The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-07-31

nobody was thinking about coins and
very rev knew anything about it, these
men VINO were steering the bill said: I'VE
are re-enact1ng the act of 1881 There
can't be anything wrong about that
ana tnat is what they made senators
ana congressman believe they were do
ing, except that they were going to re-
duce the size OF the silver dollar to put
US on the French ratio, but talking to
men VINO knew nothing about bimetal-
nsm or OF the previous history of COIN
age the act of 1873 served that purpose
10 get the language in the bill concern
ing the fractional coin and the preceding
clause that had the dollar in it into the
language OF the act of 1858. So that all
they had to do was to strike out the line
that had the dollar in it in the words Of
the act OF 1853, which was free coinage
ooilar, and there you had an act without
any free coinage silver in it,
NOW, with that explanation, I pro-
America to read the words uttered in the
TWO houses OF congress on the day the bill
was passed. May q, 1872, and Jan. II, 1873
1t is the best school on this question that
can be attended. The reading of it will
cause them to agree with me. 1t can be
round IN the congressional Record or in
NO. Z OF the Financial Series, published
by the Coin Publishing company. of this
city, wherein it is copied, and 1 hope all
publishers OF books on finance will in
clude 1t In the appendix Of every book
they publish.
But have not finished with my
proofs. Proofs precede comments. Plain
facts are more eloquent than words.
nave before me on this table the files
or the Chicago Tribune for 1873. daugh-
teri want Mr.. Horn and his assistants
10 inspect 1t. l turn first to Jan, IS, 1873.
This bill that was supposed to have had
In 1t silver dollar that would float
around the world was passed in the sem
ate on Jan. II, so that the morning pa
pers OF the 18th would contain any news,
II there were any, showing that the
fundamental laws of the government had
been changed. The only reference that
appears in that paper is in a press tele-
gram from Washington, which is this,
read 1t: Mr.. Sherman called up the bill
to revise and amend the laws relating to
minis, assay offices and coinage of the
United States. which was amended and
passed"
That is all; not another word.
One of the money metals of the United
States, as is now conceded, was struck
down by that bill; one of the moneys Of
the constitution had been overthrown;
the dollar that had regulated all other
coins had been abolished. A great war
debt to be paid Off, and one of our money
resources for paying it had been de-
stroyed. dong and continued applause.)
NOT GENERALLY KNOWN.
No information Of that fact was con-
veyed to the people through the newspa-
pers of the country. (Applause.) The
reporters at Washington did not know
1t; the congressman as a whole did not
know it. The money of the people that
had served them we'll was destroyed, and
now I challenge Mr.. Horr to show me
anywhere in the newspapers of the
United States during the passage of the
BILL which he says has no faint Of fraud
attached to 1t, where the people knew
that a bill was being considered by con-
gress that was to destroy as money one
half of the money metal of the country,
or that they had passed such a bill
have charged that it was passed Sc
cretly. The fact that fundamental law
of the government had been reversed
and that no information of it had gone
to the people whose government it was,
either before or after the passage of the
bill until it was discovered several years
afterward, is one Of the best evidences
of it's secret passage.
At this point Mr.. Horn sought to enter
upon discussion of the proper ratios
which should exist between gold and sill
yer at the present day if reconciliation
were to take place and was met by Mr..
Harvey with the following:
Mr.. Harvey-We were discussing the
question OF whether the ACT OF 1915 was
secretly and surreptitiouSly passed, and
I supposed that Mr.. Horn would address
himself to the fact that I called his at
tention to, that none of the people in
the United States, including the newspa-
per reporters at Washington, knew that
that bill had passed. His failure to reply
to that is an admission that it was passed
so far as the papers were concerned, Sc
cretly and without their knowledge.
Long continued applause.)
It means this: We are a republican
government, a government of the people,
and it is part of the policy and spirit of
the government that when it is proposed
to make a change in our laws affecting
the welfare of the people, or changing
fundamental principal, it is to be discuss
ed before the people, and the people are
more or less to express themselves on it,
not only know in advance that it is pro-
posed to do such a thing, but know it
when it is done, neither of which occurred
in this instance.
when I reach the proper place we will
see that what Mr.. Horn has said here
about the immense coinage of silver has
nothing to do with this question. You
might as we'll print your token money on
leather as to stamp it on demonetized
metal. (Applause)
OBJ. when your demonetized metal be-
comes token money, representative mon
ey redeemable in gold, you are wasting
material to stamp it on a valuable SUBJ
stance. (Applause) Because it is gold
that it represents it has ceased to repre-
sent itself. Applause)
senator Thurman, on Feb. Is, 1878, in
and Mr.. Horn that there was something
wrong about the passage of that bill.
Il am now going to satisfy the people
debate, said: L cannot say what took
place in the house, but know when the
bill was pending in the senate we thought
1T was bill simply to reform the mint
regulate coinage, and fix up one thing
or another, and there is not a single man
In the senate, think, unless member Of
the committee from which the bill came
who had the slightest idea that it was
even a squint toward characterization
Congressional Record, Volume Z, Part
H., Forty-fifth congress-, second session,
page 1904.
senator Conklin, in the senate on
March 30, 1876, during the remarks of
Senator Bogy on the bill to amend the
laws relating to legal tender of silver
coin, in surprise inquired: will the SEN
ator allow me to ask him or some other
senator a question? Is it true that there
is now by law no American dollar? And
II so. is it true that the effect of this bill
is to make half dollars and quarter dol
lars the only silver coins which can be
used as legal tender?'-Congressio
Record, volume 4, part Ill, Forty-Fourth
congress, nrSt session, page ZUoZ.
WHAT SENATOR ALLISON SAID.
Senator Allison, on Feb. 15 1878, said:
But when the secret history of this bill
of 1873 comes to be told it will disclose the
fact that the house of representatives in
tended to coin both gold and silver, and
intended to place both metals upon the
French relation instead of on our own
which was the true scientific position in
reference to this subject in 1873, but that
bill afterward was dOctOred.' (ApplauSe)
Congressional Record, volume Z, part
H., second session, page 1858.
"I call Mr.. Horr's special attention to
what have Just read. There is the testi-