The Wilmingtonian., 1885-02-21
THOMAS F. BAYARD.
THE DELAWARE SENATOR'S
ABSTRACT THEORIES.
Questions and Sacrifices the Demands
of the Moment TO FancifuI AbstracfIons.

words advocating halt in the further is
suing of silver dollars by the mint, he de
votes the whole of his argument to vehe
ment denuncation of the proposition to re
coup the citizens of this country who conf
dinghy accepted the trade dollar as "con o
the realm Thirty-five millions of trad,
dollars were coined up to the date (I87S) o
their,prohipition. He said "when the silver
miners who owned this property (siver bull
lion) in 1878 wished to take it to the mint
| remember well the application: | remem-
Der the condition of the country, for l was
then a member of this body. The United
States had suspended specie payments.
The paper money of the United States was
at a heavy discount, etc." ...-.
| 1t is difficult to understand the logic of
Mr.. Bayard's position upon the question
when he admits that he was present at the
inception of the trade dollar transaction,
that it met his tacit approval, that the in
PRODUCTION of the trade dollars placed sup.
ply Of coin in the hands of the people at a
time ''when there was no money afloat
among the people of the country other than
the paper promissory notes of the United
States etc., !" thus relieving the current pres
sure. Mr.. Bayard claims that Congress al
lowed the silver to be coined at the mints of
the United States for the benefit of the indi-
yiduals who owned the bullion. But did it
not benefit the whole nation at the time
II the coinage of the trade dollar at that
time was an iniquity and a trap where was
our Senator's statesman-like foresight that
he did not perceive the possibility of its
finding its way into the hands of the people.
Surely the probability of such result was
patent at moment Of scarcity in currency!
ards present denunciation Of any moral
right in the recouping to the citizen by the
treasury which haG advantaged by it in
having its paper relieved! Was not he him
self enlpahle at that moment la NOT forvsre-
ing that the working man, "whose eyes"
Ito use Senator Bayard's words,) ''open
upon labor in the morning and close upon it
at night, who has no time, no thought, err
haps no capacity to reason out these tinan-
cial problems" is not the Senator culpable
in not foreseeiug that the working man
would consider he was perfectly safe in ac-
cepting the coin when he saw the stamp and
| legend of his country clearly traced upon it'll
Who would hesitate to aecept2 And yet it
never occurred to him at that time, the
proper time one would suppose, to warn
these workingmen who 'lacked the capac-
1ty to understand financial problems" not
to accept these coins! 1t appears, in truth,
that the Senator himself has only just be-
come possessed of the facts in the ease.
With what consistency can he come forward
now, with what grace can he inspire opposi.
tion legislation to the redemption of the
trade dollars, the result Of an act of sell
stultfying legislation in which he had 6
hand. If there is to be any denunciation in
the case, those members of Congress who
allowed it, by whatever circuftous chain o
circumstances to find its way into genera
circulation, arc to blame.
1t is usually supposed that Mr.. Bayart
has been selected by his fellow citizens o
this state to represent them iu Congress
that he may use his endowment Of superior
foresight in warding off any contingency q
> trouble that may occur through careless 0
! false legislation. In this connection he fai
ed in his duty, or failed IN his ability
. foresee, in pointing out the unfortunat
contingency that has overtaken the confi'
ing hold rs Of the trade dollar. 1t is real
piece ofgratuitous aggravation to be no
" told by him that we are fools for losing ol
It money and that he believes we should lo
n i'll
ID The Hon. THOMAS F. BAYARD says q
IS me ask if there is an obligation in hon
oi upon us to redeem the greater val he by Il
~ smaller, f0rtiori, are we not bound to
u deem again the lighter and less yaluat
7 dollar by one of still less value? Are
q to pursue system that has ended in such
ih reduetio dd dbsurdumi
DIS No! You are not even asked to trip
Oh those trifling jeu de aaOts, at the expense
a. your trad dollar victims, of buying, ALI
u din-like old lamps for new, cheap doll
to for dear ones, or paying 4sO grains for 4
hit The Wall street sharpers will relieve you
IN that solicitude:
- You are simply asked, as you have ol
of made the error, now to make reparati
nd with what grace you can and pay off
5 moral obligation of these trade doll
not which your lack of foresight at the time
~ lowed you to consent to being coined, ;
of which was positive relief to the treas
,dy of the United States in taking off the p
will sure caused by the absence of any currer
-, That is all of the practical legislation
pray of you and which Congressman l