The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1900-08-10

will soon return to bimetallism under
an impulse Of self preservation so
strong that it cannot be resisted.
The fact that the per capita volume
Of circulation has increased in the last
three years grows out of the accident
that the balance of trade has been
overwhelmingly in our favor, which
happy condition was and is purely
the result of the failure of crops in
India and of the abundance here.
Under normal conditions. good crops
in the old world and good crops Mt
home. the balance of trade will. as in
the past be against us, and as soon
as that happens the drain of gold will
begin. and contractionS will follow.
While the Democratic party has not
changed its position since 1896 the Re-
publican party has changed it's posi-
ton radically. In 1896 it declared for
international bimetallsm. At Phila-
delphia a short time ago it pronounced
for the gold standard in all it's bald
ness and badness. Not only that, but
the latest Republican platform states
what is positively untrue wherein it
reaffrms its allegiance to the gold
standard, when. as matter Of fact,
it never had declared for the gold
standard before.
International BimetnIlism.
AS a matter of fact, the administra-
tion never made an honest effort to
secure international bimetallism. The
Wolcott commission that was gala
wanting over Europe would have Sc
cured international bimetallism If it
had not been hamstrung by the admin
istration. They We're progressing with
amazing rapidity i'll that direction and
had gained the consent of the Bank Of
England when Lyman J. Gage, the
secretary of the treasury, destroyed
their good works by an interview de-
claring that neither the president nor
the people of the United States wanted
bimetallism.
The financial bill passed by this con-
gress is the most monstrous measure
ever placed on the statute books. 1t
is sometimes called the Overstreet bill,
but it should be called the atlantic
City, BILL" because it was concocted
there in vacation by a coterie of Re-
publican magnates in secret conclaye.
In my mind Atlantic City is the poor
est place in America to ascertain the
settled sober sense or conviction of the
American people.
That bill not only established the
gold standard. which the Republican
party never promised, but it retired
the greenbacks, and let me say that if
the Republican party had promised to
retire the greellbacks there never
would have been Republican con-
gress to enact such a law, and there
would not have been a Republican
president to sign such measure.
l will not argue the greenback ques.
tion. l have simply this to say: There
never has been a war waged by our
country in which the greenback did
! not give us the victory, and If the
greenbacks were good enough money
in the civil war to induce men to leave
their homes, their wives and little
children to risk their lives on thou
sand battlefields in defense of thei1
country, then it ought to be good
enough money to pay gentlemen who
make their living by reclining in the
shade Of Wall street, clipping gold
coupons off coin bonds. If the green
| backs are not good money, then, as 8
matter Of common honesty, we owe II
to the old soldiers to pass law ever
at this late day paying them the diff
ference between gold and greenbacks
from 1861 to 1865.
Republicans Have Changed.
BY that Atlantic City bill congress
abdicated the paramount function OF
government. the money making func
ton, and turned it over to an associa
ton of national bankers, 4 function
too vast and too dangerous to be give1
to any citizen or corporation. Tha
bill broadens the money question ant
puts it on the high plane on whicl
Andrew Jackson fought Nicholas Bid
| die and the old Bank of the United
| States, and. as he conquered in tn,
| thirties, so will we conquer under tn,
leadership of the great Nebraskan.
l repeat that while we maintain Oul
| position of 1896 III favor of the FIRE,
and unlimited coinage Of gold and sill
YER at the historic ratio of 16 to with
out waiting for the consent of any 9th
er nation OH earth. the Republican.
have changed theirs and changed i
radically.
| l do not have to make assertions O
quote Democrats TO show that we ar
right on the money question. l will
| quote you a Republican of the highes
degree. Certainly Republicans ough
to believe each other, for nobody els
will believe them.
/ My Republican witness says: 81 an
for the largest use OF silver in the cur
rency of this country. l would no
dishonOr it. l would give it equa
credit and honor with gold. woul'
make no discrimination. would util
ize both metals as money and discredi
neither. | want the double standard
4 These be potent words. They wer
fifty spoken and are like apples of gol,
i in pictures of silver. They are clea
and unmistakable in their meaning
i Now, my Republican friends. you VIII