Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-01-14
SENATOR BECK ON
SILVER
He Opens Fire on the Gold Bugs
Hot Review of the Bond
holders Policy,
"A Conspiracy Alleged TO Compel
Government to Pay Them
Gold-Strong Plea for
Bimetallism.
The Entire Subject Discussed in
All Its Bearings Both Upon
This Country and
Europe.

WASHINGTON, ID. c., Dec. 23.-Ihe SEN
ate proceeded to the consideration OF the
following resolution submitted by Mr.. Beck
the 18th inst
whereas, The laws of the United States re-
quire that all duties on imported goods shall
be paid in coin; and
Whereas II is provided by Sec. 3,dai of the
Revised Statutes that 1.-THE coin paid for d,l-
ties ON imported goods shall he set apart as n
special fund, and shall be applied Us follows:
First, 10 the payment, in coin, of the interest
on the bonds and notes of the United States
second, to the purchase or payment of | per
be made within each fiscal year, which is TO be
set apart rs a sinking fund, and the interest
on which shall in like manner be applied TO the
purchase or payment of the public debt as the
secretary of the treasury sbalL from time to
tune, direct; third, the residue TO be paid into
the treasury:
instructed to inquire whether the laws above
stated now are or have heretofore been obeyed /:
ana II they have not TO report by bill or other
wise, such measures rs will secure their en-
fOrcement.
MIR. Beck-Mr. President, no man will
deny that the laws passed by congress are
rs Imperative on the highest executive Off
cial as on the hunlblest citizen whether they
approve them or not. | venture to assert
that no man viii contend that the laws re-
cited IN the preamble to the foregoing reso-
lutlon either are now or have for MANY wears
past been obeyed. All sorts of excuses may
be and have been offered for their violation
stlll the fact remains that the laws of the
land have been disregarded by our exeeu-
tive officers, and the legislative power has
been subordinated to the will of the men
whose duty il is to submit to them and to
execute them as they exist They have no
right to decide whether Il law is good or bad
polite or impolitic; so long as il is law they
must be compelled TO render implicit obedf-
ence to 1t. They have officially informed
congress for years past that they neither re-
qulre coin to be paid for duties on imported
goods. nor do they set apart the coin or its
equivalent so received as a special fund to
pay the interest en- our public debt or 10 pro
cure bonds for the sinking fund. On the
contrary, they admit that as the existing
laws do not coincide with their views of
what Is polite they disregard them. | deny
Their right TO do SO, because | believe many
OF the evils the country is now afflicted with
grow out OF the disregard OF the plainest
provisions of law by our treasury officials. |
have no faith in the remedies which are now
and have Tor years past been proposed for
the evils they aliege to exist That the couli-
TRY IS not as prosperous as it ought to be |
admit, but | insist that the remedy is not to
he found in striking down our silver coinage
or the currency based upon it, but rather in
requiring our public creditors to take il as
the law and the contracts they required us
to make demand
| do not propose ia find fault with much
that is recommended by our executive Off
GERS; indeed, upon all questions, except that
OF coinage and the payment of our public
debt, heartily indorse what they advise. No
secretary of the treasury has ever, in my
opinion, expressed more enlightened views in
regard to our present system of tariff taxa
ton than the present secretary, and l as
sumo that he has but elaborated the views of
the president No more intelligent and
statesnanlike message, taking it as a whole
mas ever emanated from the executive man
fairs; but | disagree with the president and
his officials as to the management OF our
currency and our coinage, and Propose re-
spectfnlly but plainly, to state the reasons
why and to point out the remedy | recon-
mend as a substitute for changes proposed in
the message and official reports