Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1877-12-26

respect 10 the Senator from Now ork,
that it is the first time that / ever
heard Democrat on this floor, or on
the floor of the other House, rise and
defend all the acts that have been done
by the Republican majority relative TO
coinage and relative to money, and
clamor that the faith Of the nation was
involved in the maintenance of every
act they have done. There have been
many acts done that deny that the
people of the country are obliged to
maintain longer than till they have the
power to reverse them and many of
those acts that have been done have
been done against the protest OF the
whole Democratic party.
Mr.. Allison. win the Senator yield
10 me for a moment2
Mr.. Beck. Yes, sir.
Mr.. Allison. Do | understand the
Senator to intimate that the Democrat
ic party opposed, as political organi.
zation, the demonetization of silver in
1877 Was that party question:
Mr.. Beck. | have no doubt they
did, so far as they understood it.
Mr.. Allison. have not the slight
est knowledge that the Democrats OPP
posed it.
Mr.. Beck. When the silver bill is
taken up for discussion l hope to be
heard upon this question as to how il
was demonetized; but | say this now
IN answer to the question--and the
records Of Congress show-that when
the bill demonetizing silver was pend
ing in the House of Representatives,
on the 28th of May, 1872, and the gen.
tleman who then had charge Of it
brought it up within two days of the
final adjournment as a substitute for q
previous bill which had been partly
but never fully read, that bill having
been up on the 9th day of April, 1872,
when the question was put 10 him by
divers gentlemen, (and the record will
bear me out,) he said that it made no
changein the coinage,and relying on his
statement that bill was never read, but
was passed in the House OF Represent
atives without any man not privately
advised knowing what it contained.
Mr.. Allison. Yes; but, Mr.. Presi-
dent, that bill was debated in this body,
and there was no partisan division
with reference to that bill in this body.
Mr.. Beck. Lot me say, in answer
TO that, that the bill was debated at
the third session of the Forty second
Congress in this body, brought up by
the present Secretary Of the Treasury.
The debate will be found at the close
of the first part and the beginning Of
the second part of the Congressional
Globe for the third session of the For
ty-second Congress, and the whole de-
bate was upon the coinage charge.
Not one word was said in that debate
as TO the demonstration of silver.
Senators will | hope read it for them
selves, and they will find the fact to
be as | state it. Mr.. Casserly, of Cal
ifornia, insisted that we were to have
an immense silver coinage; he stated
what Nevada was then producing
$40, ,00o, 900 annually; and the present
Secretary of the Treasury insisted on
having ain God we trust inserted on
the face Of the coins instead Of the ca
gle, which was there before and which
he said foreigners did not understand.
He thought such dollar would float
as far as the silver coin of the foreign
nations known as the Latin union
would that was, oil over the world
Was there a word said as to demone.
tizing silver in that debate2 Not one,
unless have overlooked II, and have
read it with some care.
Ar. Allison. That is not the point
| make That bill was pending in the
Senate for considerable time. It
was printed in the Senate. If il
had been objected to by Demo
cratic Senators, full and CON-
plete opportunity was given to Demo
cratic Senators to object to it. There
fore il was passed without partisan d.
vision and without partisan debate
Mr.. Beck. say that debate shows
that no man claimed that that bill
sought the demonetizatlon Of silver,
and the record will show the fact that
the present Secretary of the Treasury
avowed that the object was TO make
silver dollar that would float, to use
his own expression, all over the world,
co extensive with the silver dollar Of
France, of Switzerland, and of the ma
tions composing the Latin Union.
Therefore insist that 1t was not de-
monetizcd by the intelligent action of
the representatives of the people.
Mr.. Herman. II was distinctly charg-
cd by the Senator that acted in some
way improperly
Mr.. Beck Oh, no
Mr.. Herman. In referring to the do.
monetization Of silver. Now allow |
me to say a word in justice. i was
not discussing the silver coinage ques-
ton. | was discussing resolution
which declares that il is right to pay
these bonds in the dollar of 4l2l grains
of silver, and called attention TO oil
Of them that had ever been coined.
One other thing. have not said
one word which could make my friend
think one way or the other as TO
whether approve these laws or not.
! argued on the acts Of our Govern
ment, the authorized Government;
whether It was done by both parties
or by either party makes no difference
10 the outsider. said the Govern
ment had made certain laws and the
honor and the necessity Of that Gov
ernment and this American people,
whether their Government was IN
charge Of the same party or any other,
was bound as against the men that
trusted TO our agents and our Govern
ment, To keep faith with them. | said
nothing about what was wise or not
wise. said that the Government
having taken certain action by it's laws
and said TO the world 80 and so, we
cannot .now declare that we will undo
that, even if IL were wrong, and thus
wrong the creditors Q or 3 or 10 per
cent. Of the face Of their bonds.
Mr.. Beck. ! do not propose to de-
prive the Senator from New York Of
the benefit Of bis statement, for what
ever il is worth, and therefore do not
propose to reply to II. He knows
what he said, and let II stand. But
say that all the Legislation Of this coun.
try for the last twelve years has been
absolutely In favor Of the rich against
the poor, in favor of dead capital
against active industry, and that the
effort now made TO prevent us from
restoring what was the legal coin Of
the country at the time the great bulk
of the debt was contracted Is anti-Dem-
,nrntic. To 90 back a little, | say