Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1886-02-04
HON. JAMES B. BECK'S
GREAT SILVER SPEECH
In the Senate of the United States, on
December 21, 1885.
Co1N DUTIES ON IMPORTED GOODS.

Inc senate prOceeueu 10 TIE cOnblu-
Grafton of the following resolution, sub
mitted by Mr.. Beck on the 18th in
slant:
Whereas the laws of the United States
require that all duties on imported
goods shall be paid in coin; and
Whereas it is provided by section
1894 of the Revised Statutes that 1.-THE
coin paid for duties on imported goods
shall be set apart rs special fund, and
shall be applied as follows: First, to
the payment, In coin, of the interest on
the bonds and notes of the United States:
second, to the purchase or payment
of per cent. of the entire debt of the
United States, to be made within each
fiscal year, which is to be set apart as a
sinking fund, and the interest of which
shall in like manner be applied to the
purchase payment of the public debt,
as the Secretary of the Treasury shall,
from time to time, direct; third, the
residue to be paid into the Treasury"
Resolved, That the Committee on
Finance be instructed to inquire wheth-
er the laws above stated now are, or
have heretofore, been obeyed: and if
they have not, to report by bill, or 9TH
erwise, such measures as will secure
their enforcement.
Mr.. Beck: Mr.. President, no man
will deny that the laws passed by Con-
gress are as imperative on the highest
executive official as on the humblest
citizen, whether they approve them or
not. | venture to assert that no man
will contend that the laws recited In
the preamble to the foregoing resolu-
ton either are now or have for many
wears past been obeyed. All sorts of
excuses may be and have been offered
for their violation, still the fact remains
that the laws of the land have been dis
regarded by our executive officers, and
the legislative power has been subordi-
mated to the will of men whose duty it
is to submit to them and to execute
them as they exist. They have no right
to decide whether law is good or bad,
polite or impolitic; so long as it is law
they must be compelled to render inn
plicit obedience to it. They have Off
cially informed Congress for years past
that they neither require coin to be
paid for duties on imported goods nor dc
they set apart the coin or its equiva-
lent SO received as special fund to pay
the interest on our public debt, or to
procure 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 dis.
regard them. Ideny their right to dc
80, because believe many of the evils
the country is now afflicted with grow
out of the disregard Of the plainest pro
visions of law by the Treasury officials
/ have no faith in the remedies which
now and have for the past years been
proposed for the evils they allege to ex.
ist. That the country is not as pros
porous as it ought to be l admit, but
insist that the remedy is not to be found
in striking down our silver coinage ol
the currency based upon it, but rather
in requiring our public creditors to
take 1t as the law and the contracts
they required us to make demand.
I do not propose to find fault with
much that is recommend by our execu.
tive officers; indeed, upon all questions
except that of coinage and the payment
of our public debt, I heartily indorse
what they advise. No Secretary of the
Treasury has ever, in my opinion, ex'
pressed more enlightened views in re-
gard to our present system Of tariff tax.
alton than the present Secretary, and
assume that he has but elaborated the
views of the President. No more in
telligent and statesmanlike message
taking it as a whole, has ever emanateG
from the Executive Mansion since
have taken part in public affairs; but
disagree with the President and his Off
cials as to the management of our cur
rency and our coinage, and propose
respectfully but plainly, to state the
reasons why, and to point out the RENE
dy I recommend as a substitute fol
changes proposed in the message ane
official reports.
Ibelieve that 1t can be demonstrates
that gold and silver coin, and the papel
representatives Of both, stand on an alb
soiute equality before the law, and thai
three-fourths of our present troubles
grow out of the refusal of our Officials
to pay the money received at our Gus
tom houses to our public creditors u
the manner and for tn purposes pre-
scribed by the lawsof the United States
Therefore have recited these laws
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