The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-02-18
THE SILVER QUESTION.
Cleveland's Letter on the Subject Dis
cussed in the House.

!
cussed in the House.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 12-The House
this morning went into the committee
Of the whole on the legislative appro-
preparation bill.
In speaking to verbal amendment,
Grosyenor sent to the Clerks desk, with
his hearty endorsement. an account Of
the meeting at Cooper Union last night,
and the letter addressed by Grover
Cleveland to E. Ellery Anderson.
The letter having been read, Grosve-
nor said he had thus placed this impor-
tant and statesmanlike document in
the permanent records of the country,
to the end that in the coming campaign
it should be available under the frank
of the members of the next Congress
to be used in disseminating informa-
tion throughout the country. Repub-
Iican laughter.
Kerr also commented upon Cleve-
lands letter.
Bland-"I thought the gentleman
was II favor OF free coinage"
kerr-"I am"
Bland-'Then you ought to be called
'Young-man-afraid-of free coinage. for
you never vote that way.
kerr-"I never had chance, though
| was a member of the last Congress
when the gentleman was Chairman of
the Committee on Coinage, Weights
and Measures"
Bland-"You had chance the other
day, but you did not vote with us.
Now that Cleveland has been con.
frmed in his views by such a great
statesman as the gentleman from Iowa,
| cannot see how he can ever change
his views and be converted
In speaking to a verbal amendment
Hooker referred to the printing OF
Cleveland's letter in the Record and
said that for one, and speaking only
for himself, he was not disposed to per-
nit that letter to become part of the
Congressional Record of the country
without saying something in regard to
it, so that he might express the sentl-
ment of the people he in part repre-
sented.
He had very great Difference for the
views of the distinguished statesman.
He had very great Difference for the
distinguished men who in the other
branch of the Legislature had declared
that the judgment of the American
people, as experienced on many occa-
sions, and especially at the last elec..
tion, was unalterably fixed in favor of
the free coinage of silver. (Applause.)
And although the business men of the
great metropolitan city of New York
may have met and resolved that it
would disturb the business interests OF
the country, he thought they ought to
pause a moment and reflect that IN that
great city not one brick would have
been piled upon another had not the
great agricultural interest Of the coun-
try sewn in good season and brought
its produce to the seaboard. 1t was
something for New York to be a me-
tropolis. She would be like a king
without subjects to obey her if agricul-
ture did not bring its produce to her
port.
1t must be rem embeTed that while
business me2 might shake, there was a
power beitffiiHHad the thEGle- of business
men, behind the banks, behind the gold
men and behind the silver men-the
power of the people of the country,
who had declared in unmistable terms
that they were in favor Of the reissu-
ance of the silver dollar, the dollar of the
fathers, the first INIT of value on this
continent. It could not be said that
those who were in favor of free coin
age Of silver and bi-metallic currency
were in favor of displacing anything
that had a superior value to silver, be-
cause silver constituted the original
unit of value The people had arisen
in denunciation Of the outrage perpe-
trated in Congress when silver was de-
monetiZed by fraud upon the govern
ment so tlagrant that the President did
not know it and Congress did not
know it. He wished to say (while he
would not call in question the opinion
of men who differed with him) that
there was no man in the country,
whether he had held a distinguished
position or whether he had the ambl-
ton to hold the highest position within
the gift OF the American people. (be he
of one party or another, who could lay
down the law to the great masses OF
this country who thought for them
selves. [Applause.]
In regard to the publication, he
wished to say for himself, and he be-
:ieved for his constituents, that they
wanted free coinage of both metals.
Whatever might be the opinion OF anv
one man, whether he had occupied an
eminent position in the past or expect
ed to occupy it in the future; whatever
might be the opinion of any one man
whether he sat on the Republican or
Democratic side), no one man had the
right to speak for the great laboring
interests OF the country, which stood to
the back AMI behind the Constitution
and law. Applause.
Caunon-"I would like to ask the
gentleman whether he is in favor of
Cleveland for the next President |
Hooker-"I will say that l do not
think that man on the continent of
America will ever be the candidate OF
the Democratic party for President OF
the United States who is opposed to
the free coinage of silver. Applause.l
Without disposing of the bill the
committee rose, and the House ad-
iOurned.