Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1893-08-08
SENATOR GEORGE ON SILVER.

peal of the sherman Law, and Will
stand by the Democratic Plat
form and His Letter to the
Carroll Alliance.
Senator George has written the fol
lowing letter to Major j. M. Billups,
president of the Columbus lnsu-
rance and Banking Company:
CARRoLLToN. Miss, Aug l, 1893
Major !. NJ. Billups, Columbus, Miss:
DEAR SIR / received your letter
asking certain questions as to my po-
sition on what is termed the silver ques-
ton lust on the eve of my departure
for Washington, and now answer 1t
amidst constant interruptions conse-
qucnt on arranging and packing books
and memoranda needful to my service
in the Senate. The questions you pro
pound are as follows:
J. DO you favor the repeal of the en-
tire Sherman silver act. or only the
compulsory purchase clause?
-. Are you in favor of the enactment
of any law for the free coinage of silver.
and if so, upon what ratio?
Ny answer to the first question is.
that | do not favor the unconditional
repeal of that act; nor of the compul-
sorry purchase clause. ! do not like the
act; it was a scheme, as stated by MI.
Sherman, to defeat the free coinage of
silver. and for that | opposed it.
The repeal of it, or Of the
clause designated by you. is now
urged for the manifest purpose of com
plotting the partial decentralization of
silver it sanctions. | shall, therefore,
vote as above indicated unless the re-
peal be accompanied, not merely
promised by a provision which either
fully restores silver as a money metal,
or. that being unattainable, then by a
provision more favorable. to restoration
than the act itself.
70 your second question | answer,
that | am now. as | have been all the
time, in favor of the coinage of sill
yer on the same terms and conditions
as gold, and believe that the govern
ment should not discriminate between
the two metals. In February. 1891,
when a candidate for reelection to the
Senate, | wrote to a committee of the
Carroll County Alliance that | favored
the free coinage of gold and silver
and believe that | reiterated the state
ment in every speech | made in that
canvass. The Democratic party of this
State assembled in convention in June
or July of that year, declared in their
platform that: I'VE believe that gold
and silver should be coined on the
same terms and conditions, and that
when the government shall cease to
discriminate between them they will
freely circulate side by side and be
equally useful and acceptable to the
people.
This declaration made by me is a
pledge to the people as to my actions
as their Senator. and this resolution of
the State convention is also a pledge
binding ON me a. OH other members OF
the party. These pledges | mean in
good faith 10 redeem. IL letter and in
spirit
am inclined 10 believe tia, remon-
etlza1iou Oh the present ratio will.
IL al probability. make the gold and
silver dollar equal: should il be shown.
however that this j incorrect. | will
then favor such new ratio as will &C
comyli-h this equality. Whether. when
a new ratio shall be adopted. it should
b" brought about by adding to the sill
yer dollar or subtracting from the gold
dollar. will depend on whether it shall
be a>certained that gold has then riS-
ell III value. as it certainly has now, or
silver has fallen | shall favor such ad
dition or subtraction as will, as near
as may be, keep the dollar the unit
Of our currency at its old value,
whereby no injustice will be done to
debtors or creditors.
You suggest in your letter that my
answer be treated as confidential if ]
prefer. To this will say. that while
feel repugnance to parading ostenta-
tiously my opinions before the public.
yet my constituents have a right to
know them. In this view have writ
ten to you; this letter is your proper
ty and you can use it as you like.
am very truly, your friend,
J. u. GEORGE.