The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1893-10-10
ENGLAND AS A CREDITOR.
Senator Cameron, of Pennsylvania, Makes
Short, but Able Speech Before the
Senate on the 25th of September

Nothing but convi ction that our action
now is vital to the public interest forces
me to speak to day.
[ shall begin by calling your closest
attention, not to my own views, but
to those of Mr., Gladstone. the Prime
Minister Of England, given officially by
! him in the House Of Commons, Oh the
28th of last February, when the silver
| question was last debated AS far as
know, this Is the latest, and most
formal as well as most explicit state
ment Of the Briti-h Government on the
subject
"Englaud," said Mr.. Gladstone, ia
the great creditor Of the countries of
tire world; OF that there can be no
doubt whatever, and it IS Increasingly
the great creditor of the countries Of
the world. l suppose there is not
year which passes over our heads
which does not largely add TO The mass
OF British Investments abroad. | am
almost afraid to estimate tho total
amount Of the property which the
United Kingdom holds beyond the
limits of the United Kingdom; but oS
this l am well convinced, that 1t Is not
TO be estimated b. tens or hundreds o.
millions. One thousand millions prob
ably would b an extremely low and
ina teJuate estimate. Two thousand
millions, or something even more than
that, Is very likely TO bo nearer the
mark. L think, under these circUm-
stances, il Is rather a serious matter
80 ask this country tOC0nsider whether
we are going to perform this supreme
act Of self sacrifice"
l will not trouble you further with
Mr. Gladstone's remarks, although he
went on to develop his idea in terms
even more forcibIe than those have
quoted. Senators can read the debate
for themselves. have 10 wish 10 ex-
cite angry feelings against anyone,
whe her abr0ad Or at home; but YOU
will observe that the ''eupreme oct Of
self sacrifice" ," which Mr.. Gladstone
considers to be contrary TO the Interests
Of England as the great creditor of the
countries Of the word, is the attempt
to maintain or restore to silver the func-
ticn Of serving as money.
lam tempted to sit down and leave
this speech Of Mr.. Gladstone to stand
alone as the ground for the vote l shall
give on the bill now before US. Il is
ground enough. To my mind it carries
conviction as to the true course Of an
American; but every one cannot be ex-
pected leap at once across a gap which
represents lifetime Of my feelings and
thoughts; and not one lifetime only,
but fully two hundred years Of Ameri-
can history. l trust the Senate will
have patience with me if explain what
seems to mo, and perhaps 20 them, self
evident. l want to carry with me
their unanimous consent.
Nore than once in this debate we
have heard the remark that the United
States are the groates5 country in the
world. The sentiment is no doubt
patriotic and honorable, although I
an not sure that it is perfectly good
taste; but if the fact is true, CT if it is
even partly true, would like to ask
Senators what our national greatness
consists OF. Some will say that it CON
sists in the energy and numbers Of our
citizens; In their virtues, their intelli-
geuCe, their education, their enlighten-
ment; in the extent and resources of
their territory, and its unrivaled vari-
ETY. Of blessings; in its agriculture, it's
minerals, it's rivers and it's lakes.
To all these titles to greatness I will
II Oh :oF L. e
nation to merit in the eyes Of us who
have a share in its government and in
the eyes Of every republican citizen,
white or black, rich or poor, whose
opinion we regard, is that from first
to last, on all occasions and in every
form, America has asserted the most
emphatic possible negative to the epolicy
and methods Of the moneyed power Of
England. From the day when the
Pilgrims founded Plymouth to the day
when Penn founded Philadelphia;
from the day when the tea was thrown
into Boston horbor to the day when
Washington was inaugurated Presi-
dent; from the day when Jefferson i'm
posed his embargo to the day when the
civil war ended, and down to the day
we passed the act now under discus
sion, the chief interest of our history
in the eyes of America or Europe has
been its successful protest against the
ideas and interests of the moneyed
power of England, whether that power
was for the moment embodied in church
or king, in landed aristocracv or in a
trading monopoly.
On this point imagine we are