Arizona weekly citizen., 1893-08-19
BLAND,S GREAT SPEECH.

"We do net intend that any political
party shall survive that will lay con-
tiscating hand upon America in the in
forest of England and of Europe, and
GemOnetiZe silver in this country, and,
my friends os the eastern democracy,
bid you farewell when you Go it,
These were the words Of Richard p.
Bland in the great financisl contest that
opened in the house of representatives
t.day, and the applause that followed
the determined utterGnce demonstrated
tdat the great silver leader had with
him the material element If the demo
cratic party. 1t brought every member
of the house to a realization that the
most serious crisis In the democratic
party since the dissepsi IN on slavery
was at hand, that the divi ion of 1898,
like the division of 1861, w uld be
l8rg aly on sect Onal lines in accordance
with the program agreed upon last
Ii. ht.
Bland pre- sented the following bill
of the silver men, which provides for
free coinage ID repeals the silver
purchasing law:
Be it enacted that from gnd after the
passage of this act all holders OF silver
bullion to the amount Of 100 or more
standard weight and tineness shall be
entitled TO have the same coined at the
minis Of the United States into silver
dollars Of weight and likeness provided
fer in section two o! this act.
SECTION 2-That the silver dollar
provided for in this act shall consist OF
41213 grains standard silver, said dollsr
to be legal tender for all debts, dues
and demands bo public and private.
SECTION 3-Holders of silver dollars
hf rein provided for shall be entitled to
deposit the same and receive silver
certificates in the manner prOvideded
By law for standard silver dollars.
SECTION $50 much of the act of
Joly II, 1890 as requires a monthly
purchase of 100000 ounces OF silver
ba and the same is hereby repsa ed.
WESTERN EUROPE AND SILVER.
Bland, rising to open t he debate for
free coinage, expressed regret that
number of gentlemen, of whom the
speaker who had just sat down was the
most capable, had seen fit to change
their position upon this question. Bland
sketched briefly the history of financial
legislation of recent years and asserted
that the same cry of going TO a silver
basis had been raised against the bill of
1873. with which his name bad been
connected. Upon the question OF ratio
Bland argued ia favor of sixteen to one.
He said that If the United States would
maintain a parity of gold and silver on
that ratio the world would buy our
product. "We have property to sell
aDd should induce puTchas rs to come.
France maint8ined gold and silver at
rarity on ratio of fifteen and half tt
one for seventy years because she had
peopeIty to sell. II we do this" said
Bland, western Europe must come to
our standard"
At that ratio France has been able to
maintain parity of the two metals all
over the word. That was proof that
the government of the United States
could do so at ratio Of sixteen to one.
II Europe refuse to except that ratio
the effect will be to covert from Europe
all the trade. of every silver producing
country In the world. Could England,
he asked, withstand this withdrawal of
trade, certainly it could not. 1t was
bi-metalism that made the manufac-
turers of England so strong and pros
porous. Western Europe would have
to come to the American standard or
banoOn its commerce With the United
States and ali civil zed countries The
money requirements OF the United
States with the veal b, industry and
energy of its people We're equal to those
of England, France and Germany COM
bined, and the whose civilized world
have to look to this country for its
future monetary supply ard yet, sad he,
with vehemence, We are asked here
today to lay the blood of coufiscation on
millions of our popu alton in order to
satisfy the greed Of England. Will con-
gress do it! VIII you trample down the
interests OF your OWL. people and destroy
the value of one of the prescious metals
SIMPLY to crafty the greed of Wall
street, mere agent of Lombard street?
L cannot, it shall not be done. APP
plause.
Speaking for the mass of people of
the Mississippi valley and OF the people
west of 1t L say you ehall not do it re-
newed applause and anybody or any
party that undertakes to do it will, in
Gods name, be trampled, as it ought to
be In the dust of condemnation now
and in the future continued applause
on the floor and in the galleries. l
speak as a democrat but vet as an
American above Democracy" CHEERS
Here Bland dramatically spoke the
words at the opening of this dispatch.
In conclusion he said. addressing his re-
marks to the eastern Democrats, "If you
demonetize silver the responsibility will
be yours, not ours" applause
Pence populist Of Colorado was the
next speaker, and with his opening ser
fences he attracted the close attention
of the house and retained it to the end.