HE
ESTABLISHED JUXE 10 , 1871. OMAHA , latin AY XG , AUGUST 21 , 1806 TWELVE PAGES. SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS.
$ * fBfHf fWtHftt
Great
UKTWHRN { Stenographic Kcport
MR. W. H , HARVEY of the Debate at
AND Urbiinn , 111. , Aug.
. EDWARD ROSEWATER 15. 181H5.
Mil. HAUVKY'S SKCO.M ) IIIMOI.MHIH.
VriuN in l-'orllfy 7fu SlnU-nuMilN IIM < n tlio KfToct or Krco CotniiKc Wliluh
lllH Opponent AttnukiMl > iml Unilfrinlncil.
Mr. Harvey , answering Mr. Iloscwatcr's second speech , said :
Mr. Chnlrmnn , Ladles anil Gentlemen : I am going to answer rapidly many of
the objections that have been made here to free coinage of silver In order that 1 may
come to the more serious objections and that had not been raised and that I know
are In your minds.
First , the gentleman says that I am mis taltcn 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 tllne. In which ho says In substance as follows0n ' : account of the
scarcity of change among the people and ou the request of bankers and others to atop
the exportation of such silver as may bo coined Into fractional money I direct Hint the
mints ccaso the coinage of sliver dollars and coin nil silver tliat'U6hica to the mlnto
" ' " ' I > 1
Jn fractional silver coin.
Ho says that silver bullion owners are to ho benefited by the free coinage of sli
ver and that It Is a scheino In their behalf. The answer to that Is thisVhon : a
nation decides what Its money shall bo It decides It for the benefit of civilization
if or you and for me ; and It makes no difference ; who may own the substance which the
nation decides shall bo for the benefit of civilization made Into money. And no 'ob
jection can bo made to It , because It may In a measure benefit persons who own that
substance. And 1 dismiss It with this observation : If the free coinage of silver Is
In the Interests of "the sliver bullion owners , In whoso Interest Is the free colnago 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
system by the free colnago of gnld , and IB benefiting the gold bullion owners , If that
Is n 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 your homes. Business will be para
lyzed. The wheels of commerce will stop.'o will come to > n standstill , with a
moneyed aristocracy In this country own Ing our lands and our property. ( A voice :
"That's a plain case. " ) This Is a serious question. The fall of prices at the time of
the Roman republic by the lessening of the production of the gold and silver of the
world caused the money lenders of Homo to come Into the ownership of all the prop
erty of the farmers of the Uoman republic and that republic fell ; and In a century
moro began the dark ages that did not end until there was an extinction of Bead
ing , writing and printing. This Is a question of civilization. Political questions as a
rule are questions of civilization.
Ho says money la 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 docs : It
adds to the demand for the bullion. When you 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 you Increase the value of It and give a fixed value to It. Gold
today Is money by law. It Is the law that rcqulren 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 we had neither
gold nor silver , law made the greenbacks money and we did business with them. ( Ap-
plauscO The money lenders of the world have In time enslaved the people and the
question today Is whether the Intelligence of the people of the world Is sufllclent to
grapple with this question and to analyze and settle It. It Is not a question of your
intelligence to do It , but outside of your vocation , which you must study and master ,
have you tlmo left to master this question. They are hacked by unlimited wealth and
with speakers to misrepresent and to present false logic to the people.
He says 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 me of a duck that had left her nest and on com
ing back found that a fox had eaten up the eggs and left the shells only. And the fox
Bald to the duck when she began to lament : "Sit on the- shells and have perfect
confidence , and the little ducks will bo hatched. AH that Is necessary Is confidence. "
( Laughter and applause. ) * .
Ho says the farmers can borrow money now. That there ; Is plenty of money.
Let me remind you , citizens of this country , 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 paralysis 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 In , ulti
mately destroy civilization.
Ho says Insurance policy holders will suffer by reason of what ho calls depreciated
money. Let me Bay to the policy holders of life policies that If these hard times con
tinue you will find It Impossible to pay your premiums and will forfeit what you have
paid. ( Applause , )
Ho s'ays that the pensioners want a money that they can buy so much with this
dear money that the money lenders have. Let me say to that gentleman that the
honor 'and Integrity of those men who took their lives In tholr hands and went forth
to ' 'ho salvation of this nation arc In favor of the money that was pronounced honest by
Jefferson , Jackson and Lincoln. A money that has grown BO dear that In order to pay
your taxes and debts the property of you people will be confiscated Is not an honest
money and no pensioner Is going to 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 cnchanced dollar.
A QUESTION OF EXCHANGE.
This Is a question of an exchange of property for money and money for property ,
and they have got you down where you have to give two quantities of property for
one quantity of money where one quantity of their money will get two quantities of
your property , whereas , before It only got one 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 , payable In money that will enslave your children , tlmo out of
mind , before It will bo paid , with low prices.
Hn says silver has been coined since 1873 , moro than It over was before. The
answer to that IB this : When you make sliver token money , redeemable In gold , you
might us well stamp leather , tin or pewter , as to stamp silver. It Is useless expense to
purchase silver In order to make token money redeemable In gold. Under the free
colnago of both metals both stood on their own feet , both were money , neither redecm-
nblo In the other , and when you reverse that condition and make silver token money ,
It Is useless expense , and It makes no difference how much of It you coin. The more
you coin. If It passes beyond thq proportion of redemption money In the country , tluv
worse It Is for It. It shakes confidence In the ability of the government to redeem It.
Silver , an token money , redeemable In gold , Is one thing , and silver utandlng on Its
own feet as primary money Is another thins.
They say that the United States cannot go It alone. I want to know If you want to
go It alone on gold any longer. ( Applause. ) The answer to It Is this : AVhcn the
United States says , as It did before , that 371M grains of silver , coming to the mint ,
shall ho coined Into a dollar no man will take less than a dollar for that much silver ,
nnd that will fix the 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
and put It Into circulation Is sufficient to make the demand upon the silver of the world
so great as to fix ; Its price relatively with gold. And for you to understand how the
demand Is to affect It I remind you again of the limited quantity of silver In the world
available for use as money ou which that demand of the United States Is to operate.
And when you throw the mints of the United States opch/io sflvbr as they are now
open to gold , It means to all the world , "bring your silver1'he'r'8"arid ' ' ' coin It Into money
If you want to. " If they undertake to flood us with silver , under free coinage , the
government buys none , It ROCS 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 home with him.
it Is 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 take all the
silver In the world available for use , as money ( o pay for It. And such a nation can
Cx the price of silver the world over. ( Applause. )
It they undertake to flood us with their sliver and deprive themselves wholly of the use
ot It , wo could give them In exchange for It In a single year property enough to take
It all and the next year raise the name amount of property over again and say to them ,
"If you have any silver left , bring It on. " ( Applause. )
It Is the demand of such a nation that can fix the price of silver. Mexico rannol
do It , because Mexico has not the exportable wealth with which to do It , The United
States can do It because she has that exportable wealth , ,
Fo ? fifty years , beginning after the French wars , France and the Latin union , with
less than otic-halt the population of the United States , fixed the commercial value of
gold and silver at the ratio of 15'-i to I , their legal ratio , and It remained at that
steadily , and that was what made the 3 per cent premium onrour silver , AVlmt tin.
Latin union can do-In the way of absorbing that sliver block-In the world by fixing a
demand for It what the Latin union can do , the United States can do.
England In 1BU established what Is called the I'ecle act. It required the Hank of
England to pay f3 , 3 shilling and 17 pence for each ounce of-'gold presented at the
Hank ot England. That was wjiat was called their free coliuce la * . From that day
to thli that act has fixed the pricu of gold the world over.
England had a commerce la the world , an Importance In the trade of the world
nnd her manufacturers produced enough to make a demand that would fix the price
on that limited product. And from that day to thla that has been the price of gold the
world over. Where U a man In patriotic America who will say that what Euglaiu
can do the United Stales canuot do. ( Applause. )
ENGLAND CITED AS A PRECEDENT. " 7
What England has dune for gold In fixing Its price the United States can do for
silver. Thuy say that we must have the consent of the monarchies of .Kuropo before
\ve can establish an Independent llnandal system. Americans , that proposition Is se
riously made lu the United States. In n country where In the life of our own cltl-
tent we l vu ihown our Independence of the balance of the world by having a money
ol our own * ud durln ; that umo wo did the most prosperous business with the b&- |
ouco of the world that we ever did before or since. There Is no such thing as inter
national money , And vU lli * proposition U wade that we cannot flx our own finan
cial system , and must get the consent of foreign nations before we can fix a financial
system , then we arc not yet free , If that IB true , from Europe and wq need a second
declaration of Independence. ( Applause.Ladles ) and gentlemen ot Illinois , when you
go to your homes think of It , that In the United States today wo arc. . . considering the
proposition that we are dependent on the permission of the legislative powers of Eu-
rope to fix the most Important branch of our legislative service In the United States.
Think of It , republicans who followed Lincoln , that In this year , .1896 , In order to
advocate the cause of McKlnley you must advocate the cause of Que n Victoria. ( Ap-
I plntise. ) That you are letting n great nation cot us up , because wo hare established
I a dear dollar that absorbs your wheat , your cotton , your oats and corn at two or three
i times as much as It formerly did , with which to pay them Interest , on what they
loaned u s , Is a trick and a scheme Into which the people of the United States have
been drawn ; a scheme equalled by no bunco game ever played byfa citizen of n city
upon a countryman. Uy Insidiously lowering the price of the pedplols ; property and
at the same time getting them In debt. X j
They say that the election of n free coinage president and conCTcsfciwlll bring on
a panic. The next day after that election , if a free coinage president and congress bo
elected , the danger will have passed. Silver will begin to rise and 'the.irlse ' , of silver
means the fall of gold. ( Great applause. ) Falling gold means that It' , will come 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 you put silver again
Into competition with gold as ntoney , ' you have nettled this question. ' It Is silver and
gold In competition with each other to supply the people with money that fixes or
takes the enhanced value out of cither metal which may seek to rise. Silver will
begin to advance and other property will advance with It as It falls with It. H means
the decline of gold and gold going Into circulation. You will buy gold for less than
ou can buy It now. Gold Is now at a premium of 100 per cent over the price ot
S7.1 , 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 , you give two bushels ot wheat for $1 of gold , that Is the 100 per
cent premium , whereas you only gave one bushel before. Suppose It'don't ' como down
, o a parity with silver , but stops at 25 per cent premium over silver , 'and ' you sell your
bushel of wheat at $1 , and with that dollar you buy 75 cents In gold , whereas now you
can't buy but 50 cents In gold. With free silver , then , If gold Is at a premium , you will
exchange your property for more gold than you exchange It for now. Then If you
exchange It first for the silver , and with that silver you buy the gold , you are then
: ettlng silver to pay your gold debts. The honor Is preserved , the debt Is paid In gold.
Wo will pay you your drop of blood and your pound of flesh. ( Applause. ) Hut we
will put silver In competition with gold and use It for all the purposes as money where
wo have not been tied up to you In gold contracts , and wo will take that much strain
ofT from gold , and that will bring gold down , and then It It Is still 'at a premium we
will buy the gold and take It to you.
They say that the election of a free silver president and congress'will cause n run
on the United States treasury for gold uml It will bo wiped out In a day , and that will
make a panic. .
( v
It the great voice of the A'nacrJcan people says that silver Is to be restored to its
tlmo honored position and the npxt .jlay yWall street bankers como to Washington with
their greenbacks and other monejj and demand gold , I will tell you what ought to hap-
Vsn. The spirit of old Andrew Jackson ought to rise behind the counter ot the treasury
of the United States , and If that treasurer or assistant treasuredidn't ! say to the
banker , "this Is a republic , and the people of this great republic havq spoken , and I
want to call your attention to the fact that the greenbacks you present for gold call
for coin and not for gold ; " and If that assistant treasurer does not.wupon the edict of
the people say that coin means gold or silver and shove sliver 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 OF FP.EE SILVER.
From that moment the bankers will go back to Wall street , when silver is shoved at
, hem , and say that silver Is Just as good as gold. ( Applause. ) Because they will
Icnow that their money Is going to bo paid In that kind of. metal and It la to their In-
lercst not to depreciate It , Just as they ore now going behind/ / the United States treasury
and dumping their gold in In exchange for other money for fear that 'an Issue of bonds
Bending this campaign might run you all crazy and cause you all to vote for Bryan.
When It is to their Interest to get behind the money of the American -people - they are
going to get behind it , but so long as you let them run that currency 'of gold , human
selfishness will cause 'them to corner it and pump the gold out -ot the United States
reasury and back In again at a profit ot $10,000,000 semi-annually to them. ( Applause. )
And as you submit to this , republicans , democrats nnd populists of Champaign county ,
: hey will Increase these bond issues uptll they secure all the gold nnd 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 of demonetization upon
the farmer. I will say this : They say to you fanners you con sell your wheat for 50
cents , but you can buy as much calico or cotton goods and so on with ( t as you could
with dollar wheat , and then they say to you , where are you hurt ? Hero Is where you
are hurt : You can't pay the taxes with your bushel of wheat that-you could In 1873.
It now requires two and three bushels ot wheat to pay the same taxes.that onesbushel
of wheat would have paid before sliver was demonetized. Salaries have not , been re-
tluccd. Fellow citizens , I feel that you arc all Interested In this question , for .It liu
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 ot office-seekers , until today men in this country and other countries , In
all human probability a small percentage of them are still right good men , except In
Chicago , where , I think , about 99 per cent of them have gone wrong ; but for the sake
of a constablcshlp or a scat 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 , all. the potentates
of Europe. ( Applause. ) And with that selfishness there comes official favoritism and
with that comes the raising of salaries , Instead of the reduction of , "them. Whereas
17,000 bushels of wheat would have paid the president's salary of | $25000 | In 1S73 , It
now takes 100,000 bushels of wheat to pay his salary of J50.000. 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 , you can't get on a Pullman car and ride for any less than you' ' jfUA 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 of the Steel trust nnd supported by
$20,000,000 contributed by the other trusts como Into power by the election of Novem
ber , all ot 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 trustsallctatc.
Now you farmers may buy cotton goods nnd calico , but you can't ; pay your taxes ,
you can't pay your debts , you can't buy any of those things used by trusts , nnd In the
end , as In other republics , you wll | be the nether millstone , , .
You are the greatest men In the republic. The farmers ot 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 wo solve this
'question rightly , that when peace and prosperity comes In a higher- state of civiliza
tion , that our posterity will look back without understanding the specious arguments
that are made upon the other sjjle , an , 'wonder how the people ot the world staked their
whole financial system for tl)0iansactlon ) , ( ; of all their business upon a 'metal the cube
of which was twenty-two feet. ( Applause.1) )
Exercise your reason. Let not political leaders lead you. They are controlled con
sciously or unconsciously by selfishness , morp or less. It Is you 'who ' have to sutler
most , and resort to your reason. This Is simply a question of exchahg'e of 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 U one-half that much.
Mil. nOSBAVATKIl COXCLUnKS HIS A H OU.M I31VT.
i\iioni- * tlio FnlliU'li'H mill CoiilnullrllcuiN nf ( InDt'iiiiuitl for
ColmiKU ii < ! ' < Hatlo < if Jl to 1.
Mr. Ilosewatcr then closed his side of the debate as follows ; ( Ho was greeted with
great applause , )
It was not my dcslto , and Is not my Intention to discuss the candidacy of William
McKlnley In connection with this debate , but when any man drags In the name of
Abraham Lincoln to bolster up this scheme , I say ; Palsied be the tongue that
would tarnish his reputation with any proposition that Is conceivedIn.dishonesty , and
has for Its object repudiation and dishonor.
Ilurvoy : I did not use Lincoln's name In any manner , only i
Hosewatcr : You said Lincoln would do this name thine. '
Harvey : No , sir. ' ' <
Hosewater : I have heard on two occasions the name of Abraham Lincoln brought
Into this debate. H was my good fortune to come In contact. In an humble capacity ,
with Abraham Lincoln In the War department , and I won't allow ahy.man to Impute
dishonest motives to him on any occasion.
( Harvey advanced on the platform , and a general disturbance ensued for a few
minutes. ) I
Uoscwatcr : Whatever Abraham Lincoln might have sold 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. I was to
trust the fundamental good sense and honesty of the American people , and I cannot
believe that such a transparently Jobbing and dUhonest scheme aa this will meet their
approval. U Is on one hand a Job to glvo to mine owners a fictitious ] price for their
product , to which they have no more right than the producer of any other'mineral ' ; and
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 prlco agreed
between the parties. I cannot believe that many are so dishonest and abort-sighted as
'to ' wish to force our government to repudiate its plain obllgitlonu , or < b'dlsavow ' their
own. Mere strength of numbers could not mitigate the offense to untvprsal morality nor
avert the Inevitable consequent disasters. Its commission would set unpack In progress
and prosperity , and put ua In a sinkhole from which wo could not ejiierge lu a genera-
tlon. and then only by a reversal of our course , at a frightful cost to .those ou whom
we , going off the stage , leave the burden. " ,
This letter bears the signature of llobert T. Lincoln , and
dated.Cblcago
( . , May 31 ,
I want to challenge the correctness of my frlend'a last definition of bimetallism' '
Every blrnetallUt. of reputation , in Europe controverts his position nnd all of theni
concur In saylne that "without the aid of any other nation we cannot maintain tha
metals at a parity at 1C to 1. "
Here Is what Mr. Herbert Spencer says :
"From the time when they tried to fix the value of money down to our day. when
they have Just abandoned the attempt to fix the price of corn , statesmen havu been
undertaking all kinds of things and have been constantly falling or producing widely
different results from those Intended. Nevertheless , such Inexhaustibia faith have men
that , although they see this , and although they are dally hearing pf Imbecilities lu
public departments , yet government needs but to announce another pUuilblo project ,
and ui n straightway hurrah and throw up their caps , in full expectation of getting
all that Is promised , "
Dr , Otto Arendt , member ot the Parliament ct Germany , who has Veen laboring
for the last twenty years for bimetallism , declares In the June number of the North
American Review that unlimited coinage by the United Stairs , acting without con
currence of any other nation , would result disastrously to the cause of bimetallism ,
because It would put the United States on n silver basis the same as Mexico. This
view Is also hold by Prof. Francis A. Walker and other scientists ot recognized ability
who have thoroughly studied the subject. . H Is purely a political scheme designed
for politico ! ends and not for the promotion of the public welfare. ( Applause. )
Mr. Harvey asserts that gold was given n fixed value In 1S1G , when England adopted
the gold standard , and has retained that vnluu ever atnce. It this la true , what Is my
friend talking about ? If gold has not changed In value , what has become of the 200-
cent dollar ? ( Applause. ) If this theory Is correct , and 1 cheerfully concede that It Is ,
gold Is where It has been all 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
any commodity by law , whether used as a money medium or not. Its vnlne Is fixed by
general use , and the use ot any commodity Is Increased by cheapening Its price. When
you raise the price of any commodity "you decrease Its use. Why la It silver spoons
are to ho found In the households of thousands of common people ? U Is because they
are cheaper now than formerly. Mr. Harvey does not want to recognize the effect of
aluminum on the price of silver. Aluminum Is only 35 cents n pound. Ho don't want
to admit that silver has depreciated because the conditions of production have changed.
Ho don't concede that silver production hr.s been cheapened by chemical process and
mechanical Ingenuity , which enable mine owners to lay down silver at tliq mint at
half the former cost , and some mines have turned out silver nt ns low as 13 cents
an ounce.
Mr. Hnrvoy says that the day after Ilryan's election If such a thlng qijld bo possi
ble gold would at otico 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. Hut silver would
not go up to Us old price , and gold , therefore , would still bo at a premium over silver.
If that was not so , then all his tearful appeals on behalf of the debtor class would bo
wasted , since there would be no advantage to the debtor , If silver went up to Its old
price. When there Is even 2 per cent difference between gold and sliver gold goes out
of circulation , and we are then ou 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 sny what they think of the scheme. They
would tell him that gold could not fall to a parity with silver by fiat of any govorn-
ncnt. Mexican mine owners have all the advantage of unlimited and free colnago , but
hey haul their silver bullion to Omaha and ship It In bars to England. They say Mexico
s a little country and we are big. It Is patriotic to say America against the worldl
am one of these who would like to stand up for America against the world , but I
voulil not stand In front of a locomotive when U Is In full motion If I could help It.
would not Jump oft the bridge at Niagara If I was sane. I know my friend la holding
back his lurid picture of the crime of 1873 for his last speech , so I will throw n little
layllght on the crime In advance. I make bold to assert that the whole story ot the
crlmo Is a fiction' concocted for political ends and purposes.
THE SO-CALLED "CHIME OF 1S73. "
Mr. Harvey knows that the director of the mint In his official report In 1SG1.
twelve years before the passage of the coinage act , of 1S73 , recommended that the
gold dollar should bo the only standard ot value , and that all the other silver coins , in
cluding the dollar of 381 grains , should be 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 oftlclal reports of the Treasury department In 1SCC and In 1870 , seven
and three years respectively before the passage of the act of 1S73. He knows that
the secretary of the treasury called special attention to the coinage act then pending
In congress in his report for 1870. He knows that seven different officials and ex-
officials of the treasury gave their views to congress In reference to the omission of
the silver dollar from 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 you , this original bill and all
these documents are dated 1870 , three years before the act was passed , and the sec
tion 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 ot 1873 was printed thirteen times , with amendments
which were made from time to tlmo by order of congress. He knows that the bill
was finally printed January 21 , 1S73 , four days after the last discussion took place
In the senate. Ho knows each of those thirteen bills contained a clause making the
gold dollar the only unit of value.
Mr. Harvey knpws that from 1S70 to 1S73 , while this bill was pending In congress ,
neither Senator Stewart nor any one 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 412' , grains , or oven Inquired If that dollar was contained In those
various bills. Ho knows that the trade dollar of 420 grains was substituted for the
silver dollar of 284 grains , to be legal tender for $5 , upon the request of Cashier
Ilalston 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 the.silver states then In congress voted for the bill making _ the
gold dollar the1 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 ot silver to $5. Hot knows that the silver legislation contained In the
coinage act ot 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 nf which was fractional
parts of a dollar , while silver was pretended to bo demonetized. The San Francisco
mint , which previously had coined very little silver , coined 26,500,000 of these trade
dollars and several millions were coined at Carson , Nevada. All this was douo to
help the bonanza mine owners.
When my friend comes to tell you the story of the conspiracy and the crime ot 1873
you will 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 tis
messenger from Abraham Lincoln to the ppoplo of Colorado and Nevada and the min
ing states , and this Is really the only thing the sllverltes have to bring In the name
of Llncolni 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 these western states will prosper and grow ; that the mines will bo de
veloped and that the precious metals mined In the Ilocky mountains and Pacific
coast states will 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 colnago bill through the senate. As-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 splto of this , the name of Colfax
has been smirched by champions ot free coinage , because they must paint the congress
of 1873 as black as possible. They represent that congress as the Credit Moblller
congress when In fact the Credit Moblller scandal attached to the congress of 18G4 ,
The congress of 1873 Investigated Credit Moblller and exposed the frauds perpetrated
by It.
It.It
It Is commonly charged that the act of 1873 was sneaked through after being
doctored , amVSenatorAlllson's name Is brought Into prominence as the man who had
charged that such , was' the case.
The debate a's'jreported ' 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 committee of conference was con
curred in by the two houses , I should like to know If the word 'doctored' applies to
our legislation here , where there has been thrco or four days' 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
a legal tender. ,
So that the very passages used to prove' that the act of 1873 was surreptitiously
passed , when looked up and their context Is given , disclose evidence that the bill re
ceived full discussion. Even Senator Allison pointed this out.
All references to Mr , Blalno's part In the crlmo are equally deceptive and un
warranted. In a former debate Mr. Harvey served up a garbled quotation ffom the
Congressional Globe of February 15 , 1878. Here Is what Mr. Hlalne said : "The bill
was read , every section and every line ot It at the clerk's desk aloud. " Ho declared
that Mr , Kellcy , Mr. Potter and Mr. Hooper called attention to the ornUBloj ) of the
silver dollar of 412" grains. Ho referred to the Congressional Globe anM'plbe dally
newspapers of the time to provo that the bill was read at length. Mofeovc'iv liu 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 blll.y inally
Mr. Illalne closed ; "So that all that has been made out of that , all that has been
made out of any stealthy effort to pass that hill , has no foundation whatever,1'
Th'en In the Congressional Hecord , page 1,063 , Forty-fifth congress , second ses
sion , volume 7 , part 2 , Mr. Blalne says : "I think the senator from Indiana , Voor-
hces , will agree with me that It has been very widely stated and 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 , " , ,
GAUFIELD DENIES ALLEGED CONSPIRACY.
If anything further Is needed to disprove that there was a conspiracy , I have
It here. "Works of Jamea Al' ' " " " Garfleld , volume II , , page 211.
"On the 13th of December , 1870 , a bill to utilize the products of gold and sliver
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 Garfield said ;
"It Is Impossible within the brief space wo have even to go carefully through the
history of the legislation which has brought us where we are. That legislation has
been denounced as a legislative trick , as a delusion , as something Intended to cheat
the American people. I will not even on this occasion go so far as 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 | ( B near mo ,
"I wish to ask the gentleman who has Just spoken , Mr. Potter , If ho knows of any
government In the world which makes 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 baa made
her 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 standard. The values of gold and
silver continually fluctuate. You cannot determine this year 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 must have one standard coin
which shall be a legal tender for all measures , and then you may promote your do
mestic convenience by having a subsidiary coinage of silver which shall circulate In all
parts of your country as legal tender for a limited amount , and be redeemable at Its
face value by your government ,
"Hut , sir , I again call the attention of this bouse to the fact that the gentlemen who
( Continued on Tenth IVge. )
WASHED AWAY BY A FLOOD
Joliu Knight anil nn Unknown Mexican Are
Known to Unvo Boon Drowned.
NEW MEXICO MINING CAMP DESTROYED
Solid \Vnll of Wn > r Klitlit I'Vft Hint * .
HiiNhcM Down tlio .Mountain * .
lim Dentil mill 1H--
Htruutliiti llutoru It.
DENVEH , Aug. 20. A special to ( ho-
Times from Mogollon , N. M. , cays a tcrrlblo-
cloudburst struck that place about 4 p. in.
yesterday , leaving death and destruction behind - ,
hind It. John Knight , a miner , who resided -
sided at Georgetown , was drowned In his.
cabin. Several others are reported missIng - .
Ing , but BO far only two bodies , these ot'
Knight nnd nn unknown Mexican , have been
recovered. O'hcso were found In n field
about six miles below. About 100 families ,
have been rendered homeless and thirty
houses washed away. Piopcrty ot the <
Colonial Mining company of Doston , Mass. ,
has suffered to a largo extent , the assay
office-mill house , powder House and black
smith shop being washed away. It is
feared the mlno Is filled wlih mud and
water. The manager and assaycr had a
narrow escape , being assisted to the bank by
means of ropes. The Deep Down Mining
company of Kansas City lost Its main
oillco and assay olllcc.
The place Is situated In n deep canyon
between high mountains. Thp flood attained
a height ot over eight feet In .the street and
asted over thirty minutes. Had Its con-
Itumnco been ten minutes longer the wholo.
own would have been swept away , as tha
lobrls had collected In the street , forming-
a Kolid wall Just aa the flood began to re-
ecdo. Hardly a business house In the town
escaped damage- .
The wagon road leading up the mountain
o the town , which was built a few years !
ago at Immense cost , and which Is the only
-mtlet for freighters , has been entirely
ulncd , and all goods brought Into the camp.
vill have to be brought In on pack animate.
The storm was general to this section of-
ho territory. Advices from Graham state ,
hat at about 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon
a cloudburst on the mountain side caused a.
lood at the Confidence mine , a property"
) clonglng to the Helen Mining company of
-lenvcr , Colo. , situated about thrco mllea.
rom there. The flood carried away tho.
shop and supplies of the mine.
Nine horses that were at the ore chutes ,
oading ore for the mill were washed over
the steep precipice nnd killed. The men.
working nt the tunnel barely escaped with
their lives.
It Is feared that great damage la done o.n'
the other side ot the Mogollon district.
Nothing definite can be learned on ac
count of telephone communication being *
broken.
It Is feared the loss of life around Mogol
lon will be much greater than first reports
make It. There were at least twenty 'per
sons , mostly miners , living right In tho.
track of the great wall ot water. They oc
cupied for the most part adobe dwellings.
These have been swept nway and their oc-
cupauts cannot be heard from. Some of
these may have been warned In time to-
get out of the way , but It Is certain that a
number have pcrlshdd.
The loss to the- mining companies will
amount to thousands of dollars. Expensive-
machinery had lately been put In th ,
mines , and much of this Is a total wreck.
POLITICK IX TIIIJIll LKLSUIin TIMB. .
norrrtutu-iit OUIeliilM AldlilR llrynu' *
\nUoniil Com in ! < < . .
WASHINGTON , Auff. 20. Department
clerks arc agitating the question of their
rights to assist after office house the cam-
lgii committees of ( ho several political
parties. The democratic congressional
com
mittee. It Is said. Is short of funds and a
' = rKe share of Its work in the way of dis
tributing literature is performed 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 committee IB now saving $125
per day. Some question has arisen as to-
whether or not this service did not con
stitute offensive partisanship and constitute
a cause for removal , despite the civil serv
ice aegis. A number of the chief burean
officials have been Interviewed on the sub
ject and nearly all of them express the
opinion that the matter Is one concerning
which the clerks may do as they please it'.id
that they have no right to prcHcrlbo wl'at
use the clerks shall make of theirtlurn
after office hours. A few of the olfiilals
told clerks , who Inquired of them , that
personally they had no objections , but that
there was a possibility some one might
tnako trouble for them In the future , because
of tholr political zeal. Chairman Faulkner
of tlio democratic congressional committee
said the clerks had a right to assist the
committee and that It proposed to protect
them In that right.
OIIOSB MOU.VI'AI.VS O.V IIICVCLI3S.
Mil..SolillciH Itlilu Over IIIIlM wltk
II on v > * AoiMHitrcinriilN.
HELENA. Mont. , Aug. 20. Lieutenant
Goss , Twenty-fifth Infantry , and eight sol
diers heavily accoutcrcd and carrying four
days' rations , covered the distance between
Fort Mlssoula and Harrison , 132 miles , In
cluding the passage of Ilocky Ilange , In
twenty-two hours on bicycles , The heaviest
wheel , with pack and rider , weighed 273
pounds ; lightest , 202 pounds ; average weight.
240 ,
This Is the flrst detachment put on the
road by the United Statcb army to test the
practicability of the bicycle as a machlna
for military purposes In n mountain country.
The. tour entered upon covers 1,000 miles.
Including a round of the national park , re
turn to this point , run to Fort ABslnabolno.
northern Montana , and back by way of Fort
Harrison to Fort Mlssoula. Lieutenant GOES
expects to show better wheel tlmo than
foot soldiers or troopers can make on a
sustained march In the mountain region.
IMMIhV SMITTK.V WITH
Dri-nil DlNiiiHiHUH Alri-inly Killed
One t'lil III at St. l.oulH ,
ST. LOUIS , Aug. 20. One member of the
family of George Illazo , a market gardener
living on the outskirts of this city , has died
of glanders , his wife Is dying and another
child , a hey aged 'i years , la beginning to
show symptoms of the dreaded disease. The
disease was transmitted to the Dlaze family
by a horse used In marketing the garden
produce. Several ilaya ago the flrst child
became 111. The rapidity of the disease was
such that within five days from the time the
flrst symptoms appeared "tho child was dead.
The same symptoms as marked the disease In
the child noon appeared In the mother. Their
progress was less rapid than In the case a'
the child , but they were even more sever * .
Mrs. Dlaze was almost In the state of ex-
trcmo prostration today that marks the fatal
termination of the disease. Dr. Starkloff.
the city physician , has taken precautions U
prevent the spread of the disease.
tlio Corn Oroi > .
OSMOND , Neb. , Aug. 20 , ( Special. ) This
county has been visited with one of the best
rains of the season for the past twenty-
four hours. Corn Is an assured crop. Some
people estlmatu It at seventy-five bushel *
per acre. Small grain Is turning out pretty
well ; wheat from eight to fifteen bushels ,
oa's ' from twenty-five to fifty , and baric/
from fifty to sixty.
PAWNKB CITY" , Neb , , Aug. 20. ( Special. )
This VI' inlty had an Inch of rainfall dur
ing Hi" pas * forty-eight liuuw. JTarmers
report com made.