The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-05-05
sEATTLE. THURsDAT. MAY 8.
TOOLS or THE DISHONEST MONEY
POWER.

POWER.
The PosT-INrELExsEscEE attempts 70 h<ses 90
Mr. Wilson's cisregsrd of his constituents oy
citing the action of ME Justice Lamar, when
senator from Mississippi he voted against Tres
coinage when his constituents favored il In
this CASE the PosT-IsTxLLIsEscEg should have
given the whole truth and shown how Nj
Lamar after voting wss placed upon the au-
pferae bench for life By cisyeIsnd- who was
mere tool of the money powsr--osyHspSa cap'to-
This 10 absurd. Lamar's constituents,
despite the fact that he refused from
sense of duty to his convictions TO obey
the instructions Of the legislature, treated
his conscientious action with respect and
reelected him to Office. and he retains to
this day the entire confidence and respect
of his state. The Southern people have
their faults, but they like brave, frank
man, who has the courage of his opinions
John Stuart Mill once rose to address an
assembly of English laboring men, and
was interrupted by a man who asked
whether he had not once said in private
conversation that he had found decided
tendency TO inyeracity and prevarication
among the leaders Of the laboring masses.
Mr. Mills courteousiy answered that he
had expressed that opinion and he still
cherished it. His audience cheered him
for his manliness in refusing 20 tell a lie
even TO win their votes. It was so with
the people of Mississippi; they cheered
Senator Lamar, not because they agreed
with him, but because he had the courage
and frankness Of his convictions even
when his reelection as senator was pend
ing. In other words, Mr.. Lamar acted on
the spirit of Henry Clay when he said:
I'D rather be right than president.
Senator Lamar was poor man when he
voted against free coinage; he was poor
man when he was appointed to the Uni,ed
States supreme bench; he has nothing but
his salary today; he was as completely
above the suspicion of being . tool of the
money power when he was called to Cleve-
lands cabinet as Secretary Bsyard, who
also at the same time opposed free coin
age. or as Senator Thurman, who was dis
posed to favor il. The personal integrity
of all these distinguished Democrats was
above suspicion. Nor is there the slight
est proof that any president of the United
States. including Cleveland, was ever the
tool of the money power.
'The tool Of the money power" Is part
of the cheap shibboleth that is everlast-
ingiy mumbled by fluent demagogues, and
garrulous eranks that are the tools and
fools Of demagogues. The fellows who
ought to be in the penitentiary and the
fellows who ought TO be in the iunatic
asylum are never weary of stigmatizing
every man who believes in honest finance
as "a tool Of the money power" The
fellows who compose the "siiver" lobby
at Washington City that have been
busy since 1875 trying to bride
congress 10 enact free silver" are
the only tools of the money power
that yex the people at present and the
worst OF ID is they are the tools Of the dis
honest money power that seeks to force
the government TO buy the worlds stock
ofsilver at higher price than the market,
seeks TO pay an honest debt of 100 cents
with 81 cents worth of silver, seeks TO put
gold to fight, reduce us to silver stand
ard and depreciate the value of the work
ingman's dollar from 100 cents to 81 cents;
seeks to ''silver dollar" in ls92 the work
ing masses in America in peace Just as
they were by the grim necessity of war
''ereenbacked" in 1s62-6i
The workingman's legal tender dollar
before he was ''greenbacked" in 1862. was
worth 100 cents, the workingman's dollar
In 1854, when gold went to is5 premium,
was worth about 81 cents. Asa patriotic
necessity the workingman submitted to
that kind of robber finance to restore the
flag in isi2-6i. but the American working
man is not ready In time of peace to sub
nit to the reign OF the metallic greenback
In shape Of free coinage of silver, which
is the purpose Of the tools and fools of the
dishonest money power which is behind
the Bland bill
There is not man of high standing for
robns. public intelligence and integrity
among the statesmen Of either Europe or
America that does not regard free silver
coinage on the part of the United States
under existing circumstances IS other than
theory Of finance born of bedlarnite
brains. whose only intelligent, sane sup
porters are fellows who think that the in
ventor Of the gold brick" swindle is "a
smarter" man than Alexander Hamilton.
who touched the corpse Of our credit with
his finger and made it start TO its feet.