The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-11-01

| try expected. Now, do 1 misrepresent
! the senator?''
Mr.. Sherman-"I said it might not
| meet the expectations of the people,
Mr.. Gorman-'If I understand the DO
| sition of the democratic party in the be-
| ginning Of this controversy It was that
/ we pledged ourselves to the repeal Of
| the Sherman law"
A senator-"Not a part Of It."
Mr.. Commando sir; the whole law.
I do not think I am mistaken when 1
say that the distinguished senator from
Ohio CAIr. Sherman) in a speech or an
interview in his own state denounced the
| repeal of the entire Sherman law and
| stated that he would favor the repeal Of
| the purchasing clause only. The presi-
| dent of the United States, anxious and
| earnest in his desire for its repeal, knew
! that he had not the power in his own
party or with his own party to repeal
any portion of that law because the
| division is so sharp that neither party
| would have the power to deal with this
| question and secure the repeal and he
was compelled to take the terms offered
| by the senator from Ohio (Nr. Sherman).
| And then when congress met with the
| perfect knowledge on the part of every
! intelligent man in the union that this
| party was hopelessly divided upon the
| question, as your party is hopelessly di-
| vided. it may be said with truth that a
| large majority Of the democrats were
| against the unconditional repeal even of
| purchasing Clause OF the sherman
| law 1t was known that you had thir-
| teen to fifteen republicans opposed to I'M
| conditional repeal 1t was believed, and
| I think it is a fact easily proven and
plain to everybody, that clear majority
| of all the senators elected were not in
favor of unconditional repeal, but want
| ed some modification. Those of Us who
| intended to vote for its final passage be-
leved that we were in the minority and
the delay of weeks became necessary that
| we might convert enough TO our side to
| pass the bill. When the debate" said
| Mr. German, became sharp a doubt was
| expressed as TO the power Of the senate
| to pass the bill. I do not mean the
| power to reach a vote but the power 70
| pass unconditional repeal by a majority.
| In the very midst OF the fight, in the
hottest part of it. the first note of warn
| ing that we had publicly uttered came
| from the senator from Ohio, the senator
| who led for more than one-half the re-
real clamor. that it was impossible to
do it,
Mr. German here read from an inter-
! view with Senator Sherman published in
the Cincinnati Enquirer Oct 5, 1898, in
| which he was quoted as saying he did
not believe the law would be repealed.
| 4 desire to add only this said Mr..
| Sherman; q believe the bill would not
| have passed but for the abortive at
| tempt to compromise, which, falling
| through. left nothing to do but to pass
| it. However, that is matter between
| ourselves"
Mr.. Gorman-"Oct is the date Of this
| interview. The senator from Ohio knew
| perfectly as every Other man in the
| country knew. that he wa laying down
! a condition to the den ocIatic party to
| unite He knew that il was as impossible
| as TO fly unless ii meant an extension OF
] the purchase of silver to some future
| period He knew another thing-that
with the difference Of views upon this
| fina luiai question between the East and
West, the North and the South it was
| impossible to pass what we call in the
| eastern states sound financial bill with
bonds unless we had your cooperation
| and the cooperation of those on that
| side, who thought with us. and when you
| placed the conditions upon the demo-
cratic party, as you had the power to do,
holding the key of the situation, with
| your twenty-five or twenty-siX votes, you
| forced us into a position to take a meas
ure that would not be satisfactory to the
| people for whom the senator from Ohio
| speaks and for whom | speak.
"Sharp as the division was upon any
| party or measure on this side. there was
! not a democrat who was not impressed
| with the desire to harmonic his party,
to sustain the only democratic admins
| tration we have had to make sacrifice
| opinion. to set aside their convictions of
life and unite in doing something which
| would relieve the business stress and
! save the administration.
| They tried to get together. They
| tried to do what was right. There were
many Of them, and 1 share that convic-
ton, who thought that it was extraor-
binary. unusual and unfortunate to strike
down summarily arG without an hours
| warning any great interest that had been
| built no and made possible by laws, no
matter how vicious and bad the laws
| themselves were. Their deliberations
| or iod 70
summation with the bonds of which the
| senator from Ohio speaks. l do not COM
| plain of him for making any sugges-
| ton as to bonds, except as to the time
| and manner of doing it, for 1 from the
| beginning. not of this congress, but of
the last, under Mr.. Harrison's admins
| tration. believed that with the extrava-
| gance of the appropriations that had
| been made, with the growth of expendi-
| lures for pensions and otherwise that
| could not be eliminated, there was not
revenue and there is not revenue enough
| TO pay current expenses of the govern,
| ment under the present laws If there
| had been less partisanship in this cham
| Der when it came to consider a PROPOSE
| ton that could practically have united
this side, if there had been less PARTISAN
| ship in this chamber, if we had had a
| response from the senator from Ohio and
those who associated with him political
ly, we could have passed a bill repeating
l
| law. and it is a matter of no consequence
whether ii took effect tomorrow or the
| next day-and have strengthened the
| treasury, giving the secretary the power
to use 5000 0000 900 of gold
''I am not here to violate a confidence
| that has been given to me, but can say
with propriety there Is scarcely one of
us who in the very heat of this contro-'
| versy has not been most anxious to make
a suggestion and look to a better bill
than the one we nova have. That has
| passed"
Dir. Sherman Responds.
| Mr.. She -man-'I am quite sure that If
our friends on the other side had made
any such proposition as the senator now
| mentions. authorizing the coinage of the
so-called seignorage, and providing also
for the maintenance of all forms of
| money at par with each other, and back
of that the authority to sell $500, 0O0, 900
! of bonds, their proposition would prob
| ably have been very agreeable to this
| side But l understood our friends on
| the other side declined to agree to any
| proposition which contained authority to
issue bonds. / think that was the gen
eral understanding on this side"
All Amendments Voted Down.
The voting on amendments was soon
begun. The Perkins amendment was re-
| jected fl to so.