The record-union., 1891-09-11
PRESIDENT HARRISON,S SILVER
SPEECHES.

It is not uninteresting to observe the
varied interpretations put upon Presi-
dent Harrison's money speeches at AL
bany and at Bennington. 1t is the inde-
pendent papers that criticise the utter
ances referred to with least bias. Repub-
lican silver advocates insist that General
Harrison meant that he favors unre-
stricted coinage Of the whole product of
American silver mines. The bimetallist
press hold that he meant by the words
zone dollar as good as another" that BIZ
metallism should be the policy. The
anti-free coiners interpret the remarks to
mean opposition to free coinage under
any guise or conciliatory measure what
ever
The Philadelphia Record (Dem.) holds
that the President could not have meant
prohibition Of imports of silver bull
lion, since that would deprive COM
merce of an important agency in
phia Press (Rep.) thinks the Presi-
dents expression devoid of ambiguity;
that he meant the preservation or the
parity of the two metals, gold and silver,
at the present legal ratio, or such as may
be fixed by law. The Detroit Free Press
(Dem.) insists that President Harrison's
declaration that IAN honest dollar is one
worth 100 cents every day in the year'' is
direct attack upon the advocates of free
coinage. 1t therefore proceeds to rip up
the statement of the President and to de-
clare that he talked nonsense, because it
is the attribute of dollar to be worth 100
cents, and because the cent is not the unit
or measure of value, the dollar being the
unit and the cent the fractional part of it.
This is, Of course, juggling with the ques-
ton.
The Springfield Republican Qnd.) de-
clares that what the President meant by
the expression maintaining that equal
1ty between our circulating money that
Is essential to the perfect use of ALL"
was that any free coinage bill to be-
come law must be passed over his
veto. The st. Louis Globe Democrat
Qnd. Rep.) reads the Presidents utter
ance to mean bimetallism; the Cleveland
Leader (Rep.) construes the Presidents
speeches as antagonistic to free coinage,
either of home and foreign silver bdllion.
or of home silver product only; that he
nj 4hok
that if one dollar is poorer than another
it does its first service in paying the
wages of labor.
The Boston Herald Qnd.) thinks the
President meant to explicitly bind him
self to veto free coinage bill. The Dem
Yer NeOs (Dem.) insists that General
Harrison plays the financial sphynx,
and asks if the President really believes
that free silver coinage will result in the
circulation of a dishonest dollar? The
Nel0S sees no hope in the Presidents ex-
preston for free coinage, or even free
coinage limited to the American product.
The views Of the Pittsburg Dispatch
Qnd.), Detroit Tribune tRep.), New York
Times Qnd.), Boston Post Ind Boston
Journal (Rep.), Washington Post lind. J,
Chicago Herald (Dem.), Wheeling Intel
itgencer (Rep.l, Minneapolis Journal
Qnd.) agree with the Interpretation that
the President foreshadowed his veto of
any free coinage bill, while the Chicago
Tribune (Rep.) puts it thus: 1.-The Presi-
dent meant that only so much silver
should be coined as can be maintained at
par"
Citations Of like character could be con-
tinued at great length. The burden of
Interpretation is that President Harrison
is opposed to free coinage, and likewise
not disposed to any compromise measure.
1t would be for the good of the country if
this could be assured. 1t may not be
taken, owever, that the President is
thus positively committed. That he is
opposed to unlimited free coinage we be-
lieve he intended to be understood. but
that he may desire TO conciliate the silver
miners by some sort of compromise, is
not improbable. That he is prepared to
break with the unlimited free coinage
men of his party is unquestionably the
reading of the speeches referred to. That
the fIee-coiners are in dire distress over
these speeches, indicates their fear that
they can prevail only by overriding a
veto, and that they will be able to COM
mand such strength at the coming Con-
gress we do not believe. The awakening
sense of the country is strongly opposed
TO the free silver folly, and it is growing
in vigor with every hour that the debate
is continued.
HOW IT WORKS.
certain city was so situated that If
could be entirely flooded and destroyed