The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-09-27

, the pay menu OF tnelr ueUIsj ahu tno', wv,
in an indebted country, and that, toe,
when of all countries in the world we
ought to value silver, because we are the
greatest silver producing country In the
world, and Just as we value wheat be-
cause we produce 80 much wheat. And
yet that thing was struggled through in
that way Now, tell you am for set
ting it right straight back where 1t was.
Laughter and applause.
1T IS NOT UNJUST.
And no man need tell me it will 10 IN
Justice On the contrary, ! am in iayor
OF setting it back In order to do justice.
| say the man who contracted debt:
| say the nation that contracted debt,
when, under the law of the land, the dol
lar OF the fathers, OF 4l2@ grains standard
silver would pay dollar OF debt, l say
that in honesty that man ought to be
allowed 10 pay that debt with that dollar.
Therefore, | shall vote to put it back;
hope we will put it back, and when we
do think that will be great stride
toward bringing about resumption OF
specie payment and setting the finance
OF the country upon solid basis; but
whether we do or not, plant mysel1
upon the position that this Government
issued its bonds and promised TO pay them
in coin, actually specifying silver as one,
and the men who bought the bonds
knew they could be paid either in gold
or silver. The State of Ohio issued her
bonds; many of the cities issued their
bonds; counties and townships issued their
bonds; the people issued their promlssory
notes and gave their bonds; every one OF
them had the right 10 look at the statutes
and say: "When this becomes due can
pay it in silver coin" which, from the
time of Washington until this day has
beer legal tender [grest appause and
no man and no community shall be
deprived, with my consent OF that priv
ilege G"Good"l; none at all. And, my
friends, if it had happened to turn the
other way; if it had been gold that
deprecated instead OF silver, we would
have heard these very same people VINO
are now clsmoring AGAINST the remonetl-
cation OF silver, insisting upon their debts
being paid in silver, and that gold should
be demonetlzed. / am not for crafty
ing them either way. They took the
risk and they must stand by 1t. They
have gone regularly to work TO depreclate
silver, and it is by their act that 1t bas
been deprecated more than by any
increase in the production OF that metal.
Let it be remonetized and there Will be
no substantial reason to complain of any
Injustice whether man is paid in silver
or gold.
AND HERE Is JUDGE WEST,
The Republican candidate Tor Governor
and the Cleveland platform has the same
squint), saying be is in favor OF silver,
but that you ought to put more silver In
your dollar; that is the position it I'M
derstand 1t. Now, look at it: You
promised to pay 100 silver dollars in 1873;
gave your note for 100 silver dollars, and
could pay that note, rs it then stood in
silver dollars OF 4l24 grains each. Now
comes Judge West and the Republican
Convention at Cleveland and say you
ought to be compelled to pay in dollars
of APO or 490 grains each. If you are
compelled to do that, it will take more OF
YOUR wheat 10 get them than 1t would
those of 4l2I grains. L would like to
know where is the honesty in that? You
purchased, and the man was willing to
sell to you and take your promise OF 500
of 4l2} grains each in 1873. That was u
bargain, perfectly fair bargain, and
now comes Judge West and
these Republican sages up here at Cleve-
land and say: 1--WE will change that
bargain; we want to have that bargain
SO that you shall not pay it in silver dol
lars OF 4l2} grains each, but of 42O or
43O grains each" l say there IS no
honesty in it, nor any good policy IN it.
Why, we undervalue silver now. Even
the silver dollar of the fahers was under
valued. According to the Coinage Act,
and before and since we have rated one
gold dollar as worth sixteen silver dollars.
that is, we make the relation between as
sixteen to one; and yet the greatestsllver-
using nation in Europe, France, rates
it at tifteee and half OF silver to one OF
god-that Is, we give one-hslt dollar
more of silver to one of gold than the
Frenchman does. And yet here are
people saying that is not enough: you
ought to give seventeen or eighteen or
nineteen silver dollars for one OF gold.
| don't believe it at all. say there Is
no honesty or sound policy in it.