The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1893-09-06

history Of the act that bears his name. He was
not In favor of the free coinage of silver, and
regarded 1t as but another name for the mono
metallism Of silver, and was only in favor OF
the purchase OF silver for purposes OF coming.
The conferees OF the two houses agreed upon
their differences, and in that agreement
secured the repeal OF the Bland-Alison
act Mr.. Sherman reminded senators when
they criticised the law that was named after
him, they should remember that this law now
on the statute books was far better than either
the house bill or that passed by the senate.
The president had. Mr. Sherman said, set
forth the decline in the value OF silver, but
failed to give the causes Of the decline. Had
he taken a broader view OF the causes
of that decline he could have explained 1t all
It was due, Mr.. Sherman said, to the fact that
we were called upon to pay our debts debts
payable in gold. England was the great cred
itor country, and we should neither be ashamed
of nor hate her; we ore her children and par
take much Of the characteristic OF the parent
stock. England's losses in the Argentine Re-
public had to be made good and she
returned our securities and demanded the
gold needed to save her own institu-
lions from going down. For the first time also
In q number Of years the balance OF trade was
against u.s. and we had to make the difference
good. After discussing other matters contrib
uting to the present condition, Mr.. Sherman
declared that an erroneous impression had
been created when 1t was claimed that the Sher-
man law was the cause of all the trouble,
and this he said, with all due Difference to
Mr.. Cleveland. Still the fact was that congress
must deal with a situation and not measure.
He believed in giving the devil his due" and
was ready to stand by the law, not as meas
ure in which he took any special pride, for he
was compelled to yield in order to prevent
disastrous legislation. Without this law what
| would the country have done in 1891 and 1892
had it been called upon them to meet the
difficulties now staggering u.s. He was not a
new convert to the repeal OF the law, but year
ago he had introduced bill to suspend the
operations Of the law. It was worded almost
exactly like that of Mr.. Voorhees,. Why did
not the democratic senators then see the dan.
gers they now see and come to the help of the
republicans when they sought to suspend the
/ law Not democratic vote was had then. and
! democrats must answer why.
This very currency famine was not through
| feal that the money of the country was not
! good and the people should not lie deceived as
to the reasons for the repeal. Mr.. Sherman
did not believe the repeal of the law would in
any considerable degree relieve the country
| from the existing stagnation. Its repeal
would ease the money market from the
!
silver. Tho law was denounced by
{ the democratic party as a miserable
makeshift. 1t was makeshift, and good
one. 1t tended to prevent the ills growing out of
/ the free coinage of silver. The democratic
party was now charged with great response
bility and Mr.. Sherman warned them that If
! they attempted to alter the existing tariff laws
they would plunge the country into deeper dis
tress than now exists
Taking it fol. granted that the Sherman law
would be repealed, what Of the future? Mr..
Sherman, while not the adviser Of the demo-
cratic party, said he was entitled to give his
opinion as an American citizen. First of all
we must preserve intact the parity of all our
money. 1t might be necessary to issue our
securities to secure gold to maintain this
parity, the only way by which we can sum.
marilv secure gold
AT this point of his speech Mr. Sherman de.
waited from the direct path OF hfs argument
reply to and clear away the charges and asper-
sions made by senators and Others in connection
with his so-called act citing silver in 1873
and he confessed to some annoyance at
the statemant made the other day by Mr..
Voorhees, that the action of those who had
managed the legislation had been stealthy and
treacherous
Mr.. Voorhees, declared that nothing could be
farther from his purpose aud intention than to
say an unkind or disrespectful word about the
senator from Ohio. That senator was not in
his mind when he uttered those words. But as
they were disagreeable or offensive to him, he
expressed regret at having uttered them, and
declared himself incapable of inficting an af
ront unprovoked on any gentleman in the sen
ate or elsewhere
Mr.. Sherman said that certainly he did moi
desire to say anything on the matter, being
satisfied that what the senator from Indiana
had said was due to his exuberant eloquence
[I.aughterl He intended now to produce the
public record of the matter and make the act
OF 1873 plain and clear and to show that the
whole proceeding was free from corruption
and was honorable to congress, and hereafter, he
said, in angry and excited tones, when any mar
makes that imputation 1 will simply say tina
IL is a falsehood, and brand it so now There
has never been any bill freer from wrong in.
fiuence than the act of 1873, and to say that Il
was passed surreptitiously is falsehood ant
lie by whomever uttered.
Mr. Sherman devoted some time to an ex
posure Of the falsehood of letter written BY
someone who avowed himself as an anarchis
and who professed to repeat a statement sup
posed to have been made to him by Mr. Ernes
Seiad as TO having bribed congress to pass tn,
law of 1873. He declared that Mr. Seiad wa
an extr 1me bimetallist as any man within tn,
sound OF his voice, and that the statement o
the obscure anarchist was lie made out o
whole cloth.
Mr.. Sherman boldly avowed his connection
with the legislation OF 1873 and said (alludiug
TO Mr.. Stewart, OF Nevada.) that he would
not plead the baby act. The senator from
Neyads representing. as he did 5000
intelligent. active. Industrious people in
terested in the mining Of silver and gold
ought TO have known at that time whether tn
dollar OF the Daddy was dead and gone o
not" He quoted from . speech made by Mr.