Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-03-31

cause IL was one CuaG Inc AIuSflCdu
people well understood
In conclusion Mr.. Bland said: 'I
appeal to gentlemen on this floor to
lay aside every idea of party exigencies.
every idea but that which is right and
just and to cast their votes according
to the dictates of their own consciences-
and to the pledges they made to the
great productive masses of this coun-
try. If they do that this bill is safe,
this cause is Won" FApplause
MR. WILLIAMS OPPOSES THE BILL
In his opening remarks Mr.. Williams
said he trusted that he would be found
to represent not only the minority OF
the committee, but the s.:he majority
of the minority of the committee" as
well.
ST am so acting" he said, sin behalf
of cause which. so far as I know,
knows no party but is mere question
of patriotism on both sides. Applause.
A man who now draws the party line
upon the merits of this question does
not represent his cause. He represents
himself or his party. but he does not
represent the true interests of the great
American commonwealth"
Continuing, Mr.. Williams said that
members Of the house would feel
!, obliged to vote for free coinage al
though they did not believe in it, be-
cause their constituents have SO in
structed them Considerations which
now weigh with members would not
weigh in local conventions and local
committees. He believed that an APP
precia ting standard is better than
fuctuating standard. better than con-
stantly falling standard It had been
adjudged that as we had the free coin
age of silver before 1878 without disas-
tn ms results, why should disaster now
follow this bill? He desired to remind
the American people that the none
tary conditions of the world have en-
tirely changed since 1873 and those
conditions are now beyond our control
Gold is the standard of nearly all the
nations of Europe, and when we de-
clare for the free coinage of silver,
where will gold go? 1t will go to a
premium and premium upon gold is
discount upon silver. The rest of the
world will fix the depreciation upon
silver according to the markets os the
world and our standard will then be
20 cents to 81. That means repudia-
ton; it means the throwing of this
country into a dishonest settlement of
every debt contracted upon our present
gold basis Applause. In conclud
ing Mr.. Williams presented the substi-
tute bill of the minority providing for
an international monetary conference.
MR.. HARTER's OPPOSITION.
Representative Harter. of Ohio,
also a democrat, now spoke in opposi-
ton to the bill. and insisted that the
Bland bill instead of increasing the
volume of money In circulation would,
in its results. actually decrease it. The
day after the president signed free
coinage bill, instead of having 81, 500. :
900, 600 in circulation for the use of the
people we will have 5000. 600, for
money will be deprecated to this ex-
tent Democrats are opposed to pro-
lection. yet many of them desired by
this bill to give the silver producer the
benefit of a protective system.
Continuing Mr.. Harter said that
since 1878 we have in eighteen years
minted 1929, 600, 900 in gold alone, or an
average of over $40 600. 900 per year.
Now, under the Bland bill, this would
cease and free coinage would drive out
our gold and leave what remained mcr-
chandise, as wheat. corn and cotton
are. Unlimited coinage of gsld and
Sl1VCE Oh Inc OdSiS VI ~ per CS1ts "a
silver to of gold would drive out the
gold because it would undervalue it.
Gold sells in all parts of the world
for % sc times its weight in silver, and
if under free coinage we only give it a
value of Is, all human experience
shows we would have no gold in circu-
lation after the president signed free
and unlimited coinage bill. This bill
iS no11aH fraa hill &c 0<
such in any proper sense whatever,
and it is, pure and simpl bill to COM
pei the people of the United States to
buy the entire product of most pros
porous and fourishing interest, small
in the numb of its members but
very rich in dollars and cents, at
price which gives them on the cost of
production Gf stated ia the language
of ordinary protection) a protective
tariff or bounty of over 143 per cent
Not content with this enormous bur-
der which the bile places on toe over
63, 200, 600 of our people in no way in
terested as owners of silver mines, it
proposes to make US the virtual pur-
cbasers of all the silver produced in
the world and at 81. 30 per ounce, while
much of it costs not over 81 cents per
ounce and great deal Of it. after de-
Quoting the profits on the lead prod
ucts, not over to 90 cents an ounce.
81 submit that an equally mad propo-
sition never secured the assent of any
legislative body in the world and if it
passes this house, now that its provis-
| ions are laid bare, it will be record
which will come back to plague and
shame its members down to the hour
| when they so into their collins If we
| are to have coinage and free coinage
we must follow law and precedent
We must aim TO do as this country has
always. done before and as every other
nation has done and that is to make
! the coinage ratio in close accord with
| the market ratios.
1--WE would, but for this Bland dis
cussion, be getting in fir ON Europe
isis, 600, 900 to S3o 600. 900 gold a month
Instead of this, alarmed and excited,
Europe is sending back our stocks and
securities by the ream Her purchases
of quarter of a century past are com
| ing back by every steamer, and instead
Of gold reaching our shores it pours
out and away through every channel.
| Continue this wild craze for free silver
and fair crops in Europe next year will
| b<nlxruDt the United States Neplect