The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-10-12
Smith ON SILVER
His First Address in the
Senate an Able
Effort.
THE POWER OF THE MINORITY
In a Sarcastic Vein, He Urges
Immediate Action by the
Majority.
THE POWER OF THE MINORITY

4 uau tWU, AHu OuiT TWO, QlSLlQcG oDlecbS
in view. One was to acquire information
regarding the merits of the SO called
Sherman act. the other was to vote.
1T Is with deep regret hat after eight
weeks of patient attention. / am forced TO
admit that neither OF these objects has
been accomplished. l have heard no
word spoken in defence of the Sher man
act. and l have had no opportunity TO vote
because of the indIspositIon of the
majority to deprive the minority of what
sesms to be considered its right to rule.
ut would not be becoming. sir. in me.
a new member of this body. TO pass crit
icism upon the conduct Of its affairs, but
l think | may be permitted to express the
surprise aud disappointment which | GER
tainly feel. / listened with the other
Senators to the reading In this chamber
of the message OF the President of the
United States couveniug this extraor-
binary session. That message contained
extended mention OF but one subject and
n single recommendation-tne repeal of
the purchasing clause of the Sherman
actor that and no other purpose was
this Congress convened. On that aud
apparently no other question the senti-
ment or the Senate WAS aud, | suppose.
still is unanimous. All ant the bill re-
pealed. Whether the fact that it still
remains UPON the statute books is due TO
the extraordinary unan:mity Of sentiment
against II is a question which | must
4 leave to be answered by some one who Is
more famili4r with the time houored
traditions of the Senate.
NO LIGHT UPON THE SHERMAN ACT.
"Whiie. as | said before, the disc u.s.
sion has shed no light upon the merits of
\ the Sharmau net Vaf nn0n nthQr aHh.
jects-I might almost say upon all other
~snbjects in the heavens above an | In the
earth beneath have acquired more In
formation and more kinds OF lnfornation
that | hal supposed could be obtained In
as many years as the weeks which have
| passed."
| The Senator then referred in an
sRrcas' ic manner to the stories of Eng,
lfSh influence and the opinions in the
East and West relative to silver, aRd
continuing said
"Mr. President. If one half OF the
assertions mads in my hearing during
the past two months are true every man.
woman or chilli who has loaned either
| his inherited millions or his hard earned
mite for the development of his country
is Il Shylock. more crafty, more Rraspiug
aud more despicabla than was ever con.
ceived by the brain of William Shakes.
peare. Aud why? Simply because he
dshS " oS EOpaiA III OL0 SdIuo htuu VI
money, OF the same value as that which
he gave. For this and no other reason,
barring perhaps a willingness to profit
by trade with other nations, ne is de,
nouuced as the im~personatiou of avarice,
oppression and all else that is evil.
mir. President, no Senator In this
chamber oepIores s~ectionalism more thai
myself. Moreover. the little experience
I have mad IN politics has taught me that
the surest cure for demRgogy is talk. But
il does seem to me that the time is Rp-
preaching when somebody must really
venture TO say a few words on behalf of
that section of the country which lies
east of the Allegheny Mountains. And If
that time should come. and the contrast
be drawn between the creditor who asks
merely for his own and the debtor who
would reduce his obligation by act of law
it will be interesting TO see which will
impress the pubic as the honest aud
which as the dishonest man.
1T seems TO be conceded In this CHAINS
Der that OF all existing things, foreign or
domestic, animate or inaulmate, divine
or human, none is entitled TO quite so
much respect as silver. II a Senator
mentions that haliowed word above q
whisper. such as he would breathe In the
presence of the dead, be is bounced upon
by the champions OF liberty and mines
and denounced as a traitor to his country,
q hater of the flag and sometimes. in exf
IRENE casea. as that most odIous of living
creatures-a goldbug.
RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE.
"Aud yet, sir. l deny THAT silver has any
rights. Neither has gold. Each is a
metal designated by the constitution to
be used as money, but in such relative
proportions and IN such as may be most
advantageous. The people have the
right 60 use silver, but silver has no right
70 use the people. So, sir, I go
further and say that while l symparhize
with the idle miners, who form after
all q very small proportion OF the great
army of unemployed today, the govern
ment is under NO obligation and has no
right to support them at the expense of
farmers of Illinois Il the mechanics of
New Jersey.
unlike those Senators from the far
West VINO Indignantly deny tina they
have any personal concern in the DISPOSE
ton of this measure. | frankly admit that
[ have a strong selfinterest. | have the
misfortune-for 1t is u misfortune at the
present time-to be a manufacturer. My
factories, in common with those of nv
neighbors, are closed They cannot be
reopened while the present conditions
continue. Resumption of business,
therefore, would mean much to me.
And yet my interest Is so trif1ing
when compared with the interest of the
thousands who are dependent upon their
daily toll for their daily bread that per-
haps 1 should feel ashamed sven to ad-
init it.
1.-THE point which I desire to emphasize
Is that a Senator need not hail from
Nevada or Colorado, or ever pleading
Kansas, to speak authoritatively for the
w~orkingmen OF this country.
Il have hoard that the hard times are
over, that confidence has returned, and
that no further apprehension need be
felt. THAI statement has bee n made on
this floor as proof that repeal is no longer
needed. Sir, ! would be the last Der
of this Senate to place so much as a straw
in the path Of returning prosp srity, and
| should hesitate to express an
opinion upon the relative advantages
in theory of gold and silver. or both, as
the basis of u currency against ths
| views of those who nave made the sub
ject a lifelong study. Bat of the direct
| effect upon business OF retaining thu
Sherman act upon our statute books /
do feel qualified 10 speak. for the Simple
reason tnat l have both seen and felt the
Immediate result OF the diStrus5 for
which that policy = is responsible. I speak
| earnestly UPON this point, because as q
business mau l know that not only the
success and prosperity of the employer,
of labor. but the we'll being. happiness
and almost the very existence of hun-
dreis aud thousands OF workingmen are
trembling IN the balance today and are
dependent upo complete restoration OF
pu bile faith.
ut Is rue that instant relief followed
the quick response of the House TO the
demand OF tha country, bnt it was only
partial relief AMI only temporary. AL
ready the reaction consequent upon the
u : -. 49, 49, 80,