The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1893-09-12

ers-such is the credulity of mankind.
The same tactics are resorted to In this
discussion of the financial question.
Knowing the popularity of silver
money with the great masses of the
people, speakers in this House and the
others sing the same praises of bimetal-
Iism, from the invocation to the dox-
ology of these services, coupled with
the solemn averment that they are the
best and truest friends of that system
to be found, and that unconditional re-
peal is the only true road to attain it.
Laughter
With all the grave pledges of their
party platforms, State and national,
staring them in the face, as well as
their own speeches, promises and votes
in the recent past, blowing trumpet
tongued against the deep damnation of
the taking off of silver, they clamor all
the fercer and all the louder that the
only way to save silver is to repeal the
one law on our statute book which
gives it life.
Mr.. President, in the presence of a
position so defiant of logic and of fact,
it is hard to speak plainly without ap-
pearing to violate those courtesles
which are not only required by parlia-
mentary law, but which are urgently
demanded by our feelings of personal
respect~and regard for each other. 1t
is my earnest desire not to do so.
One member of the House met with
great applause when he said that the
bill to repeal Internationally comes not
to destroy but to save silver. The like
sentiment has been uttered in this
chamber again and again, and those
who have uttered it would, no doubt,
feel greatly offended if their sincerity
was impugned. Certainly 1 shall not
do so, but I must point out what l re-
gard as their inconsistencies. They de-
clare they love silver money, bimetal-
lism; therefore they slay it. They
want both metals; therefore they abol-
ish one. They want gold and silver
coined on terms Of equality, according
to their platform, and so they stop coin
ing silver in order the better to restore
it.
They want to maintain the parity be-
tween the two metals, therefore they
cut the only cord that holds silver up
and permit it to drop out of sight in
the abyss, displaying thereby the same
wisdom which was displayed by the
Irishman who was going down the
shaft of a mine in a bucket, and got
scared. He shouted: Haul me up,
boys, haul me up! If you don't haul
me up, may the devil fly away with
me if 1 don't cut the rope!" Laughter.
Those Of us who claim to be likewise
true friends Of silver, but who are mis-
guided by our weak judgments, appre-
ciate this love and tender care, and de-
plore it.
Truly they must love silver much,
since they chastise it much. We will
suppose a man is i'll and on his bed
the kind physicians d~octorng him in
vain-he slowly sinks, his pulse is low
and feeble. Finally a holder physician
comes in who practices on the heroic
theory, and he says to the others, "You
are all wrong and wasting time in try
ing to restore this man by nursing and
stimulating him; he will never get up
in that way in the world. Let us try
a new plan; let us cut his throat and
take a new start; we a adopt other
remedies for his restoration to life after
that" Laughter.
Now, he that believes it will be easier
to resurrect the dead body of silver into
the full manhood of free coinage than
it will be to keep in the life it already
has and strengthen it by the legislation
which we solemnly promised the PEG
pie at Chicago, fourteen months ago,
let him vote fer unconditional repeal;
l shall not. l shall try common sense
g little while longer. If it be indeed de-
creed that silver money is to perish,
and the world Of the producers and the
poor is to undergo the travail and suf-,
fering and the sorrow of the road which
leads to a single gold standard, it shall
not be my fault; it shall not be said of
me, Greater love hath no man than
this, that a man killed his friend that
he might save his life" Laughter.
Great, indeed, must be the love of
these men for silver, that they would
chasten it even unto death.
But they deny that the repeal Of the
Sherman law means the death Of sill
yer, and I accord full sincerity in this
belief to ell who are and have been real