Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-07-28
DFRANCE--ET IS L'--NAPOLEON.
ION. gator Of tAs Rs0iIt'r:

TOtAs Eaitoy oC tbs RsoSStsr:
In 1890. less than three years ago, the
vote on the question OF the free coinage
of silver. stood in the House OF Repre-
sentatiVes: One hundred and one DEM
ocrats for. TO thirteen against; while
fourteen Republicans voted for, and one
hundred and tWenty-seVen against
Has the Democratic party betrayed us
own principles, aud gone bodily ihto
the Republican camp? II so, the peo-
nile will lose all confidence In such
party and in such leaders.
If the majority OF the Democratic
party can be completely converted, IN
three short years, from free coinage TO
absolute and permanent characterization
OF silver-lf they can un0inshlngly
change front and go en- masse into the
Republican ranks-it Is indeed sad
day for Democracy. Fiat money, We
admit. is bad enough, but
Fat government is much worse.
1t is high time for the
rank aud file OF the Democracy OF West
Virginia to speak out.
II, in our resistance to the Anglo
Wall-street conspiracy against silver,
we have been in error for twenty years
If our legislation making silver le-
gal tender was Democratic bungle; If
the lamented Kenns was an impostor;
II Senator Faulkner was a dupe; II the
Grafton Judicial Convention OF
1890 was composed Of idiots, who
did not understand what they
were voting for; then, by all
means. let US unite in consummattng
the complete characterization OF silver
by voting for the unconditional repeal
of the Sherman act. The Sherman act,
as it appears on its face, was given In
exchange for the repeal OF the Bland
bill. It's unconditional repeal, there
fore, means the loss OF the Bland Dill
and all that the bi-metSllist had gained
in struggle OF fifteen years. 1t means
an absolute relapse into Anglo-German-
Wall street monometallism. The
Democratic party is to be
placed in the position OF
the farmer, who was induced by a
Jockey to swap a sound horse for blind
one and then consented TO have the
blind horse shot, because he was blind.
The Democratic party having, after
years of travail ia the interest OF the
masses, secured a purchase on the tree
Of life, Is asked now to saw
off the limb on which it stands.
That those who are leading the move
ment to repeal the Sherman bill are
monomentalistS in disguise, has become
apparent to my mind from a recent
change Of front which l have observed.
At first the cry was 10 repeal the whole
bill; now, however, there has been q
change OF tactics, and only the ''silver
purchasing clauses or sections" are to
be repealed, leaving the remainder OF
the bill In force. This leaves In full
force the fifth section, which is as fol-
lows:
SEC. ). That so much of the act Of Feb
ruary IS, 1878, entitled ian act to authorize
the coinage Of the standard silver dollar
and restore its legal tender character" as
REQUIRES the monthly purchase and coinage
OF the same into silver dollars Of not less
than $4,000. 900 nor more than A,OOO,OOO
worth of silver bullion is hereby repealed.
The act of February 2s, 1878, here re-
ferred to Is theBland act;and ii the whole
Sherman bill including this fifth section,
be repealed, the Bland bill is brought
hack to life again, upon the well known
principle Of construction that the repeal
of repeating statute, restores the
original act Now this result Is
precisely what the monometalists
are seeking to avoid; so they have
changed their avowed purpose to re-
peat the whole Sherman bill, and aim
only to repeal the silver purchasing
section, thus leaving the repeal OF the
Bland bill In full force, and consum-
mating for all time the complete de-
monetization Of silver, aud accomplish
ing, by this crafty artifce, ali the pur-
poses Of monometalism. / have not
seen any other exposure of this uncon-
stitu.lonal Wall street device, and II l
am mistaken In my view OF the effort Of
proposed legislation, should like TO be
set right by the REGISTER, or some
other good authority. L.