Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-08-18
WHEELING DAILY REGISTER. FPIDAY. AUGUST =. 1879:

Mr.. Davis-Mr. Gallatin said
Mr.. Pendleton-I prefer to go on and
discuss the question that is before the
House. What have been saying so
far is merely preliminary to the main
question, and let me say TO the gentle
man further, that it is very hard work
to talk In this hall. Considering the
matter
Mr.. Davls-I will not ask my ques-
ton.
Mr.. Pendleton-Now, Mr.. Speaker,
started out with the bold proposition
that nine-tenths of the evils that have
prevailed In our country have been due
10 unsound, unstable currency, and l
believe that whenever this country
shall arrive at period when it will es-
tablish for itself sound and stable
currency it will become more nour-
ishing than any other Of which history
makes record, than any other nation
that to-day exists throughout the civil
| lied World. Why should it not? we
have every resource, every capacity,
| for the establishment and the mnlnten-
ance of glorious, prosperous, powerful
country. Why then should we not one
and all strive to establish sound cur
rency? There is one style OF argument
used here TO which I desire to call at
| tention. There are men who argue on the
silver question exactly as the Repuoll-
cans do upon the tariff question. Our
Republican friends, those OF them at
| least who proceed TO the extreme OF
prohibitory tariff, argued last fall that
this country was sufficient unto Itself.
that we could legislste for ourself and
make whatever tariff we chose to make
regardless Of other nations. The
| Democrats took issue with
| them on that proposition.
We said that all nations grow rich by
| trade. We proclaimed that Europe
wanted the breadstuffs, the corn, the
cotton, the bacon and the hams OF
America, while we wanted things
| from them; that If we laid down as
! fundamental rule that we did not in
tend at any time or under any circum-
stances TO pay attention to the wishes
| Of foreign countries In this matter,
| they would return to US in kind with
retaliatory tariffs of their own. We
went to battle with the gentlemen on
that side Of the question who made ar
guments OF that character; and l am
glad to say we have prevailed In three
successive campaigns. And now when
! the battle Is on for sound money, for an
upright currency, We are told again by
the very gentlemen on this side Of the
| House who fought againt that theory
of our Republican friends that this
country can maintain currency OF Its
own independent of the action OF the
other civilized nations Of the world.
There never was falser theory; there
never was a more erroneous doctrine.
! We cannot do IL. There is only one
ground upon which we can do 1t; there
is only one method by which we can at
tain that supreme condition when we
can make a currency exclusively our
own-when we can establish currency
which will circulate only throughout
the United States and be the money OF
the American people, the balance Of the
world to the contrary Notwithstanding.
| And what is that condition? To build
around yourselves Chinese wall and
| declare that you will not trade with
other nations, that you are sufficient
unto yourselves and intend to live unto
yourselves. So long, however, as you
| do not desire to occupy the position or
China-so long as you desire to be a
| civilized nation marching onward In
the path of progress and prosperity,
moving forward In enlightenment, in
| culture, and refinement. and enjoying
all the blessings of civilization, you are
obliged to obey the old Biblical injunc-
tion-trade with all nations and grow
rich and prosperous.
While you do this, you must have q
money to deal with; you must have a
| circulating medium that Is common not
only TO you but to the civilized world
with whom you trade; because when
you begin to pay balances, to make ex-
changes, you must use the money OF the
world for that particular purpose. Sup
! pose, for instance, that this govern
ment should carry out the suggestion of
| free silver friend OF mine who sits not
very far from me; suppose 1t should de-
monetZe gold-absolutely drive gold
out OF existence and make this country
an exclusively silver country. How,
then, could we carry on our trade with
! foreign countries? All other nations
United States having silver for its money
metal alone, how could we carry on
trade? We would go back to
the conditinn OF Asiatic and
! African savages, and our trade
would be trade in kind and by barter;
that alone. That is why 1t is impossi-
BILE as a fundame ntal doctrine of polit-
| ical economy for any one nation TO es-
! tablish for itself and maintain for itself
| any money which is not on par with
the money used in all the countries of
the civilized world. 1t cannot be done;
you may make whatever ratio you
please, and il will not be done.
Why, sir, to-day wha: is the condi-
ton of affairs? 1t is true that sympa-
thlze with the cry that Colorado is
sending up to the heavens. sympa-
thize with the feeling Of the people of
Nevada upon this question as deeply as
their own members on this floor can
do. But at the same time they cannot
come to this Congress aud ask US, when
the interests Of 65, 900, 600 Of people are
involved, to legislate exclusively for
their benefit, forgetting the interests
of every other portion Of those
65, 900, 600, who live under the same
flag and are entitled to the same protec-
tion as the people OF Colorado or Neva-
da. Why can not we make their money
the exclusive money Of this country?
Why can we not maintain the free and
unlimited coinage of their money ut
ratio Of 16 to l, as they desire that we
should dOP In the first place, 1 am, my
self, a bimetallist. I believe that con-
ditions can me made to exist when sill
yer and gold. freely and fully coined at
a ratio OF 16 to l, or Is to l, or any other
ratio that all the civilized and CONNER