The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1878-06-05
senator EBayard s'~ Fr'e"h, Con-"
seIIor and Guide. go Ihe Mi>>is.
sippi G.e%i~Ia tur".


Legislature on the silver question, which
has been the subject of no little com
ment and surmise, thanks to the persiS-
tence and enterprise of Col Harper, of
the Southern States, is in print 1t
will be found in another column. 1t
was addressed to Hon. w A. Percy,
Speaker Of the House Of representatives,
who by reason Of his official position,
was presumed to be the most direct, eff
Gent and authoritative medium OF com
munication with the members of that
body. He was requested ''to make use
Of it at his discretion among his asso-
ciatos," and acting upon the suggestion,
the Speaker did exhibit it freely to
members Of both Houses" and the con
clusion Is that the Legislature with
stubborn adherence to its own opinions,
refused to be guided by the Senator
from Delaware, who Justly says Of him
self that he had won the claim to be re
garded as a friend to the people of our
State, by what we will designate as his
able and courageous defense Of their
rights in the Senate, and especially by
his manly and just course as a member
Of what is known as the Boutwell, Inves-
tigating Committee,
The fact that the letter was written to
dissuade the Legislature from passing
resolutions of instruction without taking
the ground that it would be an assump-
ton Of undue authority by that body,
to do so, is virtually declaration that it
possessed the right Predicating his
letter upon this fundamental principle
OF representative government, he pro
ceeds to present opinions against the re
monetization of silver which in the light
of the experience the country has had of
the effect Of the measure, is a striking
commentary upon the fallability of hui
man judgment. Some of the opinions
advanced with dogmatic precision by the
Senator, had already been exploded by
the teachings of history. He wrote as
if silver had not been part of the lie
Called Coin of the government from
its foundation down to the year 1873, and
if there have been Commissions" in our
commercial relations aud Certain loss to
our people" from that cause, they were
in blssful ignorance of the fact. The
present generation had received and
used it as 4 standard value established
by the trainers of the government, and
had never once suspected until the
agents and emissaries of the bondhOlders
discovered that they, aud the generations
that preceded them, were the victims
of fatal delusion which had been be-
queathed from bleeding sire to SON."
Gold and silver is the money of the
constitution, As great statesman of
former day, Thomas II. Benton, express
ed it, every historic recollection, and
every phrase in the Constitution, con-
tirmed that idea. Quoting further from
the same high authority, the power
granted to Congress "to regulate the
value of coin, )" is the power to regulate
the value of metallic money, gold and
stirey. The prohibition upon the States
against making anything but "gold and
silver" legal tender, is also conclusive
of the intention of! the trainers of the
and can it be said, that to
cling to their precept and example and
the fundamental law which they have
created, is dishonorihg to the govern
ment of the people? This is the teach
ing of the prophets of Mammon. They
forget that silver is a money of the con-
stitution; that it was money metal in
all the States when that instrument was
framed; and that money was coined out
of silver in the earliest period of the
world, and has continued so to be coined
irons that time down to the present era.
The idea, though ii is adganced by
grave and reverend Senators that there
revolving injustice in the standard
Of Alp grains, becomes a transparent
absurdity, when it is coupled with the
fact that AZ grains vas the precise |
measure of the silver dollar when the
contract was made with the bondholders
to pay them the interest," on their dues
N "coin," meaning gold and silver. 1t
was then that the rights Of creditor and |
lebt9r were fixed; and surely there IS no
iiShOHor n standing by the contract. |
If the agreement has been Violated at all,
md it certainly has been, it vas in the
interest of the bondholder, who first
stipulated to receive his dues in green
packs, or there is no truth in Secretary
John Sherman who in 1868, wrote as
allows;
DEAB SIRs-I was pleased TO receive your
etter. Ny personal interests are the same
S YOURS, but. like you. do not intend to De |
afuenced by them. My construction of the
aw is the result of careful examination, and
feel quite sure an mpartial court would
ontfru it. if the case could be tried before
court. | send you my views as fully stated
n a speech. oar idea is that zee propose TO
eptdidte or pjoldte a PrQHis5 telien zee offer to
edeem the principal ill legal tenders.
/ think the 5ORahOlder Utoidtes his promise
hen he refuses TO take The same kiRd Of money
e paid for the bonds. Ii the case is to be
ested by the law, am right; If it is to be
eSted by Jay Cookies advertisements, l am
Frong. / hate reputation or anything like
{. but IRE ought not TO be deferred from doing
hat is right By fear Of undeSelped epithets
t under the Law as il stands the holders of
he 5-2Q's can only be paid in gold, then we
re repudiat0Fs II We propose to pay other
rise Ii the boadkoldeT can legally dengqad
My the Kind OF money he paid, then he is q re-
1didt0r and ert0rtiOHer TO demand money more
Il,sq6Ie than he gaze.
Truly yours.
JOHN SHERMAN.
There was no occasion to charge the
outh with dislcyalty and dishonesty and