The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-01-27
Mr.. Blame, : Bi.me.allist,

Following close upon the declaration |
of Senator Evarts that the speech of
Senator Beck on the Silver question, was
unanswerable, comes the statement that
Mr.. Blaine is a bi-metallist and will
take strong ground in favor of the con-
tinued coinage of silver in the second
volume of his book
The authority for this statement was
a private letter recently received in
Washington. Naturally enough much
curiosity was excited to know what, if
any, record Mr.. Blaine had made on
this subject during his busy public
life. An investigation shows that on
January "a, 1873, when he was a mem
Der Of the Senate, he introduced q sill
yer bill, the substance of which is as
follows:
Be it enacted, etc, That silver bullion
may be deposited at any coinage mint, or
at the Assay Office in the city OF New
York, for returns in silver dollars OF 40
grains standard silver, at snch rate or
| price per standard as may from time to
/ lime De UAeu uY Tue E1NGICAdiN u Inv
| Treasury. and which rate shall correspond
exactly as possible with the market rate,
and bullion thus placed, shall, in addition
10 other required coinage authorized by
existing law, be coined without delay to
the full capacity of the minis.
Section provides that the proceeds OF
such coinage shall be covered into the
/ United States Treasury. Section make
silver Il legal tender up to five dollars
For sums above that debtors can offer hal
silver and hall gold in payment. Sector
says fine or standard gold and silver bar
bearing The stamp of any coinage mint o.
of the Assay office at New York for thei
stamped value, which shall be their coin
r age rate respectively, and coin certificate
shall be rede, med by the Secretary OF tn
Treasury on demand at the office OF tn
4 Assistant Treasurer IN New York IN. col
4 or stamped bars Of the bullion deposlte
at his option.
At that time there was printed a
= informal interview with Mr.. Blaine, i
n which occ lrred the following par'
n graph:
= Mr.. Blaine in conversation does not hes
tate to express his opinion that the Unite
=! States cannot afford to maintain sing
g. gold standard that this country is lars
n producer Of silver and ought 10 utilize tt
metal in its currency, and that TO attem
'e to get along with gold standard will
n followed first by dangerous depression
% values and next by still more dangero
&c initiation of values on account OF vi
= rush for unlimited paper issues. whl'
u would certainly take place.
- On the 9th of February, in the san
year, Mr.. Blaine made an elaboi
speech in favor of silver, in which
advocated bimettalsm and the COMA
W of a silver dollar of 425 grains.
III said at that time that Congress had
III more power to demonetize silver than
e had gold.
"A He said further that Congress had 1t
i. its power to force Europe to remoneti
- silver. "Until Europe remonetizes
ver," said he, Congress cannot afford
= 90 as low as 4123 grains, and if Euro
should remonetize, he held that 1t cot
not 90 above 400 grains in coinage SLY
dollars. He also advocated the p'
ment of the bonds in silver coin, p
Gu vded that silver coin were made
"o' equivalent of the gold dollar.
=. 1t is not hard 10 believe that pol
- clans who, more than any other, affeC
-. if he does not feel, sympathy with
70 masses of the people, and who held
views announced by him in 1868, sho'
now be an earnest advocate OF sill
.o,b coinage, though the report that he
for treat the subject in his forthcom
.oa book, may not be we'll founded;
Ia silver is gaining friends every day
- losing none. The timid men of +
-. parties-those who hesitated under
- almost irresistible influence of
md money power, lest the business of
n+ country should become seriously
Su- ranged by a change in its monetary p
1od cy-have lived long enough to see that
,rt predicted evils were cunningly dew
lev tales uttered as part of a scheme, to
mi bance the value of gold coin and Uni
inc States bonds in the hands of a
&c while the debtor class were. be
tho robbed.
oo There are many things about
Blaine's record which we do not adm
;on but he is still power in the land, !
i'm. should make public announcement
rod he stands with the friends of silver
an the present fight, the backbone of
ote mono-metallists will be broken.