J 1 il J. A NijST- fNDEPENDEN'T.
PROMISE AND PERFORMANCE.
ilu Republican and Democratic Parties and
huir Candidates for President Tried
by Their Record of the Past
Eight Years on the Siler
Question.
: ; it voters of the United States, your attention is invited to the
he two old parties on the silver question during the past eight years.
ij 1 ages of the world, must the future of men and parties be judged
i record. If you find that the republican and democratic parties
' ua;,ed the people in the past, if you find that G rover Cleveland and
::nin Harrison have proven false to the platforms on which they were
1, it is your duty as patriotic citizens to sever your connection with those
re is f ie record:
PROMISE.
which Cleveland was
in honest money, the
r coinage of the eonstitu
culating medium conver-
into sl i money without loss.
Plank on which Harrison was elected
in 1888:
The republican party is in favor of
the use of both gold and silver as mon
ey, and condemn the policy of the
democratic administration in its efforts
to demonetize silver.
a
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.
be t.' i '
OWJ I: is
fro-
PERFORMANCE.
lemocratic platform of 1884, the people were given to understand
h. u ' mocrats proposed to take up the fight for remonetization of silver.
-!! t : should be restored to its former place in the coinage of the country
f gold is the only fair construction that can be given to that
e republicans were silent on the silver question in 1884. There can
onable doubt that in the close contest of that year Cleveland
ectica to that silver plank, and the silvery eloquence that (lowed
cratic speakers on that question.
But hen Grover Cleveland, even before he was inaugurated, declared his
iui a; uncompromising opposition to free silver, great was the chagrin and
h;. ;."!.;. u of those who had been duped. Cleveland showed himself to be, not
ii' temy to silver, but also the most radical gold standardraan that ever
V U; presidential chair. In his messages he repeatedly urged congress to
s-. coinage of two million silyer dollars per month under the old Bland
ac He went further, and recommended the retirement of the rest of the
gjenbacks. He stood ready with a veto to kill any financial measure in the
i crests of the people that congress might pass.
"But why,"' asks some one, "did the money power permit the democrats to
be country with a free silver platform?' The answer is: They knew
n. They knew where Cleveland stood, and that he would not be bound
'latform promises.
'i republicans ridicule the democrats for following along a few years be
i . i em and adopting their platform. But in 18S8 the position was for once
i riu 1.1: ,")...! .... 4LA
i'U. i ne repuuueaus eoneiuueu w uy me suine men uiil eiuiuieu men
neuts to elect Cleveland. The democrats held their convention first and
p.llent on the silver question. The republicans followed with the declara-
t a 'g)hl and silver money" and condemned Cleveland's "efforts to demone
j . l'ver." Harrison was nominated and again the silvery eloquence llowed,
b t time from republican orators. As a result Harrison was elected.
'ho money power permitted his election because they knew he would prove
ls ,rl, r , k)1 as Cleveland, and they were not disappointed. Harrison, like
f as succeeded in preventing the passage of a free coinage law by con-
;t has been an open secret that if such a law should pass, he would
PH Hi-, administration has discriminated against silver in every way pos-
k) :! as they were defeated, the democrats began housing for free silver
p i Jit republican congress of "8!)-'90, they forced that issue to the front
real sk.11 and vehemence, and used the republican money plank on which
..in was 'leeted as a'elub with which to pound the republicans. They very
led. But the republicans in the house stood almost solid against
. id finally defeated it. The democrats in the senate, assisted ba
ilors from the silver states did pass a free, coinage bill, but it was
juse. and a compromise bill was passed known as the Sherman
ire purported to be a step toward the restoration of silver. But
... 4 . .,1 1,t 41,. it . ,.,.Vi-t ili ,,, o. it liii.n.wl out to Ko tlio .-.iit
vei" '. 1 5.v the provisions of this law the secretary is required to buy four and
illion ounces of ilver bullion per month. He pays for it not with
i.-i'.fe". as many persons believe but with treasury notes redeemable
a', tin- declared policy of the administration is to redeem these notes in
.n e presented.
r feature of the Sherman law anil a most damnable one -is that
.. sury notes contain an "exception clause." They are "legal tender
- ex. t where otherwise expressly stipulated in the contract."
p , i )t legal tender in payment of the infamous gold contracts which
pei,,r u 1 onev burners.
ht si v ' '. ilure of Ihe Sherman law is that bv its terms the seeretarv
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to
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if he saw lit. Of course he saw fit, : .3 to-day no silver oi ttt
being coined in the United States.
Harrison of course signed this bill. Thus he succeeded in doing'
his platform condemned the democrats for trying to do.
In 181K) another turn in the political wheel of fortune came. The democ
in twenty-nine states declared plainly for the free coinage or silver. Up
dnmn tlmv tlio ,!.!!. -ii .i fur I lioi r ( im'my in (lfiiRt.ini t.hfi tr K,:
age measure in 1SS). They were victorious, electing about three-fourth.-
lower house. More tkan two-thirds of thse representatives were ou
pledged free coinage men. Then the people said: "We are going to get
thing at last." But to their deep disgust and disappointment the Bland bill vii
killed, and all hopes of financial relief from this congres3 were blasted. During
all this time Grover Cleveland has been using all his influence and prestige as
an ex-president and prospective candidate, to prevent any silver legislation.
The history of the two great conventions just held is too fresh to need com
ment. In each the money power scored a signal triumph. The question that
was uppermost in the minds of the people was tabooed in both conventions. A
stranger to our politics, if he had attended both conventions, would hardly hai
known their was a silver question.
Now let us compare the silver planks oa which the two old parties prailS
to stand in the coming campaign:
mm i
f Mill
"''Ii Ml
Al
Silver plank on which Harrison was
re-nominated at Minneapolis:
"The American people from tradi
tion and interest favor bi-metalism and
the republican party demands the use
of both gold and silver as a standard
money, with such restrictions to be
determined by legislation as will se
cure the maintenance of a parity of
values of the two metals, so that the
purchasing and debt paying power of a
dollar, whether gold, silver or paper,
shall at all times be equal. The inter
ests of the producers of the country,
its farmers and its workingmen, demand
that every dollar paper or coin is
sued by the government, shall be as
good as any other.
"We commend the wise and natriotic
steps already taken by our government
to secure an international conference to
adopt such measures as will insure
the parity of value between gold and
silver for use for money throughout
the world."
Silver plank on which Ctavelaiu 1
nominated at Chicago: "
"We denounce the lepublican .)K
lation known as the !l herman MRMER
1 SIM) as a cowardly makeshift, n
with possibilities of danger in "II
ture which should make all of f ill
S. A.
porters, as well as its author,
for its repeal. We hold to the
b )th gold and silver as the s
money of the country, and to t
age of both gold and jilvorjjf jjOUi
discrimination against cAttitrfmetal m'"
charge for mintage, bat the dollar unif
of coinage of both metals must be oi?
equal intrinsic and unchangeable valued
or be adjusted by international agree-V
ment or by such safeguard of ierisl.-
lion as snail insure xnc irvtnsi
the parity of the two metals, ana '
equal power of any dollt r at all tu.
in the market and in tho payment
debts, and we demand th it all papei
currency shall be kept at pur 'vltn and
redeemable in such coin.
i".
insiii
upon this policy as especially nv isary
for the protection of tho farmers and
laboring classes, the first and most de
fenceless victims of unstable money and t
a lluctv.ating currency." "
"Look on this picture and then on that !" Never was the hand of ilq
money power more plainly shown. There's no room for a disagreement this
time. Even the old party papers confess that there is no difference.
The republicans condemn the Sherman law by silence as effectually as the
democrats do by words.
Both "favor gold and silver as a standard money."
Both "favor a dollar of equal intrinsicvalue with every other dollar."
Both "fa voi- such restrictions (safe-guards) of legislation as will irj"
(secure) the maintenance of the parity of values (of the two metals.")
Both "favor an international conference (agreement.)"
Both proclaim that they are working in the interest of "the farmers a
working men (laboring classes)."
Both platforms really mean this: We are unalterably opposed to the remor
tization of the standard silver dollar of 412 grains; but if we can secure an i
ternational agreement with the gold-standard nations of Europe, we willarranj
to continue a limited use of silver as money.
Now compare these planks with those of '84 and '88 already quoted. Do thej
promise anything more? Do they promise as much? On the contrary, the
planks of "!2 are unfriendly to the free coinage of silver. The same candidates
stand on these platforms as they stood on the former ones. We know what each
did when elected before.
If the people got nothing out of platforms that promised much, how much
are they likely to get out of platforms that promise nothing with the same can
didates that betrayed the people before?
When your republican friend here
in Nebraska tells you scornfully that
this independent movement is simply
a sideshow gotten up to aid the demo
cratic party just quietly tell him the
news from Texas, where the independ
ent candidate has downed the demo
cratic nominee for Hoger Q. Mills' seat
in the house. According to tradition
Texas has km overwhelmingly demo
cratic ever sinc3 the days of Abraham
but here comes this so-called democrat
ic sidehow and wrest a congressional
district from the graq of democracy
with no difficulty whatever. The pa
pers of the north don't say anything
about it, but they are doing some aw
fully hard thinking.
WHEN you are telling things don't
forget to tell about Texas.
The managers of the national prohi
bition convention at Cincinnati havr
agreed upon E. F. Stevens, the br. e
ball editor of the Boston Herald. 'e
secretary of the convention.
thought that he can keep a .
record of the heavy batting thaV
to take place.
ir
The Journal annouiK'cs that the race
for representative in the Third ward
is between .loe Burns. Bud Lindsey,
and Fritz Westerman. While we pro
pose to run a man of our own choice
who could easily down all three of
these chumps, yet we are constrained
to suggest that as between Bud Lind
and Joe Burns we would certainly take
Bud. One always knows where to find
him.
v 1 .
41
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