Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-01

WASHINGTON, April 30.-Mr. Ralph
Beaumont, Chairman of the National Leg
islative Committee of the knights of Labor,
has written Major William Mckinley, Jr. +,
letter criticising the pending silver bill.
After summarizing the prominent features
of che bill, Mr.. Beaumont askes:
"On what ground of equity and Justice
does the caucus of your party decide to con-
fer legal tender powers to these certificates
for the purpose for which the national banks
desire to use them and refuse the farmers
and business men of the country the same
privilege? Or, to be more plain, why does
the caucus of your party decide that the
bankers may use these notes as money, while
by farmers and business men they can only
be used as notes in the face of the law?"
RECALLS THE TRADE DOLLARS.
Mr.. Beaumont then recalls the fact that
during the time trade dollars were in circu-
lation, although they contained 400 grains
of pure silver, they were not received by
banks generally, except at discount of 10
per cent; while at the same time standard
dollars, which contained only 412H grains
being a legal tender, were received, of
necessity, at par. He then asks:
What is to hinder under this bill, if the
bill becomes law, these same bankers from
discriminating against this note as it is
only legal tender for the purposes above
described, and on what grounds of equity
and justice does your party caucus say that
these silver certificates shall be legal tender
for the use of reserve for national banks,
while it is denied to the mortgage debtor to
meet his interest and principal to these same
banks"
Mr.. Beaumont then says: "This bill
creates money for bankers. and notes for the
farmers. Sir, l insist that it is not notes
that these farmers are in need of, they are
already burdened down with notes. 1t is
money that they want with which they may
iiquidate their indebtedness to their bonds
men and not notes that bondsmen may re-
fuse to take when rendered to him.
81 insist, sir, that il you, as leader of the
House, let this measure pass, creating these
certificates without conferring upon them
full legal tender power, to enable these
overburdened farmers to meet their obliga-
tions, you are guilty of committing wrong,
and mark it, it is one that both you and
your party will have to atone for in the
coming Congressional campaign.
NO MOOD TO BE THRILLED WITH.
"Tnese overburdened tillers of the soil are
in nc mood to be trified with. They are
desperate. You, as the leader of your party
in the House, are on the point of pressing a
measure through the House, known as a
tariff bill, which you say is to protect these
tillers of the soil from ruinous competition
from abroad.
"Let me again, beg. warn you that the
last campaign was fought out upon this
issue, and that these same tillers of the soil
have come to the Conclusion that during that
campaign they were laboring under delu-
sion, and that they have come to a further
conclusion that it is not fair competition
from abroad that they are suffering from,
but, on the contrary, it is legal discrimina-
tion against them in the interest of corpor-
ate wealth by just such unfair legislation as
is contained in this bill"