Crittenden press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1879-1907, 1895-05-02
MONEY.

While man slept. bis enemy came
and sowed tares among the wheat ami
went his way, but when the blade
was sprung up and brought forth
fruit, then appeared the tsres also. ="
Matt oh. IS.
The United States suspended specie
payment-gold aud silver during the
civil war and maintained a purely
paper money system up to 1879. 1t
was during this time, when no metal
currency was in circulation, aud while
her people slept, feeling secure in the
intelligence and patriotism Of their
law makers, that M arch enemy crept
in with tni,orous stealth and sowed
in our fields of happiness and plenty
seeds Of destruction which were in
dee time 10 scatter our happiness TO
the four winds and yield n crop more
prolific Of want aud suffering than all
the crops OF pestilence and famine for
a century. The seed Of demonetils-
ton sown by the act of 1873. began
TO show their fruitiulness in 1879.
when specie payment was by law re
sumed. Ii was then that the prospects
of an enormous yield we're discovered
The discovery produced consterns ion
and indignation among the people,
who Mt once recognized The effect such
law would have. la order to divert
attention and avoid exposure the pro-
moter OF this act, justly termed con.
spintor. began at once to device
plans 10 further deceive. the people,
acts providing for limited purchases
Of silver by the government, such as
the Allison act Of 1878 o and the
Sherman act Of 1890, all apparently
aiming to undo the mischief OF 1873,
but in ,ality they we're intended TO
enshroud our coinage laws in a laby-
rinth Of mystery so that the people
would not aud could not ferret gu,
the evil. These later acts were oftr.
ed as compromises, but were intended
10 further coniplicaie the system. and
prejudice the people against free coin
age. AZ said in last weeks paper, no
reason was given or argument offered
at the time silver was demonetized,
either in Congress or TO the people. as
T. Why any such action should
be taken, aud such arguments ms are
now offered by the goll standard adj
vocates are afterthoughts to justify
the admitted wrong, thoughts that
were as foreign To the promoters of
the act rs 1895 ia TO 1873. Any per-
son having doubt rs 10 the secret
and silent stealth used in tie demoL-
etiIation Of silver, can satisfy himself
by inquiriug of any man living in
1873 if he knew Of the passage Of any
such act. The papers contained no
account Of it, aud it was not consid
cred Of sufficient Importance to lie
telegraphed out OF Washington. That
which has since 1879. the time Of is
discovery, convul.ed half the wor d
and occupied the bulk of the news
and editorial: columns Of the papers
Il our country, went at the time OF
its enactment without notice IL has
since been entreuched and defended
by all the power that capital can
wisld, and the people have been pow
erless TO reverse the great wrong. Not
a man then in Congress has acknowl'
edged that he knew the purport or
effect of that bill land nearly all deny
responsibility for its passage. Gen
Grant, who was at that time Pre'i-
dent, is on record as saying that he
mad not read the bill, and signed 1t
on the rep. esentation and understand
ing that il was a codifcation Of tie
then existing statutes, with few
changes in detail.
The House and Senate journals
show that the bill bearing the inno-
cent title, "a Bill to Reform the
Coinage and Mint Laws was discus
sed aud passed, but on examination OF
the Congressional Globe, giving full
reports of the discussion, disclose the
fact that no clause changing the unit
of value from silver to gold, or de-
stroying the free coinage or legal ten.
der character Of silver were in the bill
when passed.
When it is conceded by nearly ev-
ery member of the 42d Congress that
the passage of the bill was secured by
fraudulent deception, or by such me-
thods that no gold bug will explain or
defend, even had the bill shadow OF
merit, would not this alone be sum
Gent grounds for iis repeal and rsPu-
a;asion.by he psoplsi TO obtain jas'
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