River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-03-28
GENTLEMANLY AND CONCLUSIVE.

It had not been my intention to say
another word upon a controversy
that has already occupied too much
space but DR.. Woodwork introduces
new phase which | wish to consider
for a moment. Having given, four
weeks ago, dates and names taken from
the official record, the Doctor, unable
to meet them by any other means has
recourse to that, by no means novel,
argument of accusing me of lying and
forgery. | talk "of records that do
not exist" AS this style of closing
case is both gentlemanly and conclu-
sive, confess my utter inability to
meet it; hence. retire from the con-
test discounted and demoralized
promising myself to give the Doctor
wide berth hereafter.
But a word to the readers Of the
JOURNAL: When disputes upon histor-
ical questions arise, there is only one
way in which to settle them, i. e., by
turning to official records, if they can
be had. AS soon as the excitement
concerning the reconciliation of sill
verarose.T saw the charge of fraud and
stealth concerning the legislation of
1873. | at once took steps to prove to
myself the truth or falsity of that
charge, and succeeded, after writing
many letters and receiving many doc
uments pro and con, in obtaining the
official record of said legislation. This
record I have in my possession. and
from this record / quoted. If it is a
forgery, can assure the readers OF
the JOURNAL that it is an official one.
A subsequent denial on the part of
some members of Congress does, by
no means. invalidate the record. How
far these denials are to have weight,
can be seen by the fact that one of the
most blatant and ranting chargers OIL
fraud stands on p. 322, vol. 100, of the
Congressional Globe, as saying
"This bill received as careful atten-
ton as have ever known committee
to bestoW on a bill. We proceeded
with great deliberation to go over the
bill, not only section by section, but
line by line, and word by word
The speech, from which this is an
extract, was made in the House, Jan.
9, 1872. ut is probably a forgery; but
it is in the Globe, nevertheless.)
The original bill, sent to the Senate
on the 25th of April, 1870. Official
forgery was accompanied by lengthy
report drawn by Mr.. John Knox, then
Deputy Comptroller of the Currency.
In this report ian official forgery we
may possibly find the reason for the
fact that no opposition was made to
the dropping of the silver dollar from
the coinage. Says Mr.. Knox. on IL:
.'The coinage of the silver dollar, the
history of which is here given. is dis
continued in the proposed bill. 1t IS
by law the dollar unit, and, assuming
the value of gold to be fifteen and one
half times that of silyer-that being
about the mean ratio of the last SIX
years-is north III gold a premium q
about 3 per cent, fits value being
81 .O3I2), and intrinsically more than
4 per cent. premium in our other silver
coin, its value thus being S1.0742. The
present laws consequently authorize
both d gold dollar unit and silver
dollar unit, differing from each other
in intrinsic value. The present gold
dollar piece is made the dollar unit IN
the proposed bill and the silver dollar
piece is discontinued.
The italics are mine. Does anybody
believe that we should have heard any
thing of this silver cry il the enormous
production of silver, during the past
ffve-vears. had not caused rapid de-
cline of the metal in the market OF the
worldl Thus leave the subject.
A EARTHMAN.