The advocate and Topeka tribune., 1893-09-27
at New York."

States at New York"
There this government becomes, by title of
office, co-partner in the clearing house assO-
citation Of New York. This government has be-
come particeps CriminiS in the violation Of our
statute. II the secretary of the treasury did
not know whether the laws Of this country
were being violated, he stands in no position
to deny it, because knowledge to the agent is
knowledge to the principal 1t is simply pre-
posterous to contend that the assistant treas
urer Of the United States at New York did not
know of this open and constant and hagrant
violation Of the law.
Then what more? We have kind Of money
in this country that is not good enough for
these gentlemen at New York. 1t has not the
intrinsic value in it that we hear so much
about. 1 turn to page Of this pamphlet and
read section II of their rules:
"SEC. H. The associated banks may, from
time to time, appoint one Of their own num-
Der, or the assistant treasurer Of the United
States at New York, to be a depositary to re-
ceive, in special trust, such coin or United
States legal tender notes as any of the assoct-
ated banks may choose to send to 1t for safe
keeping. The depositary shall issue certif-
Gates in exchange for such coin or United
States legal tender notes"
Nothing else
ain proper form and for convenient amounts.
Such certificates shall be negotiable only
among the associated banks, and shall be re-
ceived by them in payment of balances at the
clearing house. Such special deposits of coin
or United States legal tender notes"
These words are emphasized
are to be entirely voluntary, each bank being
left perfectly free to make them or not, at its
own discretion. The coin or notes thus
placed on special deposit are to be the abso-
Lutte property Of such Of the associated banks
as shall, from time to time, be the holders OF
the certificates, and are to be held by the de-
positary subject to withdrawal on the present
alton Of the proper certificates at any time
during banking hours"
There this association undertakes to dis
criminate against some Of the money OF this
nation. The only thing they will take is coin
and suppose they only call gold "coin," or
legal tender treasury notes. We have got
down to about that point now. The common
herd may have the balance of the money; the
man who stands at the plow handles and pro-
duces the wealth of this nation; the man who
stands at the forge or in the factory perform
ing valuable labor and creating wealth, may
have the inferior kind Of money, but the banks
who are violating the law, undertake to dis
criminate against money used by this govern
mentl Is it not sad spectacle that great
nation should pass laws by which one portion
Of its citizens can discriminate against any
portion of its circulating medium? Yet that
is what this country has been doing.
In 1878 the Bland-Allison act with reference
to the coinage Of silver put it in the power of
persons by contract to discriminate as to the
kind OF money in which payment should be
made, and by that means demonetized q por-
ton Of the money of this country. In the
Sherman act of 1890, the same clause occurs in
almost the same language, thus suffering one
portion of the people Of this nation to make
contracts, the effect Of which is to debase the
coin of the nation.
These things, Mr.. President, are proper to be
considered; the people especially have right
to consider them, in determining the question
of whether we shall have law in this coun-
try prohibiting men from occupyinga position
in this senate chamber, or In the other end Of
the capitol who are interested in corporations
MY distinguished friend from New York [Mr.