The daily gazette., 1878-02-02
THE slLvER DEBATE.
speech Of r. M. CoekreII I'm the
U. y. senate, Ian. ~ and IN.

Wise, just, ana UenlBH pOncy OF rev
Government officials; falsely styled the
blow TO the enlightened sef-interest OF
the Government, becauseofthe assertion
Of the right Of the Government to pay
the bonds in either silver or gold dollars
| of the weight and fineness fixed in the
law and In the bond, has been heard far
and wide, from the eastern press and
from the bondholders and their special
/, allies and friends. trI M
We have been stigmatized abused, and
vilified as repudiationists, imbeciles, sill
yer lunatics, &c.
Conscious before God that am as loy-
ally devoted to the Constitution with all
its amendments, to the integrity Of the
jindissoluble union of the States, and TO
| the preservation of national honor and
public faith as any one Of these distin-
guished gentlemen who fold their arms
across their breasts and in their self-eom-
placency and self-assumed purity, honor
and patriotism parade themselves with
golden phylacteries in the presence Of n
tax-ridden people and, with the self-right-
eousness Of the Pharisee, cry 81 oI a
GOD. we thank Thee that we are not as
other men are. extortioners. unjust, adult
terers. repudiators, oreven as these silver
ines We fast twice'in the week upon Inn
ported wines and delicacies, bought with
| gold, and gives tithes of sll that we possess
our untaxed gold bonds 70 crafty our own
pure desires. ,t..
4 hurl back with scorn and contempt
these imputations. i stand in this Sem
ate Chamber to-day as one Of the repre-
lsentatives of the great State of Missouri,
and as Senator of these United States,
and In behalf and In the name and inter
ets of the citizens demand for the people
the enforcement of the laws of the land
land the plain unmistakable words of the
contract, and boldly assert that to pay
the bond, principal and interest, In either
silver coin of 4i2l grains, ,'nine-tenths fine
TO the dollar, or In gold coin 25.8 grains,
silver coin alone il in perfect compliance
with the plain words Of the laws author
izing the Issue of the bond and definitely
referred to in the face Of the bond, and
with the plain words of the law itself,
the solemn written obligation, between
the bondholder and the people Of these
United States, and with all known and
recognized principles of equity, common
| honesty puslic faith, and national
, honor, Ia 4 -
And / brand those who undertake to
; violate and tranple under foot the plain
: words Of the laws and the plain words of
4, the bond n violators and transgressors
of the laws of the land, as repudiators Of
Q the plain terms Of their own solemn obli-
1t cations, as extiortioners from the heavily
A. burdened and paralzed taxpayers OF this
!, great country, and AZ debauchers of ma
u tional honor and public faith.
q No, Mr.. President, we are not repudi-
ators, nor willweremain defensive on this
issue. We charge these crimes of viola
ted law, repudiated contracts, and de-
bauchery VI national honor and public
: faith upon the guilty parties--the bond
! holders, their allies, and special plead
sr.
And from their masked and untenable
: positions we charge them with the hel.
, met of equity emblazoned with national
honor and public faith, with the shield
Of common honesty, and with the bayo.
. nets of truth in our hands, and impelled
: by thc force of honest enlightened public
] opinion and sentiment, we Will drive
!. them into decent observanceof the plain
a terms of the law and of their bonds. Let
. us hear no more ofthe repudiation of the
| full obligation assumed, of the violation
: Of public faith, and of the furnishing OF
t national honor from these bondholders,
!. their allies and friends, who themselves
, are violating the law and repudiating
) their own solemn, written contracts
their bonds, and by these false cries are
attempting TO fasten their own crimes
uponthose who aslSthe full and exact per
formance of all the requirements of the
laws and of the bonds, and are Offering
lin good faith TO comply with the letter
and the spirit Of both the laws and bonds.
solemnly warn the bondholders of the
: Ipernicious effects of their own violation
1 Of law and Reputation of contracts.
|, The tax payers Of this country, the
hewers of wood and drawers of water,
the people, have their rights, have their
J equities, which must be regarded. Ii is
their right, in law and in fact, to pay this
} bond in the said silver coin. This right
they will never, no, never surrender
The people cannot and will not pay in
gold alone. The rights of the people are
superior in equity and prior in time to
the claims of the bondholders and cred
j itors. This Government is from the peo-
/ pie, of the people, for the people, and by
the people, and must be administered ac.
cording to their sovereign will. ;;
When we offer to pay the bond in silver
' coin of 4124 grains weight, nine-tenths
/ fine to the dollar, in full compliance with
: the terms of the law and of the bond, the
only promises of the nation, of the peo.
pie, ever made or given how do we
$ depart from "fidelity to the promises, the
: duty of the nation, of the people?' How
r do we depart from ga strict adherence ia
q duty and fulfllment of promises of the
nation, of the people ~ How do we of.
fend that enice sense on the part of the
nation, of the people, of what Is right
s Just, and true, with q course of life cor
( respondent therefor" How do we de.
d part from that conduct, that course, on
4 the part of the nation, of the people
. which rightfully attracts esteem respect
consideration?'
When the bondholder demands gold
g alone and refuses to accept silver, in
e plain violation and reputation of the
: terms of the law and his bond, the only
lpromises of the nation ever made OF
! given how does he preserve the public
! faith, the national honor? The option
!, to pay in gold or silver of the fixed
weight and fineness named in the law
. and bond belongs to the government, moi
to the bondholder, and is the right of the
! Government, not of the bondholder. The
q bondholder can demand gold and siluer
not gold or siloer,, ot his option. The Gov
ernment can, at its will, its pleasure, its
d option, pay in both gold and silver, or in
IS gold alone, or in silver alone. The bond
v holder must accept both gold and silver
. If offered, or gold alone if offered, or sill
!, yer alone If offered. 3,J tf4t}
' Such is and will be the calm Judgment
of mankind, of every unprejudiced, dis
e Interested citizen of our own and all 9th
70 erscountries Et ~ M II +
!, Mr. President, / heartily approve the
IresolutiOn of the Senator from. Ohio n,