The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1878-02-28
THE SILVER VICTORY.


After several months OF tne lhVSs ~ s -
aud exhaustive discussion OF the silver lues..
ton, after an unparalleled pressttre brought
to bear upon Congress by the money pOMes
OF the nation, and in spite OF the 0eeiaree
opposition Of the most influential neiityea
of the Administration, the main prlnelPie y
reconciliation Of the old silver dOhaI slH,1
| ing it a full legal-tender function lPr az
debts, public and private, has been aeclaeu
afiirmatively by more than twO-thirds ma
| jority in both houses of Congress- Inc
struggle has been long and bitter, ana Ihe
result is a notable triumph Of the popular
will over the desperate resistance or the
/ money henderson, the country at large over
/ two or three m0ney-centers. IL has ny no
\ time been party question, since menoeLs
| Of both political organizations have been
ranged on either side. IL regarded section
ally, then the result is n fair triumph OF az
least thirty-three States over i've, for only
New York, New Jersey, MassachusettS,C Con-
neeticut, and Vermont can be counted as
against silver. II regarded from popular
point of view, RECOMMENDATION was demand
! ed by at least ten to one of the voting pOpu-
lation of the United States. So far, then,
the Congressional Endorsement of the prin-
ciple is in accord with every theory OF pop
ular government.
The story of this legislation may be briefly
told, though the discussion has extended
over period OF many months Inc dOuDie
! standard was abandoned by revision OF lhe
Coinage act of 1873 which was made IN 1874.
Ii was so clandestinely accomplished that 1t
was not till two years later that It became
/ generally known that the monetary system
fthe country had been radically changed.
Meanwhile many persons VINO hau Deeh
members of Congress, and many others
officially connected with the Government,
were profoundly ignorant OF what had been
done. As soon as 1t became evident TO the
country that this legislation, in connection
with the Resumption act, was forcing fu-
tile but disastrous effort to resume specie
payments in gold alone, there was an instan-
taneOus and universal cry Of " Halt" Inc
first step to take was the restoration
of the old money standard, TO the
abandonment OF which the people
had never consented. Mr.. Bland, OF
Missouri introduced a brief and simple bill
as long ago as last spring To restore the silver
dollar and provide for free coinage Thereon
on the same terms and conditions as the gold
dollar; this bill failed for lack of time before
the expiration of the session. AT the begin
ming Of the new Congress, a bill similar in
terms was reported by the House Committee
ON Banking and Currency, and has been
known by courtesy rs the Bland bill. IL
passed the House by more than three-iourths
majority. In the Senate the bill was so
amended as to eliminate the provision for
+ free coinage, limit the coinage OF silver dol
lars to a, OO0, 900 month, secure to the Gov
eminent any profit that may accrue from the
purchase and coinage Of silver, and provide
! an appropriation for an International COM
= mission to urge the general adoption OF the
r double standard. Ii is this bill, adopted in
, the Senate after an able and elaborate dis
cussiOn of several months, in which the
House has now eOneurred.
2 The bill now passed received an actual
vote of As yeas to II nays in the Senate, or
more than twO-thirds, and, allowing for the
known sentiments Of the absent Senators,
full vote would have been % yeas to -
: nays-aso more than twO-thirds. The vote
l by which the House refused To table the Dill
| as it came from the Senate (Which was the
, test vOte) was 204 nays to I2yeas, which was
nearly three -fOurths vote in favor OF the
bill If all the absentees CID would have
= voted against the bill, which is absurd to
maintain, there would still have been more
= than two-thirds majority for il. The bill
was accepted by the House, not because 1t
l. is satisfactory in its details TO the silver
men, but because it provides legal ac-
I acknowledgement of the double standard, and
, furnishes basis for making this double
. standard fully operative by future legisla-
8 ton.
| An ANALYSIS of the vote in the House shows
2 that, of the y votes cast against 1t, 30 were
I Republicans and - were Democrats. Among
e these there were only three Western mem
, bers-Garfed of Ohio, and Stewart of Min
nesota, Republicans, and Williams, Demo-
! crat, from Michigan. There were elSht
l votes from the South against the bill, VIZ:
g Bisbee, Republican, of Florida, Gibson and
Leonard of Louisiana, JOTgensen OF lrgln-
, ia, Metcalf of Missouri, Sehleicher of Texas,
Swami of Maryland, and Williams of Della
e ware. of all the votes against the bill, New
: York furnished II Republicans and 10 DEM
=, Ocrats, Massachusetts Republicans and l
Democrat, Pennsylvania Republicans
, and l Democrat, New Jersey
Republicans and Democrats, YER
T mont 3 Republicans, and Maine
Republicans. The extreme intlatiOnists,
] under the lead OF Springer, of Illinois, and
Ewing, of Ohio, developed very little
strength in their effort to oppose the bill on
account of its shortcomings, and this en-
eourages the belief that, if the bill be per-
mitted to promptly become law under the
sanction OF the President, the Greenbackers
will be pOwerless to carry through their pet
schemes of an unconditional repeal of the
l Resumption act, and the substitution of
greenbacks for NatiOnal-ba notes.
But if the President interpOse his veto, and
the veto shall have the effect of preventing
the bill from becoming a law, or even the
effect Of OccasiOning an indefinite and
hazardous pOstpOnement Of final settle
ment of the question, no man can fOretell
the extreme lengths to which natural resent
ment and justifable Indignation will drive
the representatives of the people.
The personal sentiments Of the President
on the silver question have long been
: known, but it should now be seriously con-
sidered by him whether he has a moral right
TO place himself in opposition to the people
after il has been absolutely demonstrated
that they are represented in this question
by more than twO-thirds in both houses Of
Congress. If the original vote were less
than two thirds, and 1t were a matter Of
doubt whether the requisite constitutional
majority could be obtained TO prevail
over the veto, the President
might justify himself in using
his prerOgative, if prepared to give constitu-
tiOnal reasons for doing so. But the two
thirds vote has already been cast; it is not
possible that the President can urge any
reasons, constitutional or otherwise, that
have not already been ably presented and
Overridden; and to inteTpOse his veto I'M
der these conditions will be to assume the
personal responsibility for all the expense,
disturbance and anxiety incident TO the I'M
necessary delay veto will occasion. 1t Is 4
responsibility which no one man should be
willing to take upon himself.