The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1893-09-07
FIFTY-THIRD CONGRESS,
SENATOR wOLcoTT DELIVERS A LONG
SPEECH IN FAVOR OF SILVER.
He Makes an Able Presentation OF views
Entertained in silver Producing States
Senator Mills Gives Notice That He
Will Speak Next Wednesday.
SENATE.

Voorhees, moved that the proceed 10 the
consideration OF the house bill for the
repeal of the Sherman act. The mo-
tion was agreed to- The bill was
taken up, and Senator Wolcott ad-
dressed the senate in opposition to it.
Ex-senator Wolcott began by saying it
was a financial panic unaccompanled
by a widespread religious revival
which invariably, it was said, followed
panics, The ready and complete
change of heart. however, on the imam
cial question which had been VIII
messed in the senate chamber, gave eV-
idence that it was time Wnen men
were especially open to conviction, ana
if the administration with lts peuCy
spoils and patronage had been able TO
make so many converts, what inlghJ
we not hope when assurances OF iuture
happiness would be not for four SNORT
years. but for eternity. The misfor-
time under which silver suffered was
that tie administration conversion
came first, for il the hearts OF senators
had first been impressed with the lit
tleness of the things Of this world and
the glory of things eternal, the people,
who were to be the sufferers,
would not have been desert
ed by their representatives, except
as patronage might be used to Affect
congress. There were no criticism TO
be made respecting the policy OF the
administration. Criticism OF the secre-
tary of the treasury was also misplaced
because he was member OF the presl-
dents household and committed to his
policy. nor was the president open to
structure because of his message, for
he has always been consistent and
persistent opponent to silver coinage.
The West knew last year that who
ever was elected, its reliance must De
placed in congress, which had more
than once risen above the personal
wishes of thu executive.
Senator Wrlcott sarcastically re
ferred to great number OF senators
who, protesting t. be bimetallists, held
that international agreement was
necessary. and pointed out that
therby they accepted the sin
gle policy of England. He said
that the friends of silver were not
carried away by such Itterances as
those OF Senator Hill TIE other day
Who was not for them vas against
them, and his speech would have been
as logical if made against silver and
in favor of unconditional Iap"a!. The
senator knew free coinage y sepa-
rate act impossible duriI.g lis adj
ministration and that any distance
he desired to render must co,no low or
never. Silver had been comp 'll9i to
bear everybody's burdens for many
months, and it seemed now o ia
volved in some fashion with Demo
cratic factional differences IN New
York.
=. Senator Wolcott next paid lis re
spects to Senator Voorhees, nd said
his change of front was on of the
most remarkable and omi ous oc-
currences. He attacked Ia senator's
record on silver and natiol banks
and said all his past 1t yerances. as
shown by the record, were words writ
in water" He quoted ON the sena-
tors article last year 10 the North
American Review to show his lack of
consistency, and asserted that now for
the first time he Voorhees, who was
supposed to represent the masses, and
Sherman, supposed to represent the
classes, were in complete accord on
financial ma; tiers The volt was dwell
ing with the lamb and the leopard
lying down with the kid. This har
mony, he feared. would not continue
long, and when they arose they would
be fewer in number.
There could be but one chairman of
>
undertaking the ability of the senator
from Indiana, he looked forward tc re-
sumption Of control of the committee
by the senator from Ohio and recalled
Pharoah's dream of the lean kline. He
adiured the senator to remember Sol
omou's admouitiou that lis better
thou shouldst not vow than should
vow and not pay" referring to his ad
vocacy of silver. No man could be a
bilnetsllist in the sense that he believed
in further coinage of gold and silver
by the United States and advocate
this bill. The president would I'M
doubtedly veto any dependent meas
ure for free coinage OF silver, and there
was not senator in this BODY who
did not believe that this was true
Any man who vouches for Cleveland
as a bmetallist would vouch for the
man in the moon. Why not act now
on the whole financial question? 1t
was glibly said we could have further
legislation later We should never
know any more about silver than now
and congress was in session to deal
with the subject.
1t must be true, as Senator Hill
prophesied last week, the purchasing
clause will be Internationally repeal
ed, but is was equally true that he
might tiud it necessary after time to
revise his prophecy. If this act should
pass and silver be, as it must, abso-
lutely dethroned aud degraded, he
knew nc reason why aay senator who
believed in free coinage should ever
cast another ote in ia or of protec
tion in any form This was an era of
experiment; let's experiment all round.
Even il it were true that our abandon
ment OF silver would in time compel
other nations to its use, the sleep
would be ruinous aud unnecessary.
We would absorb all the silver offered
for coinage without initiation of cur
rency and without impairing our
financial credit here or abroad. He
hat demon rated few days ago the
folly OF the ,tatement that the repeal
of the Sher,u IN act would restore con.
fideLce