The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-05-29

the east was fired tonight at an en-
thusiastic public meeting in the Acad-
envy OF Music. The affair was under
the management of a group of the
best known financial and business
men of the community and attracted
large audience.
George 3. Roberts, president Of the
Pennsylvania Railway company, was
chairman. The principal speakers of
the evening were ex-senator George
F. Edmunds, eX-comptroller of the
currency William L. Trenholm, Con-
| gresham Michael D. Harter of Ohio;
ex-Minister to Russia Charles Emery
Smith and James Warrior.
No Man For Party.
| In the beginning, Mr. Edmunds said
the sound money question must re de-
cided by political action, not party ac-
ton, but that kind OF action the
Romans used to speak OF when no
state. Quoting Thomas Jefferson's
words, 1.-THE whole art of government
consists in the art of being honest"
he said: THAT phrase is worthy to be
written in letters of gold and placed
In front of every public edifice in ev-
cry hamlet on the continent. In a
careful report prepared for the bene-
fit of the first Congress, Jefferson
said that the question of the differ
ence between the value of gold and
silver as money was purely a CONNER
cial question. It did not depend on
legislation or the fancy and tastes of
man, but on commerce, which regu-
lates the price of commodities"
The speaker then discussed the war;
fation in value of the two metals.
sIf any faith can be put in
human experience" he said, ait ought
to teach US that We cannot make a
given amount of silver worth any
more when it is printed at the mint
with the stamp of the United States
than it was before.
when the act of 1873 was passed to
stop silver coinage, all the principal
countries of Europe were coming to
have a single standard-gold.
eff the last Congress had passed on
March g. the last day of it's session,
what is now vociferously demanded by
the free coinage people, every owner
and producer of silver foullion would
take his ounce of silver to the mint,
worth 63 400 cents, and get $1.29 29-100.
and having got more than two silver
dollars for his ounce of silver, he
would come to the worlingmen to
whom he owes for labor and say IF
1 brought it in metal, it would have
taken ten pounds, but I have taken
benefit Of the United States offer and
had it stamped and you must take five
pounds of it,
Trenholm Talks.
Ex-Comptrouer Trenholm during his
remarks declared it would be found
that the issue now confronting us has
become serious only because the two
political parties have, at one time or
another, and on one plea and another.
counted the support Of those who en-
tertained, or affected to entertain the
idea that in the coinage Of silver dol
lars of the United States all other
political questions would be subordi-
mated to 1t.
If the silver product of this country
had been left to take its place among
our exports like grain, meat and cot
ton, its entire annual v<lue would have
been realized in gold or its equivalent,
and upon Europe and Asia would have
developed years ago the responsibility
of protecting the value and the future
functions of the worlds stock Of silver
All our present anxiety, all our re-
cent peril is due wholly to the i'm
mense mass of this deprecated metal
which burdens our currency.
Buying the Vote.
Whenever in any constituency par
ties were found to be evenly balanced
there soon arose a silver faction hold
ing the casting vote. Both Democrats
and Republicans yielded over and over
again to the temptations to buy this
vote, sometimes with platform planks,
oftener of late with pledges of can
didacies. So familiar had the people
become with this rivalry in political
prostitution that there was not feeble
protest made when the balance of
power in the United States Senate was
deliberately vested in new states
created for the purpose, out of silver
mining territories, not yet fairly popu-
lous and too remote from the centers
of American thought to be qualified to
pass judgment upon broad questions of
public policy.
Congressman Harter followed Mr..
Trenholm. Mr.. Harter argued that an
abundance of money did not always
prevent commercial and business de-
preston. On the contrary, he argued.
some q our financial panics had come
at a time when money was abundant.
Silver Schemers.
In conclusion Mr.. Harter said: "a
step toward a silver standard would be
proclamation to the sections of the
more railroads should be built among
them, and that to enrich the handful
of silver producers and schemers, the
entire south and west was to be set
back generation or two from their
natural and certain fortunes.
Hon. Charles Emory Smith, who
spoke for the workingmen's interest,
said, among other things. soThe
demagogue appeals for so-called cheap
money is especially addressed to labor
in hope that it may delude and mislead
the honest sons of toll; but there is no
portion of the people who are so pro-
foundry interested as the workingman
in maintaining honest money. Barring
the immediate effects of the recent de-
preston. there has never been a time
when labor was so well paid as since
1890. There has never been a time
when the wages of labor had so much
purchasing power. There has never
been a time when the rewards of
toll brought so much comfort, so much
of the enjoyments and necessities of
life for the workingman and his FAM
lily. The free coinage advocate tells
us that some imaginary crime per-
petrated in 1873 has inflicted INJURY on
all classes. How has it inflicted any
injury on workingmen when for every
S14S that he earned In 1878 he earned
$3.50 In 1891 and when every dollar of
his $3.50 In 1891 would buy more than
every dollar of his s14S in 1873. How
has he suffered when he is paid more
dollars and every dollar will buy more
food, more clothing and more comforts
of all isinds?''
Sound Money League.
of this city, had made a few remarks
civ CT r<of IN, or-r INT