Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-11-04
Facts as 10 the Decentralization OF Silver.
10 the Editor OF tho Disnnfch.

| was much interested in reading the
extracts on "Bimctallsm" IN Sundays
Dispatch, taken from the Financial
Chronicle of October 18th. stating that the
foundation OF the system Of gold mono
metallism was of very recent date. rs II
was only since 1873 that it began to ex-
ist. and then for the first time the two
metals became antdgOnistlc." The act
which GemOnetlzed silver was Struggled
through a Republican Congress, and was
signed by a Republican President, and
that party should be held responsible for
all the evils that have resulted from its
passage.
The enclosed article. from a recent
copy Of the New York World, gives all the
facts of its passage. which were a reve-
lation to me. and l think viii prove in
terestIng to your numerous readers.
SENEX.
CNew York World. October 25th)
To the Editor Of the World:
Where can l get the names OF the Con-
gressmen who voted for and against the
decentralization OF silver in 1873!
ROLLO ID. MILLER.
No vote was ever taken for or against
the reconciliation of silver. No bill
for decentralization could ever have Ie-
ceved ten votes in the senate and House
combined. Silver was demOnetized by
trick, and IL was not until year after
1t had been done that the fact was known
either to the President. the Secretary Of
the Treasury. tho Director Of the Mint,
or to any one In this country except the
few who had planned ii and carried IL
through. The first general knowledge that
was obtained OF IL came through the Re-
port of the Director OF the German Mint
in regard 10 the retaliatory legislation
by Germany. His report was laughed at
until the law was examined. What he
said was then found 10 be correct. n bin
was introduced to "codify the mint laws"
The House and the Senate were assured
that 1t made no changes in the mint
laws. merely bringing the different Sec
lions together and simplifying them. IL
was passed without reading, on this as
surance and signed by the President in
regular routine. No one by reading the
bill would have known that IL demonetiZed
silver 1t merely omitted the word dol
lar from the list OF legal silver coins,
and as there had not been whisper con-
corning decentralization anywhere in
the world, and no one supposed such
thing possible. the omission would not
have been noticed or the trick dlscov-
cred IL every Senator and Representa-
tive had read the bill carefully. Nearly
year after IL was passed President
Grant recommended to Congress the coin
age OF more silver dollars. This message
drew some ones attention to the report
OF the Director OF the German Mint.
which said that silver dollars were no
longer one Of the legal coins OF the
United States. and on referring 10 the
law itself. as "codlhed." the Secretary
OF the Treasury and the President found
that the German Mint Director was right.
BY that time IL was impossible TO re-
monetize the coins. The egg in an omelet
cannot be resolved TO its original condi-
ton. The action OF the United States had
been followed by German legislation and
the closing Of the French mint. for de-
fence against what was considered an
American attack on the worlds prosperity
by the protection fanatics OF the United
States and only international agreement
and great commercial loss could restore
the old status. Later. the production OF
the bonanza mines introduced a new ele-
ment into the question.
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