The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1890-09-20
WHO DEMONETIZED SILVER,
Extract From Ex-COngressman HIPS
Speech in Boise City.

government down to 1878 silver was
always money in this country. It,
was legal tender money. 1t was the
poor mans dollar. And never in
the world, at any time during any
democratic administration, was an
attempt ever made to demonetize
it, and at no time before the repub-
lican party was it ever worth less
than 100 cents on the dollar. TWAS
as good for all practical purposes
as circulating medium among the
masses of the people as the gold
dollar. It was in 1873, when the
republican party was in power at
Washington, with an overwhelm-
ing majority in both houses of con-
gress, that the first attempt, and a
successful attempt, was made to de-
monetize silver and disgrace the
silver dollar. 1t was done stealth
lily in the dead of night, by lacking
it on as a rider to an appropriation
bill. That was when silver was
demonetized, and it remained de-
monetized SO long as the republi-
can party had the control of the
house of representatives.
But the democracy throughout
the entire Union attacked the re-
publican party on this silver ques-
ton. They denounced them for it,
They called the attention of the
people from the west and south to
the fact that the republican party
had demonetized silver in the in
terest of the gold bugs of Wall
street And we raised such an
excitement about it that the people
of the United States wiped out that
republican majority in the house of
representatives and sent there a
large majority of democrats. And
then the old dollar of the daddies,
under the operations of the Bland
bill, took it's place in this country
again as circulating medium.
1t is true, the republicans pro-
vided us with the trade dollars, a
few millions of them, but those
trade dollars were intended not for
the American farmer and laborer
to circulate, but for the Chinese,
and was to all intents and purposes
a Chinese dollar and not an Amer
lean dollar-it had no legal tender
value whatever in this country.
There is one remarkable fac: about
that, however: while they were
making dollars for the people, they
put seven and one-half grains more
in the Chinese dollar than they did
in the American dollar. Of course,
| don't want to say that they did
that out of tender regard for John
Chinaman.
Now, my fellow citizens, mark
one thing: Before the republican
party demonetized silver-I state
what is true in history-silver bull
lion was worth 81 90 cents an ounce.
1t has never been worth that since.
1t was worth that while the coun-
try was under the control of the
democratic party, and l saw a
statement in the Butte Miner the
other day that it arose to that for
a short time during Cleveland's adj
uinistration.
But one word about the silver
bill which they recently passed.
What is it? They claim that it
has raised the price of silver bull
, lion. But just wait few months
and see what it's effects will be. Do
you know that that bill puts it in
the power of the Secretary of the
treasury to absolutely stop the
coinage of silver on and after July
l, 1891? Do you believe it is right
to place billions of dollars of mining
property in the hands and subject
to the will of ono man? Do YOU
believe in one man power? Do
you believe it is right for the repre-
sentatives of 66, 100000 of people to
surrender their high prerogatives of
law makers to one financial officer
of the government, who, during the
whole time the republican, party
has been in power, has been the
tool of Wall Street, They might
buy lot of silver bullion just now
to affect the fall election hut wait