The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1892-05-04
speech of Hon. william III. Hatch, Of
Missouri, In the House Of RePreseh-
y, tatfves, March "a. 1899.

The House having under consideration the
bill ill., r. 4ie6l for the. free coinage OF gold ana
silver for the issue Of coin notes. ana foF other
purposes
of the South or Democratic alliance.
with the North.v / am ready to take
my stand on that proposition; and !
will begin the exchange now. | will
swap you for the barefooted statesman
from Kansas [laughterl; he is better
Democrat than you are. and will vote
for more Democratic measures this
Congress than you will. ILaughter.l
MIR. Williams, of Massachusetts,.
What is your choicee
My, Hatch. And will take one Of
your colleagues, and if, by swapping
him off, can win back the young
Democrat from Georgia who has gone
astray, / will be glad to make the
exchange; and if that will not be ac-
cepted | will throw in another Massa-
chusetts, mugwump to make the bar
gain.
Mr.. Fitch. How about New York :
Mr.. Hatch. i will come to New
York directly. New York viii take
care of itself. If it were represented
to-day by gentlemen who fully under
stood the sentiments of the people Of
New York, and comprehended their
best interests, it would be solid for
this bill. The time is coming swiftly
when the capitalists and money power
of New York win gladly compromise
this great. money question by accept
ing free coinage Of silver, and her
Representatives ought to see it now.
Mr.. Fitch. 1t will vote solidly
against your bill.
Mr.. Tracey. Every Democrat Of
the delegation.
Mr.. Hatch. Now, Mr.. Speaker, this
just shows the peculiarly Of these
gentlemen. | have sat here for three
days listening to this debate. have
not taken one second of their time by
interruption, but / can not be per-
mitted to make tbirty-minute speech
without my time being occupied in
this way.
Mr.. Williams, Of Massachusetts,.
Then do not mention names any more.
Mr.. Hatch. will reply to anything
you may have thought worth saying;
and / am nearly done with you.
Mr.. Williams, of Massachusetts. But
you will not give me the floor.
Mr.. Hatch. Yes, Mr.. Speaker, here
are two Of these gentlemen claiming to
be Democrats, yet their names, when
this House was organized, although
they sat in Democratic caucus, are
not recorded for the nominee of that
convention for Speaker.
Mr.. Speaker, you lost two votes to
which you were entitled under all the
rules Of the party organization, but
you have gained great deal more by
Your courageous and manly course in
resisting the Establishments and i'm
portunities Of this contingent of the
Democratic party, by which you won
the admiration and hold the esteem of
every manly Democrat in the United
States. [Applause.l
But these gentlemen say to us that
we occupy position of dishonesty
This bill has been denounced as "in-
famous. All, that was little unfor-
tunate for the gentlemen, an unfortu-
nate word for any gentleman to use in
attacking this bill. "Infamous!"
Yes, there is connected with the
history of this silver question a legis-
lative infamy that will not be wiped
out during the nineteenth century or
that to follow, and that was the infamy
of the demonstration of silver in 1873.
The most infamous statute, in my
Judgment, ever placed on the statute
books of the Congress of the United
States was that act. Infamous, be-
cause it was in the interest of class:
infamous, because it was in the inter-
est alone of that body Of men who
represent to-day the money-changers,
those who We're turned out of the
temple eighteen hundred years ago,
and whom the gentleman from Mary
land few short sessions ago in the
House denounced in such eloquent
terms when he stated (and / shall not
undertake. to quote his language liter
ally, but in substance) that these
bankers. corporations, monopolies, and
moneyed powers were towards at
heart who always ran when attacked
with the truth andrin the interests of
the people.