Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-04-23
CLEVELAND AND FREE COINAGE.

CLEVELAND AND FREE COINAGE.
lie stoutiy Denies What He Is Alleged to
Have Said.
NEW York, April 23,-The evening
papers of this city Tuesday published
statement concerning ex-President Cleve-
lands views ON the subject of free coin
age. In substance it is as follows:
State Treasurer Stephens, of Missouri,
asked Cleveland to-day for statement
of his present attitude on the silver
| question in view of the fact his recent
letter ON the subject has alienated many
western Democrats from his support.
Mr.. Cleveland said:
"The Republican party is very desir-
Gus of making the silver question one of
the leading issues of the campaign of
1899, and the question should be taken
up at once. It should be thoroughly
discussed SO that the people can be edu-
Gated up to it,
I'm this way it may be settled before
1892, and we will not be endangered by
a divided party. Besides, was daily in
receipt of hundreds of letters from Dem
Ocrats in all parts of the country asking
that | give an expression regarding free
coinage. | felt that those friends were
received many congratulations"
Mr.. Stevens asked if MIR. Cleveland
were elected president in 1892 if he
would veto a free coinage bill passed by
Democratic CONGRESS-. Mr. Cleveland
replied that if ele " in 1892 such bill
would not reach hm until 1894.
1t is best not to cross bridge until we
come to it. What lis bad for the country
now may be necessary in 1894 AS the
volume of the business increases 1t is
necessary to increase the currency, but
changes should be made gradually.
When the So 900, 900 a month bill was
passed he feared it would injure business
but it did not When the present law
for $i,5000 600 coinage per month was
passed he thought it would drive gold
out of the country, but he had been mis-
taken in both those respects, and with
the rapid strides the country is making
it was impossible to say what financial
measures we may be ready for in 1894.
He was still unable to see how free coin
age could fail to injure the country. He
favored a monetary conference of all
ard of value,
Mr.. Cleveland Denies 1t.
Ex-President Cleveland was asked
Monday by a United Press reporter if
Mr. Stephens version of his conversation
with Mr.. Cleveland, and his statement
of the latters views ON the silver ques-
ton, We're correctly reported. Mr.. Cleve-
land said
II have just read the report 1t seems
to me, from reading it, that it has been
generally embellished, and expressions
are put into my mouth that We're never
uttered by me, are the expressions used
by another gentleman who was present.
While some of the opinions may be re-
garded as partly my views upon the sub
ject of silver coinage yet there are so
many other expressions credited to me
that it would require q considerable
wedding out before the supposed conver-
sations could be strictly termed an ac-
curate report.
II see a good many persons, and Mr..
Stephens came TO me rs n visitor from
distant state. | desired to treat him
courteously but it is scarcely fair treat
ment to me that he should run off to
newspaper office, report my supposed
utterances, and place me in the position
of being interviewed by several news
paper men upon the strength Of a garbled
and embellishcd report.
The above was read over to Mr.. Cleve-
land by reporter and the ex-president
said "That's about right"