St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-11-01
IT WAS A GREAT DEBATE.

II AS IA GhEAT DEB AIE.
The Impotence with which the public
has watched the long debate, growing
out of a widespread belief that it was
hindering the removal of the main
cause of the monetary depression which
was affecting trade with a paralysis. has
not only led to hippant comments on the
debate, but has prevented men from
giving to it a proper estimate of its
value as an educator, and a needed one,
in the serious and important questions
of money, its nature and uses and
abuses.
No one who has had access to the
daily proceedings Of congress. as re-
corded in its record, and has followed
the debates, beginning in the house and
ending at last in the senate, will regard
the speeches flippantly, or be anything
but surprised at the varied information,
acuteness of argument, the familiarity
with the fundamental questions of gov
eminent shown in them. If he is ia
mlliar with the debates in previous
congresses he will see in this as great
ability, as much breadth of statesman
ship as in any of those which have be-
come historic, and to which men some
times look and sigh for the greatness
which has departed from the nations
counselors.
Differ as one may with Nor
gan and Stewart and Jones, with
Wolcott and Teller, who are the
brains of the silver side OF the
case, their a%droitness, their fertility of
resource, their ingenuity IN framing
their arguments, and the ability with
which they presented them, will COM
mand admiration, if not coincidence.
They have brought to their aid masses
of statistical information, which is hone
the less valuable to the student because
much of it has no relevancy to the point
to whose support it is brought.
On the other hand, the speeches of
Mills and Gray in the senate, and Pat
terSon, Bynum. Cochran, Johnson, Hall
and others in the house, ara most able
presentations of the views of what are
called the sound-money men, and dis
cuSSions of the nature of money, the
functions of government in its relations
to the metallic money OF the nation, the
limitations of governmental power in
regard TO money, the ethics of the -ques-
ton, and the factor OF honesty, which
cannot be eliminated from any consid-
Grafton Of or action OH it. The young
man wishing to procure a compilation
of the different views on the subject of
money and the relations of government
to it, could not do better than to get
these speeches and read them.
He would, aside from the real in
formation he would get, have plenty of
use for his common sense in diScrim-
mating between the true and the false,
the reasonable and the absurd. The
Minnesota Democratic association has
selected and will soon begin the distri-
button of $4,000 speeches. chosen from
the best delivered, among the voters of
the state. Those who read them will, as
we do, agree with ex-senator and
Representative Henry W. Blair. who
said. in opening a speech on the Chinese
bill: Whatever may be accomplished
in the way Of legislation by this ex-
traordinary session of congress, l think
it will be conceded by all, and will be
the verdict of after times. that, in the
house at least, taking into considera-
ton the brevity of the time occupied,
important questions have been consid-
cred with a wealth of information, and
breadth Of craftsmanship, and a height
OF eloquence never surpassed in the
whole history of American legislation.