Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-03-20
THE SILVER QUESTION.

Views Of p~restdent-Elect Cleveland - He
Considers the Continued Purchase and
.oinage of silver bv the Government to
He Both Unwise and Dangerous.
ALBANY, N. Y, Feb. 2s.-The follow
ing is the reply addressed by President
elect Cleveland to the silver-coinage advo-
Gates in Congress:
TO Hon. Al. Warner inc Others, Members
of the XLVIIM Congrcss-GENTLEMEN: The
letter which I have had the honor to
receive from you invites and, in
deed, obliges me to give ex'
preston to some grave public necessities, al
though Ill ADVANCE of the moment when they
and partial responsibility. Your solicitude
that nv Judgment shall have been carefully
and deliberately formed is entirely just, and
3rie asfSpt sp 5hf sH i% whieh 1T it i h"s i bess
made. 1t is also fully justified by the nature
of the financial crisis which. under the
operation of the act of Congress OF february
ance with the requirements OF thatlaw al Ine
vaults in the Federal Treasury have been ana
are hcaped full of silver coins, which nr re now t3's
gold dollars prescribed as 1.-The unit OF the
statute in section IA of the act OF February
II, 1873, and which, with the silver certlf-
ceivable for all public dues. Being thus re-
ceivable, while also constantly increasing in
% qua I fo1tgw at the 81 rate nee OF SSs'o1 tGat 1 per y tiow Of +
gold into the Treasury has been steadily
diminished. Silver and certificates have dis:
placed ia d. and d. n re,d nov im t hbispE1a sdnr,, e TIaos an1
eosa ' oblisation a0f Of fne The "s1 United States,
and for a. the aredemptdjon Of = ~ Tn s5edos States tn.
croachcd upon. is pcrilOusly near such EN-
croachlnents.. These are facts which, as they
do not admit Of a ditIercnse Of opinion Mon
19re~ Of every 70 se as Of 5pe the e" TfSasu nS;
from NJ ds' Sos tn n now; Iney ye are Pla of ts a,hr nres.
ent Secretary Of the Treasury to the Speaker
OF the present House of Representatives.
They appear IN the official documents OF this
clearing house: OF which the treasury is q
member, and through which the bulk of the
receipts ana payments OF the Federal Govern
ment and country pass.
These being the facts, our present condi-
ton, our danger and our duty to avert
that danger would seem to be plain: l hope
majority of our fcllow-citizcns in deem
ing it most desirable at the present
juncture to maintain and continue in use the
mass of our gold coin, as well as the mass of
silver already coined. This is possible by the
present suspension of the purchase and coin
age of silver: am not aware that by any
other method it is possible. tits of mOmentous
in company; to prevent increasing the
displacement of gold by increasing the coin
age OF silver; to prevent the disnse of gold in
the custom-houses of the United States in the
daily business OF the people; to prevent the
ultimate expulsion of gold by silver.
Such II financial crisis as these events would
certainly precipitate. We're it now to follow
upon. so long u period of commercial dc.
every city and of every State lin the
Union in prolonged and disastrous
trouble. The revival of business enter
prise and prosperity SO ardently desired, and
apparently SO near, would be hopclessly post
poned: Gold would be withdrawn to its
boarding places and an unprecedented
currency would speedily take place.
saddest of all. in every workshop, mill: fac
tory, store, and OIL every RAILROAD and farm,
the wages OF labor, already depressed,
by a scaling. down of the pulchas-
ing power of every, so-called dollar
paid into the hand of toll. From these i'm.
pending calamities it is surely the most patri-
otto and grateful duty of the representatives
OF the people to deliver them.
am, gentlemen, with sincere respect, your
fellow-ciliZcn GROVER CLEVELAND.
Albany, Feb. q, 1885.