The Globe-republican., 1893-07-21
DEMOCRATS ON SILVER.
A Leaf From Last Years Presidential
Campaign History.

DEMOCRATS ON SILVER.
A Leaf From Last Years Presidential
Campaign History.
President Cleveland in his recent con-
gressional call charged our silver cur
rency with bringing about "a perilous
condition" This recalls his sentiments
of December 5, 1855, when in his first
annual message he predicted that the
silver act of 1873 would speedily result
in disaster. Said he in his message of
eight years ago:
furnishes no proof that danger does not wait
upon . continuation of the present silver coin
age. Prosperity hesitates upon our
threshold because Of the dangers and uncer-
tainties surrounding this question. Capital
timidly shrinks from trade, and investors are
unwilling to take the chance Of the question
able shape in which their money viii be re-
turned to them, while enterprise halts At risk
against which care and sagacious management
do not protect AS . necessary consequence
labor lacks employment, and suffering and dis
tress ore visited upon portion OF our fellow
citizens especially entitled to the careful con-
sideration of those charged with the duties Of
legislation"
The Bland act, which provided for the
purchase and coinage of 100000 to
1900, 900 ounces Of silver monthly, was
retained five years after the above mes
sage. During that period democratic
congressman, instead of obey;ng their
chiefs instructions to put down silver,
pointed to the prosperity which fol-
lowed it and voted to further increase
silver coinage at every opportunity.
The platforms of democracy in the
great majority of the states demanded
the extension of silver coinage by free
coinage. The only reason why the
democratic members of congress did
not favor the Sherman act was that it
was not strongly enough in favor of sill
yer. They wanted free and unlimited
coinage. One month before the passage
the lower house supported BANDS free
coinage resolution by a vote OF 10l to
12. Six mouths after the passage of
the Sherman act the democrats in the
senate supported Vests free coinage
substitute for the Stewart bill by vote
of "a to 1. In March, 1892, again the
democrats in the house supported free
One year ago last month the demo-
Gratis in national convention at Chicago
placed in their national platform
plank providing ''for the use of both
silver and gold as the standard money
of the country" and ''for the coinage
of both gold and silver without dis
This was strong re-
b,,t,o 20 q ro,,or Cloro1,pd.S 1oo+,;,,a Of
and yet it was not rad
ical enough in favor of silver to suit
the democrats in congress. Therefore
when Senator Carey a fortnight after
the convention introduced in the United
States senate bill embodying the doc
trine and phraseology of the national
platform coinage plank. the
democrats Of the senate rejected the
bill by a vote of 16 to 6. They then
voted for free coinage by vote of 16 to
7, there being also Ii democrats paired
in favor of free coinage and only two
against
One year ago the democrats in the
United States senate repudiated the
position of their national
platform and supported free coinage,
20 to Q. 1t is exactly one year ago that
the democrats in the lower house on
test vote supported the position of
their brethren in the senate by a vote
of 11s to "a.
1t is scarcely six months, however,
since the democratic members of both
the house and senate refused to repeal
the Sherman act, the denunciations of
the party platform to the contrary not
Democratic votes in the
senate defeated repeal, and democratic
votes in the house repeated the de-
feat. Republican majorities in both
bodies favored repeal, as will be the
Ease in the coming congress. The
resistance to the doctrine now preached
BY the present democratic administra-
ton came from the democratic side of
as it will come in the con-
yress which convenes on August Z. 1t
S a contest between the democrats of
he east, headed by Grover Cleveland.
md the democrats of the south and
vest. headed by Bland in the house
and Vest in the senate. Last winter,
when Congressman Bland defeated in
the house the attempt of the Cleveland
followers to repeal the Sherman act,
ne defied the administration forces in
he east to lay aside silver and |
the demolition of the |
party the day it should de-
'eat silver. 1t now remains to be seen |!
or not Mr.. Bland will carry
,ut his threat, or will be satisfied with |
he wildcat currency substitute
Tribune.