The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-08-28
Silver Question Ably Handled by the
Maine Leader.
NOTABLE CONTRIBUTION TO THE
DEBATE ON THE SUBJECT.
Saturday Was Great Day at Washington
with Members and Their Friends
Messrs. Reed, Cochran, Wilson, Bland
and Boutelle Among the Speakers.

been great day in the House of Repre-
sentatives. Mr.. Reed of Maine, Mr.. Wilson
of West Virginia, Mr.. Cochran of New
York, and Mr.. Bland of Missouri, took
part in the debate on the silver question.
OF this quartette of leaders Mr.. Reed was
the first to speak, and his exhaustive
treatemnt of his subject held the close
attention of the House and the great
crowds in the galleries.
Mr.. Reeds speech is printed in full be-
| low.
Mr.. Cochran followed Mr.. Reed. He
said that the platform of the Democratic
party did not declare for the free coinage
of silver; that an attempt was made in
the convention by delegate from Col
orado to commit the party to that prin-
ciple, but failed to secure ten votes on
the floor of the convention in support Of
the proposition. Mr.. Cochran said that
in regard to this question he stood upon
the Democratic platform with both feet
and it was those who differed sfrom him
that were trying to push him Oft.
II took part in the deliberations of the
Democratic convention,n said Mr.. Cock
ran, whereupon good natured laugh
went over the House, "and the good
humor occsioned by that remark leads
me to observe that | know with
what emphasis the Democratic. party sits
upon any person who attempts to in
terfere with its operations
Mr.. Cochran devoted himself to a his
torical resume of financial legislation,
and asserted that there was no instance
in the history of civilization where gold
and silver ever circulated side by side at
T. d. Rls,k l,nrr
should do SO, and he defed the gentle
man fromss Missouri (Bland) to name an
exception.
The fluctuations of the values of the
two coins were sufficient to constantly
drive out the dearer metal, and this said
Mr.. Cochran, was the inevitable result.
Mr.. Wilson closed the argument in
favor of the repeal bill.
Mr.. Bland, after paying few compli-
ments to the gentleman from New York,
Mr. Cochran said that he (Bland) did
not defend the Sherman act; and If he
could put in it's place a provision for the
free coinage Of silver at a ratio of 16 to l
he would vote for it's repeal.
He saw no reason whatever for chang
ing the existing ratio of is to l. The
prediction of gold and silver for the last
one hundred years had been at the ratio
of about Is 1-2 to IL, and that was the
raio of the silver coinage of the different
nations of the world.
Mr.. Boutelle of Maine, was one of the
speakers of the day, and said that he was
willing to lendhis humble aid to the
Demcratic President, but insisted the
financial question had always been a
partisan one and he would show from
twenty years records that the Demo-
cratic party had been on the wrong side.
MIR. REEDS SPEECH.
e,J1 f,,I1 faxyt Of Mr..
Reeds speech:
Mr. Speaker, am not certain of the wis
dom of any member of this House, and
least of all my own. | am quite con-
scious, also, how difficult it is for any
body to know anything about currency
it is to provide a remedy for derange-
ment of currency at any particular time.
Nevertheless, while have grave doubts
of the wisdom of each individual, includ-
ing myself, and no doubt whatever OF
the difficulty of the task, it is COM
fort to me to fall back upon well estab-
lished belief in the wisdom of all even
when shown by the decisions of the
Congress of the United States. 1t may
not be an absolutely righteous decision
which we shall reach, nevertheless it is
comforting assurance to believe that
that decision will be sufficient for the
emergency, especially since it is accom-
panied by the certainty that no other wis
dom is posi- BILE at the present time. Up
on US and the people who are influencing
our votes rests the decision OF this and
of other very important questions.
mi Sps. ke the DreSent, are NOT Ii INc0Tu-
mon in the history of the world; indeed,
they seem to be essential to human pro-
gress, and to arise out of the characters
tics of human nature itself. Probably if
wise men, now alive, had been consulted
in the formation of she nature of man
kind, there would not have been these
fluctuations which now disturb us, and
which disfgure the history of the time.
If we could have had that perfection of
wisdom which is exhibited, so far
as havesever known, only in green back
-oration, we should have the human race
proceeding on the upward grade steadily,
without faltering and without relapse
But, unfortunately. human nature
was not framed in that way. Instead
of continuous spward movement, al
ways rising, always going forward, Gne
movement of the human race seems to be
series of upward starts and OF falls OF
almost proportionate length. The gen
eral progress has always been forward,
but there have been many times when
the movement seemed to be to the rear.
In the history of civilized nations those
alternations have not been infrequent.
The great rises and the great falls have
extended over long periods of time. AT
intervals there have been minor falls as
well as minor upliftings. We seem now
to be at the beginning of one of those
declines the like of which happens after
long period. Unless all Indications
| fail, we are in a situation very mucn like
that which afflicted England in 1893 and
IN 1925, and which began to affiict us in
the year 1878.
some thing starts the confidence of the
human race in itself and the confidence of
each nation in itself, and men feel a
| sudden courage to undertake all enter
prises and to indulge in every effort
tending to progress Each one seems to
encourage the other. Each enterprise
seems to be an assistance to the. other.
The result is, that for series of years
prosperity seems to increase; men are
busy, capital is busy, and prosperity
without limit seems to be within uhe
reach Of the race and OF the naoion-
suddenly, from some cause ezatirafy Hn-