. v
shall 'have resided therein for ono year shall be
qualified to voto for membors of tho convention,
and ally person so qualified as an elector shall bo
qualified to become a morabor of said convention,
Tho mombcrs of tho said convention shall num
ber three hundred, and shall bo apportioned by
tho United States Philippine commission among
tho sovoral provinces of said archipelago so that
tho distribution shall bo In proportion to their
population as near as may bo; and whori the said
apportionment has been determined upon, tlio
said commission shall by proclamation ordor an
oloctlon of tho membors for said convention, to
bo held throughout tho said archipelago at such
time as shall bo fixed by the said commission,
which eloctlon shall bo hold not more than ono
year from tho dato of tho proclamation' by tho
president of tho United States hereinbefore pro
vided for, and ample time shall bo' given before
said oloctlon to clrculato said proclamation
throughout said archipelago u-d arrange for tho
holding of the said election.
Sec. 4. That the members of tho convention
thus elected shall meet at tho city of Manila on a
day to bo fixed by the said United States Phil
ippine commission not more than ninety days
subsequent to tho day of election, tho time for
which meeting shall be stated in the proclama
tion calling attention to the election aforesaid;
and after organization tho said convention shall
proceed to form a constitution and organize such
govornmont as they may deem best adapted to
promote tho welfare and secure the peace and hap
piness of tho inhabitants of said Islands: Pro
vided, that said convention shall provide by an
ordinance, irrevocable without the consent of tho
United States.
First. That there shall belong to' the United
State and continue to bo the property thereof such
lands and waters as the president of the United
States shall designate to the said convention for
naval, miitaryf and coaling statlonaand termi
ni facilities for submarine cables,' the same ' tocon
tinSe" under ''the" control "and sovereignty of the1'
United States. " " ' .'.
Second. To carry into effect tho treaty obli
gations of tlio Unite dStates with the kingdom of
Spain, and for tho maintenance and protection of
all rights and property acquired under tho au
thority of tho United States.
Third. That no inhabitant of said archipelago
shall over bo molested in person or property on ac
count of his or her adherence to the United States.
Sec. 5. That when the constitution and gov
ernment shall be formed for and by the people of
said archipelago in compliance with the provisions
o this Act, tho said United States Philippine com
mission shall certify tho fact to. the president of
tho United States, together with a copy of said
constitution and ordinances, whereupon it shall
be the duty of tho president to issue his proclama
tion declaring the independence of the people of
said archipelago, and that they constitute an in
dependent stato and nation.
Sec. G. That the president of tho United States
is hereby requested to negotiate an agreement be
tween the United States, the said Philippine ar
chipelago,, and Great. Britain, Germany, France,
arid such other powers as ho may deem bast, pro
viding! for its. "perpetual .neutrality and.. inviola
bility from-all foreign countries with said archi
pelago; ;.
Sec 7. That immediately after the president
shall havo prc-laimed thjit all aVmed resistance
to the.United States has ceased, in said archipelago
he la, requested to proclaim full amnesty to all
tho inhabitants thereof for or on account 6f poli
tical offenses and tho bearing of arms against
the United .States, and all Filipinos or inhabl-'
tants of said archipelago who have been deported
shall be returned to tho place from, where they
were deported: Provided, that such-amnesty sMll
npt apply to any who have violated the rules of
civilized warfare or were guilty of murder or tor-
The Commoner
turo. That tho latter, if any, shall be afforded a
speedy trial for their offenses in the civil courts
of said archilepago and be punished or acquitted,
as tho facts and law may warrant.
Sec. 8. That within sixty days from the elec
tion of officers under tho constitution to be formed
by tho Philippine archipelago and the inaugura
te . of said officers the president shall cause tho
armed forces of the United States to be withdrawn
from said archipelago as speedily as may be, ex
cept such forces as may be maintained in such
parts thoreof as havo been retained by the United
States for naval, military, and coaling stations and
terminal facilities for cables; and the president of .
tho United States and tho secretary of war shall
make all needful regulations to carry into effect,
the provisions of this Act.
Amend the title so as to read: "A bill to
promoto the welfare and establish the indepen
dence of the Philippine Islands."
The Coinage Ratio.
A reader asks how tho coinage ratio was first
established. The first coinage law which went
into effect in 1792, established the coinage .ra
tio of fifteen to one. The Spanish dollar contain
ing tho same amount, of pure silver that the
standard silver dollar does today (and has
contained ever since 1792) was taken as
the basis and tho gold dollar was mado
to contain 1-15 as much in weight of pure gold.
In 1834 the ratio was changed by statute to six
teen to one. Tho ratio , is a matter of law, be
ing merely a declaration as to the relative legal
tender values of the metals. When, the ratio
was first established there was a slight variation
in tho ratios established in other countries, and
this difference disturbed the commercial ratio.
It was discovered . that the French ratio, being
more favorable to gold than ours, put a slight
premium on gold in this, country, although the
gold and silyer were alike a, legal tender. atthe
ratio fixed and accorded equal opportunity for
mintage. When the change was mado in 1831
gold was over-valued, and therefore silver went
to a premium and remained at a premium over'
gold until its demonetization took place.
Those who contend that free coinage (if we''
had free coinage) should bo at the present com
mercial ratio, overlook tho fact that the present
commercial ratio Is due to the fact that silver
has been discriminated against and gold given
a monopoly of mint privileges in this and other
countries. It is the belief of tho advocates of in
dependent bimetallism that this nation Is suffi
ciently large to bring silver and gold together at
the present legal ratio of sixteen to one. This is
brought about, first, by the increased demand for
silver created by law an increased demand, in
acordance with the universal law of supply and
demand, increasing the gold price of silver. In"
tho second place, the use of silver as a standard
money equal with gold takes the strain off of gold
and thus reduces its commercial value, as meas
ured by other property. The two metals would
thus he brought together at some point between
tho present price of cllver and the present price
.of gold. Bimetallism does not depend upon any
particular ratio, but as the silver now in circula
tion circulates at the ratio of sixteen to one
that ratio is the one at which tho mints should
be opened. A change in the ratio might be mado
by Increasing the size of the silver dollar or by
decreasing tho size of the gold dollar, but as the
advocates of a change always speak of increasing
the size of the silver dollar it is proper that we
should consider the effect of such a change.
If, for instance, tho ratio was made thirty-two to
one, and the silver dollar doubled in size, we
would have to recoin some five hundred million
silver dollars into two hundred and- fifty
millions of- dollars , twice as large.. ..This,
would cause ajmrinkage of-over two hundred' and
" ' Volume a, Ncis
.
fifty millions in the volume of our standard-money,
and inevitably cause an enormous injury;
to the owners of property and bring an enbrmoua
advantage to the owners of money and fixed, in-,
vestments. Such a change would put us out of
harmony with other nations, most of which have
ratios from fifteen to one to sixteen and a half
to one. If the ratio was by international agree
ment changed to thirty-two to one it would nec
essitate tho recolnage of some $4,000,000 of silver
and would cause a shrinkage of almost one-fourth
in the wbrlds volume of standard 'money. This
would mean an injury amounting to several bil
lions of dollars to owners of property and an
equivalent advantage to the owners of money and
fixed investments. Those who talk of changing
the ratio never discuss the effect of the change,
but a'st the discussion generally comes frdm those
who would profit by the change it is only fair'
to suppose ' that they have calculated upon the
effect of the plan which they propose. When the'
silver Question was before congress in 1893 the
advocates of free coinage at sixteen to one tested
the sincerity of their opponents by proposing coin
age at several different ratios, but it was found'
that those who opposed sixteen to one almost to
a man op.osed seventeen, eighteen, nineteen and
twenty. ' This ' proposition can easily be tested.
When a man objects to the ratio of sixteen to
one ash him ,wtiat ratio he favors and' what'
he has ever done to secure the coinage of silver
at that ratio. If he says that the ratio should bo
left "to congress, remind him that it was left to
cpngressfor about twenty years and that the fi
nancial interests regularly put up candidates .whb'
talked ioiidly for bimetallism but Voted against'
every "ratio 'that had a chance of adoptidn, and'
that lie Chicago platform was made specific bii
the question of ratio in order to protect the -partyl
against the fraud a'nd treachery of men who'pre
teiided to favbr ' the" "double : standard, 'while- ttiy3
secretly1; wbrketi,''w''itlr "t'iie' attvbeatesbf : 'thegbld
standard, ThisvVentMb,ii until tticTpeople" Wairiel
tired bl 'glittering '"generalities; 'The 'same double
dealing will" Tb'e resumed if the party goes back
to ambiguous phraseology, and no bne" knows this
better than the reorganizers who are now adv'o-r -eating
ambiguity and uncertainty. . -.'
,1 t.t, I . A
'" "JJJ
!.
"' :
The Realm of Sentiment.". ; I
Representative1 Sulzer of New York, supported'
by the democrats of the house, proposed an amend-"
ment to the sundry civil bill appropriating $50,000
to keep trie light burning in the statue of Liberty!
Mr. Sulzer' made an eloquent speech in support'
of his amendment. " :--.-.
Mr. Cannon, a republican leader from Illi
nois, sneeringly referred to Mr, Sulzer's speech and
insisted that he should "come back from the realm
of sentiment to that of business."
A viva voce vote being taken, Mr. SulzerV
amendment was adopted by 43 yeas. and 33 nays.'
The dispatches say that Mr Cannon became angry,'
stalked down the aisle waving his arm's, and'
shouted: "You'll have to beat me with tellerV
and yeas and nays before you can win."
The sergeant-at-arms was sent through the'
hallway to summon the absent republicans and on'
a count b.f votes' by' tellers, Mr. Sulzer's 'amend
ment was defeated by a vote of 61 yeas to '67 nays.
It seems strange that a leader of a party that
boasts that it has a monopoly of patriotism and
virtue -should becomo wrathy simply because an
appropriation has been asked providing for keep-,
ing ablaze the torch on tho statue of Liberty; but
it.is.no less Strange that there is ono member of I
the American house of representatives who would' "
oppose an appropriation of this character. !
The dispatches say that Mr. Sulzer's' speech
"was heartily. applauded by a delegation of Nawi
Tork city school, teachers in the galleries." ,'Thist
fact might, appear.ignificant to men less blindi
than republican . leaders are. . It might indicate