AS for months prior to the St. Louis
convention Mr.. Mckinley was the
leading Republican Presidential can
didate-indeed, the inevitable nominee
it is not unreasonable TO assume that
the financial plank of the Ohio plat
form of that year reflected his senti-
nents on that subject. 1t has been
denounced and ridculed as most
skillful "straddle,' but such as it is, it
must have met with his approval
| Whatever else it may be, it is not a
declaration in favor of the single gold
standard. Having quoted his message
to show his position now, quote the
Ohio financial plank of 1896 to show
his position then. Gaze upon that
picture, then on this:
| We contend for honest money, u currency OF
| gold silver. and paper, with which to measure
| our exchange that shall be as sound rs the
| Government itself and as untarni shed as its
| honor; and TO that end we favor bimetallism
| and demand the use OF both gold and silver as
| u standard money, either In accordance with q
| ratio 10 he liked by an interuationl agreement,
| II that can I've obtained, or under such restric-
| lions and such provisions, to be determined by
| Legislation, as will secure the maintenance OF
the PARTIES Of values Of the two metals, so that
| the purchasing aud debt-paying power OF the
| dollar, whether gold, silver or paper. snail at
| oil times be equal,
With considerable rhetorical
flourish that "straddle" was intended
to- be "all things to all men" hoping