Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1893-08-17
VEST ON SILVER.
Speech of the Missouri Senator in
It's Favor.
SHERMAN BULLION LAW DESPISED.
Tho Senator Breaks with the President
on the Financial Issue and Elab-
CRATES ON Ills own Idea of West
ern Interests.

ate yesterday Mr.. Vest introduced a
bill for the coinage of silver bullion in
the treasury, saying that It had been
sent 10 him from New York and that
IL met his partial approval. II provides
that latter setting aside in coin and
bullion as reserve such amount Of the
silver bullion purchased under the act
of July, 1890, as shall equal at the
coinage value the aggregate sum of
the treasury notes authorized by that
act all the remainder OF such bullion
shall be deemed available for the issue
OF silver certificates; such remainder or
surplus bullion shall be coined into
standard silver dollars, and such dol
lars shall be used for the redemption
Of silver certificates, as now required
by law; providing that this shall not
be deemed TO alter or amend any pro-
vision of the act Of July, 1890.
Mr.. Vest called up the resolution Of
fered by him last Tuesday, favoring BIZ
metallism and the free and unlimited
coinage OF both gold and silver. with
out discriminating against either metal
but maintaining their parity.
Before beginning his speech In favor
of the resolution, Senator Vest had read
the declarations in the republican and
democratic platforms on the subject of
silver In order to show that both parties
were practically agreed on that ques-
tion. lie said that IL was time for the
people of the United States to know
whether politics were fraud or
whether the solemn declarations of
parties were worthy the confidence of
a free people.
Taking up the Sherman act, Mr. Vest
spoke of it as a houseless and homeless
legislative dog, with no one even to
give IL n bone and without being
able TO find kennel in which TO hide
Its dishonorcd head And, neverthe-
less, he would vote against its repeal
without n guarantee as solemn as the
great necessity of the people that sill
yer shall exist in the United States as
a money metal.
lie had been known as the firm and
unshrinlSing friend Of the president OF
the United States, and has in all his
campaign speeches in Missouri de-
clared Mr.. Cleveland to be a bimetalist
like himself and that they only differed
In reference to the ratio. lie had the
right to make that statement, because
Mr.. Cleveland had accepted the nomi-
nation on a platform which pledged
the democratic party TO bimetalllsm.
: 1t had been as well known that the
democratic party stood on the doctrine
of bimetallism as that 1t had met in
Chicago and nominated Grover Cleve-
land for the presidency. lie did not
! undertake to say now that the presi-
dent was opposed TO bimetallism or
that he would not give his executive
sanction to n measure to coin silver at
AT commercial ratio with gold; but he
did undertake TO say that the presi-
J dents message was most significant for
what II failed to say.
, lie undertook 10 say, with the great
est respect for the president and with
out the slightest doubt of his honesty
| Of purpose, that when he failed lin that
C great state paper) to say one word in
a respect to bimetallism, he certainly
meant that consideration of the
, Question of the free coinage of silver at
any atio was so impracticable that IL
+ did not need executive notice. As to
i the assertion that silver should he de-
=, monetizcd because it Huctuatcd in
an extract from what he called "a re-
marknble pamphlet" written by Mr..
3 Monteith Douglass a business man of
"A London, before the closing of the In
a dian minis, pleading with the people Of
Great Britain in favor Of bimetallism
: as the only sure foundation for hnan-
= cal existence, and declaring that
b silver has really huctuated much less
than gold.
In replying to questions by Mr.. Gray,
. of Delaware, Mr. Vest asserted that
any discussion on the subject would be
q imperfect and unsatisfactory which
r did not admit, on both sides, what
d was known to every intelligent man,
n that II the volume of money was in
creased the prices of commodities went
y. up and that II the volume of money
u was decreased the price of commodi-
II ties went down. lie had seen the day
e in the vicissitudes of his life when
a $50 of paper would not buy a
y, loaf Of bread and when s5 gold
y piece would buy house and lot 1t
was not necessary for him 10 say when
and where that was, because he did
not wish to review war issues Laugh
Ter, ana SO, III one uull OF Ine coin
d. currency of the country were strucl,
"a down, the burdens of those who owed
: money would be doubled and the prices
q of commodities put down beyond com
No putation. Mr. Horace White had stated
50 in recent article in the New Horh
Is Evening Post that he hoped the day
30 would come, that he wanted to SEE
l5 everything cheaper, because that wal
~ to everybody's interest
10 Mr.. White did not, It seems, agree
u with his own party, for it was only {
IS few years since the country was tolC
% be leading republicans that the words
. "cheap and nasty" went together ant
~ that cheap clothes meant a cheap man
y There was no Justice to the debtor, VIII,
had made his contract under the bi
metallic system, TO take away one-hal
Of the currency Of the country and thu
G take away more than half of his prop
L erty. No living man could justify sucl
"a legislation. II congress had the powe
y now to put this country TALL obliga
FL tions being out of the wayl on single
~ standard. the issue might be fair one
N but with debts to the amount Of 5000,
y, 900, 900 due by the United States tn
- striking down of about one.half of tn,
le currency Of the country would be no
to only unjust and ruinous, but absolutely
wicked.
y, MIR, Vest spoke Of the bimctallism o
|ftI a 4. -