The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-07-11
A Challenge.

Inc Atlanta Constitution is still de-
claiming about "the conspiracy to
strike down silver" and again it
charges that the crime had been COM
mitted surreptiously by John Sher-
man." OF course the Constitution
knows that George S. Boutwell,, secre-
tary OF the treasury in 1870, drew up
the coinage bill which omitted the sill
yer dollar and for three years no meas
ure was more publicly discussed than
that bill which was passed in 1873, and
which was never considered "con-
spiracy'' against silver until 1876.
when silver dropped from about ST 80
an ounce in 1873, to $1.15 an ounce on
account of the extraordinary increase
IN silver production. When will silver
lnf1atlOniStS state historic factS?-
Minneapolis Journal
We defy the Journal, or any other
paper, to produce the slightest proof.
that the demonetization of silver was
ever advocated or discussed in any
political convention; or by any daily
paper; or by any public man; on the
floor of Congress, before 1S74;-and
that is one year later than the act
which demonetized silver. We
challenge the Journal to produce any
proof that 1.-THE demonetization of sill
yer was publicly discussed for three
years. before the act was passed; or
stand convicted of being a notorious
liar. The very phrase it uses reveals
the fraud. 1t says George S. Boutwell,,
drew up the coinage bill rhich omitted
the sitter dolldr." 1t was John Knox,
the bankrupt money-lender of st.
Paul, who drew the bill. But why
was the bill SO drawn that; in the
enumeration of the long list of gold
silver, copper and nickle coins, the sill
yer dollar was ''omited?" Why was
not a bill presented, stating that the
further coinage of silver dollars would
be an injury to the business of the
country, and therefore declaring that
thereafter no more should be coined? !?
Then the people could have under
standingly discussed the subject. But
to take a bill which purported to be
simply codification of existing laws,
as to the details of coinage, and en-
brace in it fundamental, world
shaking change, by which a metal
that had been used as money for 5000
years, was stricken down and denied
the right to be long minted as money:
and to do it, not positively but mega
lively, by 'omitting" the silver dollar
from the list of national coins, was a
fraud upon it's face. And when we re-
member that James G. Blaine, Speaker
of the House at the time, Judge
Kelley who had charge of the bill in
the House, President Grant who
signed it, and scores of leading sena-
tors and members who voted for it,
declared subsequently that they did
not know, at the time, nor for years
afterwards, that the bill demonetized
siver, is proof conclusive that a most
gigantic fraud was practiced on the
American people, by Sherman, Hoop
er, of Massachusetts and others. And
we have conclusive proof that this
fraud was brought on and paid for
with $5OO,00O of Bank of England
| money.
And now our daily papers are trying
to cover up the iniquity with false
hoods like that Of the Minneapolis
Journal. Shame on them. Better
take George Washington down from
his pedestal and set up Benedict
| Arnold, the British hireling and trail
tor in his place. Id.