The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1892-11-04
WEAVER'S PLEA.
Eloquent Speech in Behalf Of the White
Metal..The Crime OF Decentralization
Denounced as a Base Scheme.
WEAVERy SPEECH ON THE WARNER BILL.
Great Speech Of General James b.
Weaver on the Warner Silver Bill
While In Congress.
Continued from last week.

CONTINUED IrOm LdSI Weeh')
This is the record furnished by the
secretary of the treasury himself, that
this government sold between June l,
1867, and September 30, 1875, $685.
100000 in gold. The resumption act
was passed January IA, 1875, and yet
this record shows that after the
passage of that act there was sold at
public auction over $40,000,000 of
gold, and then the treasury immedia-
tely turned around, and under the re-
sumption act, sold bonds to buy that
gold back again. Laughter and APP
plause,
In whose interest was that, pray tell
mep Now, why did not the govern
ment take that 1922, 200, 000-and it
accumulated as high as SIT 10000 in
one year, in another, $4,000, 600
why did not the government take that
coin and pay off the greenbacksP
When you had both branches of con-
gress and the executive, why did you
not pass Il law saying that the surplus
coin in the treasury should be used in
the redemption of the greenbacks, if
you were so anxious to pay your
debtsp That would have brought
greenbacks to par with gold at once,
and without expense to the people.
But that would not have been in ac-
cord with your scheme.
But some gentleman may say the
gold was sold to defray the necessary
expenses of the government. The
silver commission, anticipating that OBJ
lection, have shown that statement
not to be true one, for during that
period, after meeting the coin obi
cation and the currency obligations,
the government paid over $500, 900, 600
of debt which was not due. Every
dollar of that gold could have been
used to redeem the greenbacks and in
bringing them to par.
But we are told there is objection to
boarding, as the government loses the
interest! l wish to know how mDch
the government is losing today upon
the gold in the sub-treasury ST The
United States, which nobody wants,
notwithstanding resumption, and
which has been lying idle there, a
loss to civilization and to humanityP
Borrowing money to hoard! What
consumate folly, what stupendOus
crime!
There was no honest design in that
resumption act. The design was not
to pay the greenback debt unless the
greenback could b. funded into an
interest bearing bond. That was it.
And hence the resumption scheme
came in to authorize a new issue of
bonds to pay off the greenbacks.
That was the scheme. And l chal-
lenge any member here to examine
these figures on page 459 of the report
of the silver commission and shew
where the falIacy exists. 1t was no
honest design to pay debt. repeat,
but design TO increase the debt of
this country and make it perpetual.
But in spite of the opposition to sill
yer in this country reconciliation has
been partially accomplished. But it
was remUnetized not only over the
vote of the monometalits here, but
over the veto of the executive himself.
The tide of public sentiment in favor
of silver rose so high that it swept
through the house like \ hurricane
and through the sedate senate of the
United States, The measure went to
the president and he vetoed it. But
the tide kept on rising until congress
passed it by two-thirds vote over the
executive veto; and the people breathed
more freely. They said: "This is a
government by the people after all;
the syndicate and the executive in its
interests have not the power to defeat
the peoples will" And everybody
supposed silver was to be paid out to
the bondholders, because that was the
point upon which the conflict turned.
The government had the right to pay
off the debt with silver beyond all
question, and the people thought they
had gained victory. The Stanley
Matthews resolutions, passed at the
second session of the Forty-ffth cou-
gress, expressly declared the right
of the government to pay the bonded
debt in standard silver dollars. But
the execution of the law went into the
hands Of an unfriendly secretary Of the
treasury, and conspiracy was formed
in New York with the clearing house.
[Laughter.] l hear some gentleman
laughing. He who laughs last laughs
best 1t was ordered that silver
should not be received on deposit
unless the depOsitors were willing to
receive it back in kind. That was
done after a certain distinguished gen
tleman, who is now travelling abroad,
and who is to be met on the other side
Of the continent with an escort, had
written letter from Smyrna, an old
Bible town of Asia Minor. There was
a letter written to Smyrna once. Dui
it is very different letter. 1t is one
in the interest of the poor.
Unto the angel of the church in
Smyrna write: