THE 4
ESTABLISHED JUXE 19 , 1871. OMAHA , TTinDAY MOHSIXG , ATJ&TJST 21 , 185)0 ) TAVJEL/VE / PAG13S. GLE COPY ITVE OEXTS.
Great Silver Debate.
unTWBRN ) Stenographic Report
MR , W. H. HARVEY „ , the Debate at
ANI > Urbana , III. , Aug.
. EDWARD ROSEWATER is , isoo , ft
int. IIAUVIJVS .sncoMi itn.roiMinit.
Trie * t'o I'ortlfy the Mittrnicii < IIM lo ( lie KfTccI of Proe ColmtucVlileli
UlN Oiiiiue'H | < Attnt-l > il nml Unilrrmlnrtl.
Mr. Harvey , arswerlng Mr. Iloscwatcr's second speech , said :
Mr. Chairman , Ladles and Gentlemen- am going to answer rapidly many ot
the objections that have been made here to free coinage of sliver In order that 1 may
como to the moro serious objections and that had not been raised and that I Know
are In your minds.
First , the gentleman says that I am mis taken as to Jefferson's reason for closing
the mints. I hold In my hand a printed extract from the message of Jefferson to con
gress at that tltae , In which he says In substance as follovVs. " "On account ot the
scarcity ot change amoni ; the people and on the request of binkcrs and others to stop
the exportation of such silver as may be coined Into fractional money I direct that the
mints cease the coinage of silver dollars and coin all silver tliaf'tlomcs to the mlnto
" t < > ' n
In fractional silver coin.
Ho sajs that silver bullion owners are to bo benefited by the free coinage of sti
ver nnd that It Is a scheme In their behalf. The answer to that Is this. When n
nation decides what Its money shall be It decides It for the benefit of civilization
ifor jou nnd for mo ; and It makes no difference who may own the substance which the
nation decides shall be for the benefit of civ libation made Into money. And no ob
Jectlon can be made to It , because It may In a measure benefit persons who own that
substance. And I dismiss It with this observation- the free coinage of silver Is
In the Interests of'the silver bullion owners , In whose Interest Is the free coinage of
gold as wo have It now. but the Interests of the gold bullion owners ? ( Applause )
It Is trifling and begging of the question stated to arouse the prejudice of the people
against the silver bullion owners when the very same principle Is now In our monetary
fijstom by the free coinage of gold , and Is benefiting the gold bullion owners , If that
Is a fact. If that argument Is true , then demonetize both of them. ( Applause. )
Let us proceed fairly , ladles and gentlemen : This Is a serious question. If falling prices
or the present low prices continue It means the extinction of civilization In the
United States. Your debts will deprive you of jour homes. Business will be para
lyzed. The wheels of commerce will stop. We will come to a standstill , with a
monejed aristocracy In this country owning our lands nnd our propcrtj * . ( A voice :
"That's a plain case. " ) This Is n serious question. The fall of prices at the time ot
the Roman republic by the lessening of the production of the gold and silver of the
world caused the money lenders ot Rome to come Into the ownership of all the prop
erty of the farmers of the Roman republic and that republic fell ; and In a century
moro began the dark ages that did not end until there was an extinction of jead-
IIIK , writing and printing. This Is a question of civilization. Political questions as a
rule are questions of civilization.
Ho says money Is not made by law. Money Is made by law. The stamp on the
coins docs not add to the value of the bullion In them. But this is what It does : It
adds to the demand for the bullion. When jou open the mints to the free coinage
of gold and silver , as they are now open to gold , you make a new use for silver that
It didn't have before. When you make a now use an unlimited demand when the
supply Is considered jou Increase the value of It and give a fixed value to It. Gold
today Is money by law. It Is the law that requires the redemption of all money In gold as
our primary money that gives to gold the excessive value It has today. ( Applause ) It
Is law that makes gold money , and It was law that made gold and silver both money
when they were both primary money. Money Is made by law. When vvo had neither
gold nor silver , law made the greenbacks money and we did business with them. ( Ap
plause ) The mopcy lenders of the world have In tlmo enslaved the people and the
question today Is whether the Intelligence of the people of the world Is sufficient to
grapple with this question and to analjzc and settle it. It Is not a question of your
Intelligence to do It , but outside of your vocation , which jou must study and master ,
have jou tlmo left to master this question. They arc backed by unlimited wealth and
with speakers to mlsicprcsent and to present false logic to the people.
Ho sajs It Is a lack of confidence that has caused low prices and hard times. We
should not have n financial system that agitation could disturb and destroy prices. ( Ap
plause ) It Is a fallacy and reminds mo of a duck that had left her nest and on com
ing back found that a fox had eaten up the eggs nnd left the shells only. And the fox
said to the duck when she began to lament : "Sit on the- shells and have perfect
confidence , and the little ducks will bo hatched. All that Is necessary Is confidence. "
( Laughter and applause ) M
Ho says the farmers can borrow money now. That there ; Is plenty of money.
Let me remind jou , citizens of this countrj' , that It Is not borrowing money , or lending
money , that makes prosperity. It Is money seeking Investment that makes pros
perity. When the people have borrowed money until they have exhausted their col
lateral then comes paraljsls and the end of the government of such a people. It Is
money Becking Investment that makes business and not money for loan. Ladles and
gentlemen , who belong to the Christian religion , Christ understood this subject and
said that the men who act as leeches upon the blood of civilization and hoarded
money to lend would destroy the prosperity of the people , and , If persisted lu , ulti
mately destroy civilization.
Ho says Insurance policy holders vvlll suffer by reason of what ho calls depreciated
money. Let me say to the policy holders of life policies that if these hard times con
tinue you vvlll find It Impossible to pay jour premiums and will foifclt what you have
paid. ( Applause. )
Ho sajs that the pensioners want a money that they can buy so much -with this
dear money that the money lenders have. Let mo say to that gentleman that the
honor and Integrity of these men who took their lives In their hands and went forth
to the salvitlon of this nation ore In favor of the money that was pronounced honest by
Jcflcrson , Jackson and Lincoln. A money that has grown so dear that In order to pay
jour taxes and debts the property of jou people vvlll be confiscated is not an honest
money and no pensioner Is going lo sustain It. It Is the man who has a fixed Income
who clips coupons , that wants low prices ( applause ) and wants to be able to buy the earth
with his cnehanced dollar.
" " A QUESTION OF EXCHANGE.
This Is n question of an exchange of propeity for money and money for propertj- ,
and they have got jou down where jou have to give two quantities of property for
one quantity of money where ono quantity of their money will get two quantities of
your property , wheieas , before It only got ouo quantity. It Is the exchange of money
for property where the owners of money are benefited not only the owners of money ,
but the owners of bonds , paj-ablo In money that will enslave jour children , tlmo out of
mind , before It will be paid , with low prices.
Ho says silver has been coined since 1873 , moro than It ever was before. The '
answer to that Is this : When jou make sllvei token money , redeemable In gold , you
might as well btamp leather , tin or pewter , as to stamp silver. It Is useless expense to
puichuso silver In order to make token money redeemable In gold. Under the free
coinage of both metals both stood on their own feet , both vvero money , neither redeem
able In the other , and when you reverse that condition nnd make silver token money ,
It Is useless expense , nnd It makes no difference how much of It you coin , The more
jou coin , If It passes bejond thy proportion of redemption money In the country , the ,
worse It Is for It. It shakes confidence In the ability of the government to redeem It
Silver , as token money , redeemable In gold , Is ono thing , and silver standing on Its
own feet ah primary money Is another thins.
They say that the United States cannot go It ulono. I want to know If you want to
go It alone on gold any longer. ( Applause. ) The answci to It Is this- When the
United States sajs , as It did befoie. that 37Hi grains of silver , coming to the mint ,
shall bo coined Into a dollar no man will take less than a dollar for that much silver ,
and that will fix th price of It In the United States , as It now fixes the price of gold
under the law that 23 2-10 grains of gold , coming to the mint , shall bo coined Into a
dollar.
dollar.The further answer Is this , that the capacity of the United States to absorb money
end put It Into circulation Is sufficient to make the demand upon the silver of the world
10 great as to fix ; Its price relatively with gold. And for you to understand how the
demand Is to affect It I remind jou again of the limited quantity of silver In the world
available for use as money on which that demand of the United States Is to operate.
And when jou throw the mints of the United States opeh/lofi\er as they are now
open to gold , It means to all the world , "bring your sllvei' he'rVand coin It Into money
If jou want to. " If they undertake to flood us with silver , under free coinage , thn
government buys none , It goes back Into the possession of tho'man ' who brings It and
the foreigner who brings his silver here and has It coined Into money receives It back
Into his own pocket and exchanges It for our products and takes them homo with him.
It IB the only thing he can do with It , and the- only temptation for him to bring It
hero. That ho can exchange It as money for our products. Wo raise and produce
enough every year In the United States from our fields and factories to Uko all the
silver In the world available for use as money ( o pay for It. And such a nation can
flx the price of silver the world over. ( Applause. )
If they undertake to flood us with their sliver and deprive thcnwlves wholly of the use
of It , vvo could give them In exchange for It In a single jear property enough to take
It all and the next jear raise the same amount of piope-rty over again and say to them ,
'If jou have any silver left , bring It on. " ( Applause )
It Is the demand of such a nation that can flx the price of silver. Mexico c-annot
do It , because Mexico has not the exportable wealth with which to do It. The United
States can do It because she has that e\portabe | wealth , ,
FO ? fifty jears , beginning after the French wars , France and the Latin union , with
less than one-halt the population of the United States , fixed the commercial value of
Cold and sllvei at the ratio ot 15'/4 to 1 , their legal ratio , and It remalntil at that
steadily , and that wan what made the 3 per cent premium on our slljer. What the
Latin union can do-In the way of absorbing that silver block lu the world by fixing a
demand for It what the Latin union can do , the United States can do ,
England In 18II established what I * called the Peele act , It required the Hank of
England to pay 3 , 3 shilling and 17 pence for each ounce of gold presented at the
Ilauk of England That was \\hnt was called their free coliuxe la * . Prom that daj
to this that act has fixe-il the price of sold H > o world over ,
England had a commence In ino world , an Importance In the trade of the world ,
* nd her manufacturers produced enough to maUo A demand that would flx thu price
on that limited pioduct. And from that day to thin that has been the price of gold the
world over. Where Is a man In patriotic America who vvlll say that what England
can clu the United States ranuot Jopplausr ( )
ENGLAND CITED AS A PRECEDENT. ? *
What England has June foi gold lu fixing Its price the United States can do for
illvcr Tluty kay that we must have the consent of the monarchies of .Europe before
vvo can cstabllih an Independent financial svstem. Americans , that proposition Is se
riously msde lu the United Suites , In n country where In the Jlfo of our o n cltl-
n we liavo ihown our Independence of the balance of the world by having a money
of our own iiud during thai time vvo did the most prosperous business with the b&l-
anco of the vvorlJ that uo ever did befou or lnre- There Is no such thins on Inter
national money , An4 wiicn the proposition li made that we eannot flx our own flnau-
clal sjstcm , and must get the consent of foreign nations before we can fix a financial
sjstun , then we are not jet ( rcc , If that Is true , from Europe and wo , need a second
declaration of Independence. ( Applause. ) Ladles ami gentlemen of Illinois , when jou
j go to jour homes think of It , that In the United States today we aro/considering the
' proposition that wo are dependent on the permission ot the legislative powers of Eu
rope to flx the most Important branch of our legislative service In the United States.
| Think of It. republicans who followed Lincoln , that In this jear , 1896 , In order to
advocate the cause of McKlnlcy jou must advocate the cause ot Queen Victoria ( Ap-
I plausc ) That jou are letting a great nation eat us up , because we ha c established
I a dear dollar that absorbs jour wheat , jour cotton , your oats and corn at two or three
times as much as It formerly did , with which to pay them Interest , on what they
loaned us , Is a trick and a scheme Into which the people ot the United States have
been drawn ; a scheme equalled by no bunco game ever plajcd by < a cltbcn of a city
upon a countryman Ily Insidiously lowering the price of the people property and
at the same time getting them In debt. V f
They say that the election of a free coinage president nnd congress will bring on
n panic. The next day after that election , It a free coinage president ( ind congress bo
elected , the danger will have passed. Silver vvlll begin to rise and tborlso of silver
means the fall of gold. ( Great applause. ) Palling gold means that It.-vvlll como out
of Its hoarding. It Is appreciating money that Is hoarded It Is falling money that
rushes Into Investment and goes rapidly Into circulation. When jou put silver again
Into competition with gold as nioney. you have settled this question. It Is silver and
gold In competition with each other to sitpplj the people with money that fixes or
takes the enhanced value out ot cither metal which may seek to rise. Silver will
begin to advance and other property will advance with It as It falls with It. It means
the decline of gold and gold going Into circulation. You will buy gold for less than
jou can buy It now. Gold Is now at a premium of 100 per cent over the price of
1S73 , when silver was In competition with It In the markets of the world. And when
silver Is In competition with It again It will come down.
Suppose , now , jou give two bushels of wheat for $ t of gold , that Is the 100 per
cent premium , whereas jou only gave one bushel before. Suppose It'don't ' como down
to a pailty with silver , but stops at 25 per cent premium over silver , and jou sell joui
buahcl of wheat nt $1 , and with that dollar jou buy 75 cents In gold , whereas now you
can't buy but GO cents In gold. With free silver , then , If gold Is at n premium , jou will
exchange jour property for more gold than you exchange It for now. Then If jou
exchange It first for the sliver , and with that silver you buy the gold , you are then
getting silver to pay your gold debts. The honor Is preserved , the debt Is paid In gold.
\Vo will pay jou jour drop of blood nnd your pound of llesh. ( Applause. ) Hut we
vvlll put silver In competition with gold and use It for all the purposes as money where
wo have not been tied up to jou In gold contracts , nnd vo will toke that much strain
off from gold , nnd that will bring gold down , and then If It Is still at a premium we
vvlll buy the gold and take It to jou.
They say that the election of a free silver president and congress'will cause a run
on the United States treasury for gold and It will bo wiped out In a day , and that will
make a panic. ,
If the great voice of the AmcrJcan people says that silver Is to be restored to Its
tlmo honored position and the next jlav\Vall street bankers come to Washington with
their greenbacks and other money ; and demand gold , I will tell jou what ought to hap-
psn. The spirit of old Andrew Jickson ought to rise behind the counter of the treasury
ot the United States , and If that treasurer or assistant treasurer didn't say to the
banker , "this Is a republic , nnd the people of this great republic have , spoken , and I
want to call jour attention to the fact that the greenbacks jou present for gold call
for coin nnd not for gold ; " and If that assistant treasurer does not .upon the edict ot
the people say that coin means gold or silver and shove silver out at the Wall street
banker , the spirit of old Andrew Jackson ought to break the necks of both of them
with a hickory stick. ( Applause. )
PREDICTS THE EFFECT OP FREE SILVER.
Prom that moment the bankers vvlll go back to Wall street , when silver is shoved at
them , and say that silver Is Just as good as gold. ( Applause ) Because they will
Know that their money Is going to bo paid In that kind of. metal and It Is to their In
terest not to depreciate It , just as they are now going behind the United States treasury
and dumping their gold in In exchange for other money for fear that an issue of bonds
pending this campaign might run you all crazy and cause > ou nil to vote for Bryan.
When It Is to their Interest to get behind the monny of the American people they arc
going to get behind It , but so long as jou let them run that currency of gold , human
selfishness will cause them to corner it and pump the gold out-of the United States
treasury and back In again at a profit of $10,000,000 seml-annually to them ( Applause. )
And as you submit to this , republicans , democrats and populists of Champaign county ,
they vvlll Increase these bond issues uptll they secure all the gold and ship It to
Europe to pay Interest. These bond Issues will have to be repeated > until they re
semble In frequency the action of the shuttle cock passing through the loom
I want In the progress of this debate to refer to the effect ot demonetization upon
the farmer. I vvlll say this : They say to you farmers jou can sell jour wheat for 50
cents , but you can buy as much calico or cotton goods and so on with Jt as you could
with dollar wheat , and then they say to you , where are you hurt ? Hero Is where jou
are hurt : You can't pay the taxes with your bushel of wheat that you could In 1S73.
It now requires two and three bushels of wheat to pay the same taxes.that onebushel
of wheat would have paid before silver was demonetized. Salaries have n.pt , been re
duced. Fellow citizens , I feel that you are all Interested In this question , for It In
volves the life of the republic. The breaking down of all republics has been accom
panied by financial despotism and official ostracism. The hand of vanity has gone with
the hand of greed. Capital and money lenders , prompted by selfishness , catered to by
the vanity of office-seekers , until today men In this country and other countries , In
all human probability a small percentage ot them are still right good men , except In
Chicago , where. I think , about 99 per cent of them have gone wrong , hut for the sake
of a constablcshlp or a seat In the legislature men In a political party will swallow
any platform created by the patrons and trusts In a national convention , even If It
compels him to swallow Queen Victoria , the Emperor William and . .nil the potentates
of Europe. ( Applause. ) And with that selfishness there comes official favoritism and
with that comes the raising of salaries. Instead ot the reduction of them. Whereas
17,000 bushels of wheat would have paid the president's salary of j$25jOOO In 1873 , It
now takes 100,000 bushels of wheat to pay his salary of $50,000. And his
salary was raised from $25,000 to $50,000 by the same congress
'
that demonetized silver. ( Applause. ) You can't pay your taxes , you'can't pay your
debts , jou can't get on a Pullman car and ride for any less than you jdld In 1873. Of
the thousand and one things controlled by corporations and trusts and If this combine
that Is now managed on the one side by the head ot the Steel trust and supported by
$20,000,000 contributed by the other trusts como Into power by the election of Novem
ber , all of the products of the country will pass under the control of trusts and the
people will be helpless and paralyzed , and prices will be as the trusts dictate.
Now jou farmers may buy cotton goods and calico , but jou cati't pay your taxes ,
you can't pay jour debts , you can't buy any of those things used by trusts , and In the
end , as In other republics , jou vvlll be the nether millstone. ,
You are the greatest men In the republic. The farmers of every republic are the
mainstay and have the greatest Intelligence , and I have confidence In them this year ,
that they cannot bo deceived , and I expect In future generations , If we solve this !
'question rightly , that when peace and prosperity comes lu a higher * state of clvlllza-
tlon , that our posterity will look back without understanding the vprclous arguments
that are made upon the other sjjle , ond'wonder , how the people of the world staked their
vvholo financial system for tljo transaction of all their business upon a metal the cube
of which was twenty-two feet. ( Applause. ' )
Exercise your reason. Let not political leaders lead you. They are controlled con
sciously or unconsciously by selfishness , morp or less. It Is jou who have to suffer
most , and resort to your reason. This Is simply A question ot exchange ot property of
the money dealer for your property , and his crop Is enormous. His crop Is , If I am
right , more than the total assessed value of all the property of the United States.
Admittedly by the gentleman , It Is one half that much.
Mll. HOSKWATKIl Cn\CMIIliS HIS AIlttUMUlST.
a
I\IIOHL- * < Iic PnllnuleN mid CoiilrnillftliiiiN of lir Dciiuniil for UnlliuilcMl
Coinage nt tinIliitlii iif 1(1 to 1.
Mr. Ilosewatcr then closed his side of the debate as follows : ( Ho was greeted with
great applause. )
It was not my deslio , and Is not my Intention to discuss the candidacy of William
McKlnlcy In connection with this debate , but when any man drags | n the name of
Abraham Lincoln to bolster up this scheme , I say ; Palslod bo the tongue that
would tarnish his reputation with any proposition that Is conceived In dishonesty , and
has for Us object repudiation and dishonor.
Harvey : I did not use Lincoln's name In any manner , only ,
Rosewater : You said Lincoln would do this same thing.
Harvey : No , sir. i '
Rosewater : I have heard on two occasions the name of Abraham Lincoln brought ,
into this debate. It was ray good fortune to como In contact , In an humble capacity , '
with Abraham Lincoln In the War department , and I won't allow any man to Impute
dishonest motives to him on any occasion.
( Harvey advanced on the platform , and a general disturbance ensued for o few
minutes. ) I
Rosewater : Whatever Abraham Lincoln might have said or done In the present
campaign nobody could tell at this day , and nobody has a right to connect his name
with It. I am In position , however , to read to you what the son of Abraham Lincoln
thinks about the proposition to open the mints of the United States to free silver. Let
me read to youi part of a letter which relates to this subject. * fl was brought up to
trust the fundamental good senbe and honesty of the American people , and I cannot
believe that such n transparently Jobbing and dUhoncst scheme as this vvlll meet their
approval , It Is on ono hand n Job to give to mine owners a fictitioust > rlce for their
product , to which they have no more right tl-an the producer of pny other mineral ; nnd
on the other hand It Is dishonest because It Is an attempt to force a settlement of the
public debt , and many private debts , with hardly more than one-half the price agreed
between the parties. I cannot believe that many arc so dishonest and short-sighted as
to wish to force our government to repudiate Its plain obllgitlonn , or tb disavow their
own. Mere strength of numbers could not mitigate the offense to universal morality nor
avert the Inevitable consequent disasters. Its commission would set uu-back In progress
and prosperity , and put us In a sinkhole from which vvo could not In
umeree a genera-
tlon , and then only by a reversal of our course , at a frightful cost to those on whom
we , going off the stage , leave the burden , "
t
This letter bears the signature ot Robert T. Lincoln , and
datedtCbcago |
, , May 31 ,
I want to challenge the correctness of my friend's last definition of bimetallism' '
Every blmetalllst , of reputation , In Europe controverts his position , and all of theni
concur In saying that "without the aid of any other nation we c nnot maintain the
metals at a parity at 16 to 1. "
Here Is what Mr , Herbert Spencer sajs :
"From the time when they tried to fix the value of money down to our day , when
they have just abandoned the attempt jo flx the price of corn , statesmen have been
undertaking all kinds of things and have been constantly falling or producing widely
different result * from thoae Intended. Nevertheless , such Inexbaustlbla faith have men
that , although they see this , and although they are dally hearing pf Imbecilities In
public departments , jet government needs but to announce another plausible project ,
and men straightway hurrah and throw up their caps , lu full expectation of getting
all that li promised "
Dr. Otto Areatlt , member of the Parliament of Germany , who bai been laboring
for the last twenty jears for bimetallism , declares In the June number of the North
American Review that unlimited coinage by the United Slates , acting without con
currence of any other nation , would result disastrously to the cause of bimetallism ,
because It would put tbo United States on a silver basis the same as Mexico This
view Is also held by Prof. Piancls A. Walker and other scientists of recognized ability
who have thoroughly studied the subject. . It Is purely a political scheme designed
for political ends and not for the promotion of the public welfare. ( Applause. )
Mr Harvey asserts that gold was given a fixed value In 1S1C. when England adopted
the gold standard , nml has retained that value ever since. If this Is true , vOiat Is my
friend talking about ? If gold has not changed In value , what Ins become of the 00-
ccnt dollar ? ( Applause ) If this theory Is correct , and I cheerfully concede that It Is ,
gold Is whcro It has been nil the tlmo , and the talk about the 200-ccnt dollar Is all
buncombe , Ono theory has been confirmed by experience. You cannot fix the value of
tny commodity by law , whether used as n money medium or not. Its value Is fi\cd by
general use , and the use of any commodity la Increased by cheapening Its price. When
jou raise the price of any commodity jou decrease Its use. Why Is It silver spoons
are to be found In the households ot thousands of common people ? It Is because they
are cheaper now than formerly. Mr Harvey docs not want to recognize the effect of
aluminum on the prlro ot silver. Aluminum Is only 35 cents n pound. He don't want
to admit that silver has depreciated bccauto the conditions of production havp changed
Ho elou't concede that silver production hrs been cheapened by chemical process and
mechanical Ingenuity , which enable mine owners to lay down silver at the mint at
half the former cost , and some mines liavo turned out silver at as low as 13 cents
an ounce.
Mr. Harvey says that the day after Rrjnn's election If such n tiling ojild bo. possi
ble gold would at once begin to go down Ho means , of course , gold , as measured by
silver , would go down ; or , rather , that silver would begin to go up But silver would
not go up to Its old price , and gold , therefore , would still be at a premium over silver
If that was not so , then all his tearful appeals on behalf of the debtor class would be
wasted , since there would bo no advantage to the debtor If silver went up to Its old
price. When there Is even 2 per cent difference between gold and silver gold goes out
of circulation , and we arc then on a silver basis , with our volume of money shrunk
by fully one-half , But my friend docs not pretend to be a financier. Let him ask the
financial heads of the world , and let them say what they think of the scheme. They
would tell him that gold could not fall to a parity with silver by fiat ot any govern
ment. Mexican mine owners have all the advantage of unlimited and free coinage , but
they haul their silver bullion to Omaha and ship It In bars to England They say Mexico
la a llttlo country and we arc big. It Is patriotic to say America against the world !
I am one of these who would like to stand up for America against the world , but I
would not stand In front ot a locomotive when It is In full motion It I could help It.
I would not jump off the bridge at Niagara If I was sane. I know my filcnd la holding
back hla lurid picture of the crime of 1873 for his last speech , so I will thiow a little I
dajllght on the ? rlme In advance. I mnko bold to nsscrt that the whole story ot the
crime. Is a fiction' ' concocted for political ends and purposes.
THE SO-CALLED "CRIME OK 1S73. "
Mr. Harvey knows that the director of the mint In his official report In 1SC1 ,
twelve jcars before the passage of the coinage act .of 1873 , recommended that the
gold dollar should bo the only standard of value , and that all the other silver coins , In
cluding the dollar of 381 grains , should bo subsidiary. Ho knows or he ought to
know that the recommendation then made by the director of the mint was again re
peated In the official reports of the Treasury department In 18CC and In 1870 , seven
and three jcars respectively before the passage of the act of 1873. He knows that
the secretary of the treasury called special attention to the coluago act then pending
In congress In bis report for 1870. He knows that seven different officials and cx-
offlclals of the treasury gave their views to congiess In reference to the omission of
the silver dollar fiom the coinage. And right hero I have the document Itself. It
Is the official report of the secretary of the treasury containing all the corre
spondence with experts , each giving his views regarding the proposed change In the
coinage laws. And this report also contains a copy of the original hill as drawn
up by Deputy Comptroller John W. Knox. Mind jou , this original bill and all
these documents are dated 1870 , three jcars before the act was passed , and the hce-
tlon relating to the gold dollar becoming the unit of value Is In this bill exactly as
It was finally passed. He knows as well as any man knows that the act which after
ward became the coinage act of 1873 was printed thirteen times , with amendments
which were made from time to time by order of congress. He knows that the bill
was finally printed January 21 , 1S73 , four dajs after the last discussion took place
In the senate. Ho knows each of those thirteen bills contained a clause ranking ithe
gold dollar the only unit of value.
Mr. Haivey knows that from 1870 to 1873 , while this bill was pending In congress ,
neither Senator Stewart nor any ono of the other five Pacific coast senators , nor any
one of the representatives from the silver states over proposed an amendment to Insert
a silver dollar of 412I , grains , or even Inquired If that dollar was contained In these
\arlous bills. Ho knows that the trade dollar of 420 grains was substituted for the
silver dollar of 884 grains , to be legal tender tor $5 , upon the request of Cashier
Ralston of the Bank of California , and In accordance with a resolution of the Califor
nia legislature. He knows that on January 10 , 1871 , Senator Stewart and all the other
senators representing th.o silver states then In congress voted for the bill making the
gold dollar the only standard of value. He knows that these senators and representa
tives of the silver states more than once voted for the bill which limited the legal
tender quality of silver to $5 Ho knows that the silver legislation contained In the
coinage act of 1873 was Intended to increase the use of silver for coinage purposes.
He knows that the effect of that act was to coin $83,000,000 of silver In less than six
years , $34,000,000 of which was trade dollars and $49,000,000 of which was fiactlonal
parts of a dollar , while silver was pretended to bo demonetized. The San Pranclseo
mint , which previously had coined very little Mlver , coined 2G,500,000 of these trade
dollars and several millions wcra coined at Carson , Nevada. All thlb was dauo to
help the bonanza mine owners.
When my friend comes to tell jou the story of the conspiracy and the crime of 1873
you vvlll also hear the names of dead men who cannot talk for themselves cited as
witnesses to prove the pretended conspiracy. They make Schuyler Colfax act ns
messenger from Abraham Lincoln to the pnople of Colorado and Nevada and the min
ing states , and this Is really the only thing the sllverltcs have to hi Ing In the name
of Lincoln. When Colfax was about to start across the continent at the close of the
war Lincoln Is represented as saying to him that ho desired him to bear this message-
"I hope that those western states will prosper and grow ; that the mines will bo de
veloped and that the precious metals mined In the Rocky mountains and Pacific
coist states vvlll help us to pay the national debt. " Nothing about paying the debt
with 50-cent dollars. And then they turn right In to Impeach the character of their
own witnesses and denounce Schuyler Colfax as one of the tools of the conspirators
who helped to smuggle the gold standard coinage bill through the senate. Air vice presi
dent ot the United States Colfax presided over the senate , but he had no control of
legislation. He was simply a figurehead. He was not an autocrat , like the speaker
of the house , who can make or unmake laws. In spite of this , the name of Colfax
has been smirched by champions of free coinage , because they must paint the congress
of 1873 as black as possible. They represent that congress as the Credit Moblllcr
congress when In fact the Credit Moblllcr scandal attached to the congress of 1SCI.
The j congress of 1873 Investigated Credit Mobllier and exposed the frauds perpetrated
by it.
It Is commonly charged that the act of 1873 was sneaked through after being
doctored , an'd/'Benator .Allison's name Is brought Into prominence as the man who had
charged that such tyas tj,0 case <
The debate asireporicd by the Congressional Globe proceeds as follows :
"Hero Mr. Sargent Interrupted : It was amended In the senate and went to a com
mittee of conference ; If that Is 'doctored , ' and the commltteo of conference was con
curred In by the two houses , I should like to know If the word 'doctored' applies to
our legislation here , whcro there has been three or four dajs' debate ? "
To this Mr. Allison replied :
"I said I used the word In no offensive sense. It was changed after discussion
and the dollar of 420 grains ( I P. , the trade dollar ) was substituted for It , "
What was that dollar ? The 378-graln dollar subsidiary coin that could not bo made
legal tender. ,
So that the very passages used to prove that the act of 1873 was surreptitiously
when , looked and their context Is given disclose
passed , up , evidence that the bill re
ceived full discussion. Even Senator Allison pointed this out.
All references to Mr Elaine's part In the crlmo nro equally deceptive and un
warranted. In a former debate Mr. Harvey served up a garbled quotation from the
Congressional Glebe of February 15 , 1878 , Hero Is what Mr. Blalne said ; "The bill
was read , every section and every line of It at the clerk's desk aloud , " Ho declared
that Mr , Kelley , Mr. Potter and Mr , Hooper culled attention to the omission of the
silver dollar of 412'grains. ' . Ho refeircd to the Congressional Gobe | arj0oittlii ) > dally
newspapers of the time to prove that the bill was read at length , MofcOYfilV lig stated
that Mr , Nccley of Illinois on the day that the bill passed announced to the house
that ho had carefully examined every section and every line of the bdl Flnally
Mr. Illulno closed : "So that all that has been made out of that , all that has been
made out of any stealthy effort to pass that bill , has no foundation whatever. ' '
Tllen In the Congressional Record , page 1.0B3 , Forty-fifth congress , second ses-
„
slon , volume 7 , part 2 , Mr. nialne says : "I think the senator from Indiana , Voor-
hces , will agree with mo that It has been very widely stated anil has been the hinge
on which the accusation has hung that that bill was never read In the house ; that
It was passed stealthily and furtively ; now I maintain that I have utterly disproved
that charge , " ,
GARFIELD DENIES ALLEGED CONSPIRACY.
If anything further Is needed to disprove that there was a conspiracy , I have
It here. "Works of James Abrain Garfleld , volume II. , page211. . of
"On the 13th of December , 1870 , a bill to utilize the products of gold and silver
mines , and for other purposes , Introduced by Mr. Illand of Missouri at the previous
session of the Forty-fourth congress , was pending. "
In discussing this measure , General Garfleld said :
"It Is impossible within the brief space vvo have even to go carefully through the
history of the legislation which has brought us whcro wo are. That legislation has
been denounced as a legislative trick , as a delusion , as something Intended to cheat
the American people. I will not oven on tills occasion go so far ae the gentleman
who advocated , if he did not Introduce the original bill , but let mo read from the
Congressional Globe of April 9 , 1872 , the reason given by him for Its passage. I read
the language of my friend from Pennsylvania , Mr. Kelley , who now life near me ,
"I wish to ask the gentleman who has just spoken , Mr. Potter , If ho knows of any
government In the world which niakcs Its subsidiary coinage of full value. The
sliver coin of England Is 10 per cent below the value of gold coin , and acting under
the advice ot the experts of this country and of England and France , Japan has made
hyr silver coinage within the last year 12 per cent below the value of gold coin , and
for this reason It Is Impossible to retain the double staudaid. The values of gold and
silver continually fluctuate. You cannot determine this jear what will bo the relative
value of gold and silver next year. They were 15 to 1 a short time ago. They are 1C
to 1 now , Hence all experience has shown that you roust ba > o ono standard coin
which shall be a legal tender for all measures , and then you may promote your do
mestic convenience by having a bubsldlary coinage of silver which shall circulate lu ull
parts of your country as legal tender for a limited amount , and bo redeemable at Its
face value by jour government.
"Out , sir , I again tall the attention of this house to the fact that the gentlemen who
( Continued ou Tenth Past ) . )
WASHED AWAY BY A ROOD
' (
John Knight antl an Unknown Mexican Are
Known to Have Been Drowned.
NEW MEXICO MINING CAMP DESTROYED'
Sollil AVnll of Wntvr Klulit Pool UlnU
ItiiMlicx Dunn tM. | .Vloiiiilnltin.
UK Dfiilli nml lo- )
Nlrnotlon llcfort- .
DENVER , Ann. 20. A special to Ilio-
Thins from Mogollon , N. M. , G.IJB a torrlbte-
cloudburst struck that plncu about 4 p. in.
jeslerdaj- , leaving ikatli and destruction be-
html It. John Knight , a miner , who re
sided at Georgetown , was drowned In Ills
cabin ' Severn ! others
are reported miss
ing , but so far only t\\o bodies , those of
Knight and nn unknown Mevlcnn , linxo been
recovered. These were found In a ncld
about sK miles below. About 100 families
have been rendered homeless and thhty
houses \\aslicil away. 1'iopetty of the
Colonial Mining company of lloston , Mass ,
has suffered to a large extent , the assay
office , mill house , powder Douse and black-
sinlth shop being unshed awaj- . It la
feared the mine Is filled with mini and
\\atci. The
manager and asuajcr hntl a
narimv escape , being assisted to tlie bank by
means of ropes The Deep Down Mining
company of Kansas City lost Its main
olllco and assaj office
The place Is situated In a deep canjon
between high mountains. Thp Hood attained
j1 height of o\or eight feet In .the stiect anil
lasted over thirty minutes. Had Its con-
tlinianco been ten minutes longer the wbolo
town would hn\e been swept away , as the
debris had collected In the street , formllig
a solid wall Just as the flood began to re
cede , llatdly n. business house In the town
escaped damage.
The wagon nnd leading up the mountain
to the town , which was built n few years
aio at Immense cost , and which Is the only
outlet for freighters , has been entirely
lulncd , and all goods brought Into the camp
will ha\e to bo brought In on pick animals.
The storm was general to this section of
the territory. Advices fiom Giaham state
that at about 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon
a cloudburst on the mountain side caused a.
Hood at the Confidence mine , a property
belonging to the Helen Mining company of
Denver. Cole , situated about thrto miles
from there. The flood carried away tho-
shop and supplies of the mine.
Nine horses that were at the ore chutes
loading ore for the mill were washed over
the steep precipice and killed. The men
working at the tunnel barely escaped with
their lives.
It Is feared that great damage Is done on'
the other side of the Mogollon district ,
iiotliliu ; definite can be learned on ac
count of telephone communication bclnit
broken
It Is feared the loss of life around MORON
Ion will bo much gicater than Hist reports
make It. There were nt least twenty per
sons , mostly miners , living right In the
tiack of the great wall of water. They oc
cupied for the most part adobe dwellings.
These have been swept away and their oc -f-r
cupants ( cannot be heard from. Some of
these may have been warned In time to t
get out of the way. but It Is certain that a
number have perished
The loss to the mining -companies will
amount to thousands of dollars. Expensive
machinery had lately been put In th .
mlncs , and much of this Is a total wieck.
IN Tiiniu iiisunn TIMH.
iit OHIclitl * Al.lliiK Ilrjan'
il ( I oil n I Coiiuiilltcc.
WASHINGTON. Aug. 20 Department
clerks are agitating the question of their
rights to assist after
offlco house the cam
paign committees of the several political
parties. The democratic congressional
com
mittee. It Is said , is short of funds and a
' ante share of Its work In the way of dis
tributing literature Is pcrfoimed by volun
teers , who servo without pay , and most of
whom are employed In the government de
partments It Is estimated that by this
means the commltteo Is now saving $125
per day. Some question has arisen as to
whether or not this
service did not ( on-
stltule offensive paitlsanshlp and const Ituto
a cause for removal , despite the civil serv
ice aegis. A number of the chief burean
odlclals have been Interview ed on the sub
ject and nearly all of them express the-
oplnlon that the matter Is one cancel nlug
which the clerks may do as they please u.'d '
that they have no right to piescrlbu wltat
nso the clerks shall make of theirUnu
after olllco hours. A few of the oifiilals ,
told clerks , who Inquired of them , that
personally they had no objections , but that
there was a possibility some one might
make trouble for them In the future , because
of their poll I leal zeal. Clialunan Faulkner
of the democratic congressional committee
said the clerks had a right to assist the
commltteo and that It proposed to protect
them In that right.
citoss MOUNTAINS ON iucvcris.
Mne SolillfrH Itlilr Over IIIllH it lilt.
lli'in > Auuoiif i-cniriilN.
HELENA. Mont , , Aug. 20. Lieutenant
Goss , Twcntjfifth Infantry , and eight sol
diers heavily uccoutercd and carrying four
days' rations , covered the distance between
Fort Mlssoula and Harrl on , 132 miles , In
cluding the passage of Uocky Hange , In
twenty-two hours on bicycles , The heaviest
wheel , with pack and rider , weighed 272
pounds ; lightest , 202 pounds ; average weight ,
This Is the first detachment put on the
road by the United States , army to test the
practicability of the blc > clo as a machlno
for military purposes In a mountain country.
The tour entered upon covers 1,000 miles ,
Including a round of the national park , re
turn to this point , run to Kort Asslnabolne ,
northern Montana , and haek by way of Fort
Harrison to Kort Mlssoula , Lieutenant Qoss
expects to show better wheel time than
foot soldiers or troopers can make on a
sustained march In the mountain region ,
IMWIhV &MITTi\ WITH (2I < AM > nilM.
Dreiul DlHciiHr HUN Alrcmly Killed
( no Clillil nl SI. I.oiilH.
ST. LOUIS , Aug. 20. One member of the
family of George Illazo , a market gardener
living on the outskirts of this city , has died
glanders , his wlfu Is dying and another
chld. | a hey aged 2 jcars , Is beginning to
show symptoms of the dreaded disease. The
disease was transmitted to tlio Illuze family
by a horse used In marketing the garden
produce. Several days ago the first child
became 111. The rapidity of the disease was
such that within flvo days from the tlmn the
first sjmptotns appeared the child was dead. * '
The same symptoms as marked the disease in
the child BOOH appeared In ( ho mother. Their
progress was Iran rapid than In the case o'
the child , but they vvero uven moro severe.
Mrs , Hlaze was almost In the * state of ex
treme prostration today that marks the fatal
termination of the disease , Ur , Starkloff
the city physician , has taken precautions t (
prevent the spread of the elUeasu.
( lie Corn
OSMOND , Ntb. , Aug. 20. ( Special. ) This
county has teen visited with one of the beat
rains of the season for the past twenty-
four hours. Corn Is an assured crop. Some
people cstlmatu It at Eevcntj-fho bushel *
per acre Small grain Is mining out pretty
well ; wheat from eight to fifteen bushels ,
oais Irom twenty-five to fifty , and barley
from lUly to sixty
1'AWNKB CITY" , Nub , AUK. 20. ( Special. )
Tills vl'inlty had an Inch of rainfall dur
ing tin pas' forty-eight hours , fanner *
report com made.