The daily gazette., 1877-12-15
CHICAGO ON THE SILVER
QUESTION.

The Repent Of the Decentralization
Act Demanded, and Charge
that 1t was Procured by Deception
and Fraud Preferred.
CHICAGO, Dec. 14.-In pursuance OF the
call for meeting to take action ON the
silver question now pending before Con-
gress, some five thousand representative
men assembled In the Tabernacle last
night, listened to speech, and adopted the
following resolutions, which were preced-
ed by by brief preamble:
RESOLVED, That the decentralization of
silver coinage of the United States was
change In our monetary system so grave
and radical in its character, and so vital
ly affecting the commercial interests and
rights of the people, especially those of
the debtor class, that it ought not to
have been ventured upon, even under
the circumstances most favorable, until
| after full, thorough, and exhaustive dis
cussion of its merits before the people,
| aud the covert scheme by which this
most important measure was precipitated
upon the country, without one word of
discussion, eth her in Congress or out, and
| the obstinate perSistency with which the
scheme is still prosecuted in time of un-
paraileled business prostratlon and disas-
ter, and with the forced resumption of
specie payments in immediate prospect,
discloses reckless disregard for public
welfare on the part of ITS movers which
merits our severest censure and c0ndem-
nation.
| Resolved, That we have the best rea-
| sons for believing the characterization of
the silver dollar was accomplished
through concealment, deception, and
fraud; thatin all probability not one mao
in this vast assemblage of citizens had the
slightest inumation that such measure
was pending in Congress until many
months after its passage land whether our
Representatives who voted for the bill,
and the President who approved 1t, were
deceived or not, the people unquestion-
ably We're, and we therefore demand its
immediate and unqualified repeal.
ResolUed, That one obvious purpose of
the act demonetizing silver was to in
crease the value of Government bonds,
and correspondingly increase the public
burdens by securing the payment OF
those bonds in gold, when, by their
terms, plainly expressed on their face,
they are redeemable in coin of the
standard value of the United States on
July IA, 1870, when silver dollars, as well
as gold dollars, were lawful tender in
payment of all debts, public and private;
that in order to secure to the bondholders
this advantage, to which they are nowise
entitled, the people have been clandes-
timely robbed of the legal-tender quality
of half their metallic currency, thereby
greatly enhancing the difficulty and
danger of the proposed resumption OF
specie payments, and unjustly increasing
the burden of every individual'debtor in
the nation as well as that of the natiGn al
large.
Resolued, That while we have full
confidence in the integrity and patrio
tism of the President, and his earnest de
sire to fulfil the duties of his high office
and promote the welfare of the nation
yet we view with alarm the position
taken by him on this question in his late
message, and we have good reason to be-
lieve that his Judgment has been warped
and misguided by the bad counsels of his
, constitutional advisers into the adoption
of line of policy which would give the
bondholders an undue and unjust advan
tage, greatly to the detr1ment of tn peo
pie. We have searched in vain through
his message for any word of true comfor
, for the struggling masses by whose labol
the money must be earned to pay thest
! bonds. We regard his suggestion, that by
, yielding to the demands of public credi
: tors these bonds may be exchanged fol
others at reduced interest," delusion.
ReSolUed, That we recommend to oul
fellow-cltizens throughout the country
/ who agree with us in the sentiment thai
l they convene in mass meetings and TAXI
> prompt action on this question, and thu
convince the power that be in Washing
ton that the people are terribly in ear
nest; that the exigency admits of no de
: lay, no compromise, and that nothing
I short OF absolute aud unconditional sur
render to their just demands will be &C
cepted.
. Emery Storrs, W. q. Goudy w. Brass
q Leonard SWEET, and Judge Booth wer,
, among the speakers.