The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-09-15

have displayed more power in the poll
tics of this country in the last ten year
than the whole American people put to
gether [Applause.l They forced tn
Republican leaders voice, "Bribet
them after they had gone before tn
people, and in their national platform
declared that the bonds should be paid il
green backs, TO pass the act of Reputation
and extortion making them payable IL
coin, Applause That same power
destroyed the silver dollar as money ST
stealthily that not one dozen men ii
Congress knew that il was being done
That same power passed this resumption
law, and now holds the Republican lead
ers to its execution, no matter how much
misery and loss it may inflict on the
people lApplau:e.l If such be its
force now in our politics, what will it be
if you double its wealth and its power
How will you them expect to contend
with it? AS / said before, don't be.
lieve the American people ever will con.
tend with it successfully at the ballot.
box if this resumption law is executed
The American silver dollar was Gre
ated By the act of Washington's admin
istration in 1892 1t was fixed at 37l
grains OF pure silver, made the legal ten
der for all debts, public and private. and
for all amounts. That same dollar, with
that same quantity OF pure silver, remain
ed under the same law signed by Wash
ington as legal tender for all debts, public
and private, down till 1878. Our whole
national debt was payable in it. The
greenback, so far as it may be called a
debt. was payable in it at the option OF
the people.
But in 1878, the enormous increase of
our product of silver, and the demoneti-
cation of silver by Germany, made it ap-
parent that that metal would fall in value
AS compared with gold. The money cap
itslists at once procured legis alton,
through u few leaders of the Republican
party, providing that thencefOrth silver
should only be legal tender for the pitt
full sum of SIS. AS the silver dollar is now
worth ten per cent less than the gold dol
lar, and Is likely TO SO continue, that act
was clear addition to our National debt
OF full $2O0,OO0,000. The option which
the people had to pay the bonds in
silver was worth that sum at least. Let
me illustrate this. Suppose | hold con.
tract with one of you farmers made two
years ago, by which you agree TO pay me
three hundred bushels of corn, or one
hundred bushels of wheat at your option.
Well, find that the wheat crop is short,
a h1S hal nj
also that the corn crop is large, and corn
is worth only twenty cents a bushel. Now,
| 90 to your agent IN Parkers burg, and
say, here is the contract between me and
Jones; | want him to pay me in wheat.
Please strike out this clause Of the con-
tract by which he may pay me in corn
so that he will haveto pay me in wheat.
The agent hesltates a little, and | say
that I'll support him the next time he
sets up for Office. Laughter And
thereupon he changes the contract so that
YOU will be compelled to pay me in wheat.
That is the exact character of this silver
transaction.
Now, from the beginning to the end OF
this last session of Congress the Demo-
cratic party struggled to pass bill to
restore the old silver dollar, and they
actually did pass one; they passed it by
nm affirmative vote of about nine tenths
of the Democrats and about one .fourth
If the Republicans. The Republican
,rnate rejected 1t, and they had COM
littee of conference, where 1t was throt-
ed, at the instance of Senator Sherman,
10y the Republicans of the committee.
Now that is the position of the two par
ties with respect 10 this question.
The Republican leaders ridicule the
Democratic platform and Mr.. Iilden's
letter for denounc ng the Republican
party for having enacted "hinderances to
resumption | would like to know
what greater hinderance to resumption
could have been enacted than the striking
down of the very silver dollar in which
the legal tenders are redeemable, and
saving that they should not be redeemed
in it? [Applsuse.
Now, feliow-citiZens, on this matter of
forced resumption we are told that "good
faith" requires it, That has been the
standing argument made by that same
party that now PROHIBITS the payment of
the legal tender in the legal coin 1t was
payabie in. Good faith doesn't require
resumption of specie payment Of the
legal tender notes one instant sooner
than the convenience o! the people will
Justify it. When the legal tenders were
issued we all understood it was because
the Government had not the coin, and we
all took them from the government, not
ss forced loan, but as an accepted
money. Applause.] And the people
in this country have never yet wanted
resumption of specie payments. | defy
any one to point to an instance, from one
end of this republic TO the other, where
there YVES ever a meeting o. people ask
ing for the taking mp of the greenbacks.
There was such n meeting of bankers at
Syracuse. and one or two meetings of
brokers in New York city, but never a
meeting Of the people.
Fellow-citlzens, l have been called to
task now and then by men who believe
in the sincerity of my expressions here
tofore on the money questions, for an
alleged INCONSISTENCY III S"PPN'N'"S Az
Tilden. We are told he is hard-money
man. We are al hard-money men al d
all soft-money men. Laughter. We
are very willing to have hard money,
and we all know we never had it in ac-
tual circulation, and can not get it, ani
have got to have soit money. Demo
Gratis and Republicans, East and West,
know that we all want the currency 10
be as nearly al par IN coin us practicable,
and our people have been entirely con-
tent 20 wait and see, rs they have seen,
our paper currency rise gradually in
va ue until now il has reached and passed
the par of the silver dollar, in which ii
ia PAYABLE. We want its value kept up;
il is not essential that it should be actu-
allv redeemable in coin; it is only i'm.
portspt that it should be as near as pos.
sible in value with it.
There is no issue between the parties
AS to hard money and soft money, but
there is great issue whether our soft
money shall be National bank notes
costing the people per cent per annum