The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-08-16

nation of any political party. however
much we love democracy, IL II lays its
sacridcial hand upon silver and wounds
It In this country. For myself, will
not support such a party here or else
where, but will denounce it as undemo-
cratic and unamerican. And the demo-
Gratis engaged in 1t 1 will ask the peo-
pie OF the country to condemn as the
agents and tools-no I will withdraw
that epithet-as the representatives of
the moneyed power and the moneyed
interests instead Of being representa-
tives of the masses OF the American peo-
pie You cannot hold the democratic
party together on that line" ZAP
plause)
In closing his argument, which, he said,
was entirely without preparation, Mr..
Bland declared that the time had come
TO decide whether or not the country was
10 go to bimetalllsm. He thought II the
duty OF the house, especially OF his dem
ocratic associates, to settle the money
question and TO settle 1t on correct lines.
1t would not do to demonetizs silver and
then to undertake to restore it after
wards. There was time enough now to
arrange IL according to the principles or
bimetaIlism and In a manner conforma-
bly, to the promises of the democratic
party. ''If,'' he said in conclusion, ad-
dressing his words particularly TO east
ern democrats, "you do not do IL, yours
is the responsibility, not ours"
PopuIist View.
Mr.. Pence, a populist of Colorado, was
the next speaker and with his opening
sentences he attracted the close attention
OF the house and retained it to the
end. No other man has succeeded in so
impressing himself upon the favorable
consideration of his associates on the
floor at such an early period Of his men,
bership. He was sorry, he said, TO note
by the tone and words of the gentleman
from Maryland (AIr. Raynor), who
opened the discussion, that he was in
f1uenced by the columns of the metropol-
itan press and was disposed to treat rep
resentatives OF western districts, and
particularly Of those states where silver
is mined. as foreigners and aliens. He
did not exactly comprehend the reason
why that gentleman should speak Of the
treasury department as acting the part
OF a pawnbroker for the silver miners
of Colorado and Nevada 1t might be
that the gentleman knew more of the
pawnbroking business than he Cdr.
PENCE did; or. IL might be on account
of the practice Of the treasury depart
ment to Jew down the men who brought
silver there to sell, because it was now
beyond question that such was the policy
of the department. 1t was because the
people of Colorado had come to under
stand that the platforms of the two
great political parties were but glittering
catch-words that they had within the
last twelve months asserted their polit-
zeal independence.
1t was not, as the New York Sun said,
because Mr.. Reed of Maine was a car
that the democratic party had come into
power. 1t was because il had declared
unequivocally for the reconciliation of
silver. The scene in the house today was
enough to attract the attention Of any
thoughtful observer. Was it possible
that the gentleman from Maryland CAIr
Raynor), uttering the sentiments he did,
and the gentleman from Missouri CNIr.
Bland, uttering the sentiments he did.
were elected last fall on the same identi-
cal platform? daughter on all sides.)
When the democratic party met in con-
ventiOn in 1884, Mr.. Pence continued, IL
declared its belief in honest money, that
gold and silver is the coinage of the con-
stitutiOn and is a circulating medium,
convertible into such money without
loss That means, he said, the remone-
tiZatiOn OF silver at its old ratio; and it
was so accepted by the silver producers.
But even before Mr.. Cleveland's first in
auguratiOn that platform had been de-
fberately slapped IN the face and spat
upon. (Applause) For four years of the
Cleveland administration there had not
been, so far as the administration was
concerned, one sincere effort to remOne-
tie silver. The republican administra-
ton which followed was no better in that
respect. Still, il was not his purpose to
follow up the evolutions of political
parties, or to take part in partisan dis
cussiOn. Elected last fall by a people
brave, buoyant and hopeful, he knew
that their industries had been Frustrated
by the course Of the past two admins
trations by the base surrender of those
who had been elected on a silver plat
form and on silver pledges In this con-
nection he quoted from a speech made
by Mr.. Carlisle in the house in 1873, to
the effect that the striking down Of from
three-seyenths to one-half of the me-
tallic money of the country was the
most gigantic crime of this or any other
generation; and he cOntrasted that
declaration with the present position of
the secretary of the treasury on the sill
yer question. The speech was made, he
said, when that gentleman was a leader,
not a follower, when he was a sender of
messages, not bearer Of them. laugh
teri
Mr.. Wheeler Of Alabama closed the
discussion for the day with a plea for
larger volume of currency, and the
house adjourned.