The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1891-06-26

citizen OF that privilege The title Of
this act was IAN act revising and
amending the laws relative to the mints,
assay Offices aud coinage of the United
States That part of the act which de-
monetized and debased silver, and made
god~thc single money standard was
foisted on the people III a way which l1a,
never been understood except by Il few
men whose motives for enacting such q
law were as dark rs the methods by
which it was passed.
Many OF the senators and congress
men who voted for the bill did SO with
out knowing that it would displace
silver as one Of the money standards of
the country, and these senators and con-
gressInen have publicly asserted that
provisions which arc in that bill as it
stands today were not read and dis
cusscd in congress, but We're put in in
some way which cannot now be fully
explained.
K X
It would be proper after this assertion
to present facts to prove it, and then the
people may judge for themselves as to
whether or not that act was passed ad-
visedly, acciisentally OF otherwise.
Mr. Holman. Of Indiana, said in a
speecl delivered July 1::, 1876: ''t have
before me the record Of the proceedings
of this house on the passage Of that
measure--a record winch no man can
READ without being convinced that the
method and measure Of its passage
through this house was q colossal swim
die. assert that the measure never
had the sanction Of this house, and it
does not possess the moral force of law. -
Mr.. Cannon, Of Illinois. said in the
house on July l3, 1875: 1T was not dis
clssed as shown by the record, and
neither members Of congress nor the
people understood the scope of the legis-
lation"
Mr. Burchard, of Illinois, in speech
made i'll the house July 13, 1876 said:
''The coinage act of 1873, uuaccompanied
by any written report upon the subject
from any committee, and unknown to
the members Of congress, who without
opposition allowed it 10 pass under the
belief, if not assurance, that it made no
alteration in the value OF current coins,
changed the unit of value from silver to
gold"
Senator Conkling in the senate, on
March 30, 1876, expressed his utter sur
prise at the meaning Of the act by ask
ing: SIS it true that there is now no
American dollar; and II SO, is it true
that the effect of this bill is to be to
| make half dollars and quarter dollars the
only silver coin which can be used as
legal tender"
President Garfield, who was chairman
of the committee on appropriations in
1878, said in aspeech delivered at Spring
field, O., in 1877: ''There was no call
of the yeas and nays, and nobody op-
posed the bill that ! know Of It was
put through as dozens of bills are in
congress, on the faith of the report Of
the chairman Of the conanitte: there
| fore. tell ycu, because it is the truth
| that have no knowledge about it.
Senator Allison said in the senate on
| Feb. IS, 1878, But when the secret his
tory Of this bill Of 1878 comes to be told
it will disclose the fact that the house of
representatives intended to coin both
gold and silver, and intended to place
| both metals upon the French relation in
stead of our own. y
On Feb. 10, 1878, the following colo
guy took place between Senator Voor-
hees and Senator Blaine in the senate:
Iii. VOORHEES, said: 81 want to ask my
friend from Maine whether | may call
him as one more witness to the fact that
it was not GENERALLY known that silver
was demonetized? Did he know as
speaker of the house, presiding at that
| time, that the silver dollar was demone-
tized in the bill to which he alludes?''
| Mr.. Blaine-l did not know anything
that was in the bill at all. AS | have
said before, little was known or cared on
the subject And now should like to
exchange questions with the senator
from Indiana-did he know?
Mr.. Voorhees, very frankly say did
not.
Senator Beck, in speech in the SEN
ate, JAN 10. 1878, said ut never was
understood by either house of congress.
say that With full knowledge Of the
facts No newspaper reporter-and they
are the most yigilant men l ever saw IL
obtaining information discovered that
4 it (the demonetization Of silver) had ever
been done" .S..s
4 Mr.. Kelley, of Pennsylvania, who had
charge Of the bill, said in a speech made
March 8, 1879: s.In connection with the
i charge that | advocated the bill which
demonetized the standard silver dollar, ]
say that, though the chairman of the
committee on coinage. was ignorant Of
I the fact that it would demonetize the sill
yer dollar or Of its dropping the silve1
/ dollar from our system of coins" Mr.
Kelley again said on May 10, 1879, AL
III can say is that the committee on coin
ago, weights and measures, who re