The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1895-07-25


ed record of what Mr.. Horr has just now
said 1t will be time enough for me to take
up new subject. ! am not done with the
present subject yet The act OF 1853 served &
the purpose Of the men who were seeking
to overthrow our constitutional standards
Of money in this way. In 1853, on account
of the expectation Of our silver coins, by &
reason Of the French ratio of 151a 20 /, be-
ing less than ours, 16 to 1, congress, pre-
serving the silver unit, ordered by act that
the fractional silver fifty cents and less
should be cut down In size to the French
ratio, to stop It's expectation. The silver
unit was preserved and colld be preserved
without even coming a single one of them.
1t would regulate the other coins all the
same. Now this fractional silver has its
legal tender character taken away from 1t,
because it was not of full weight. 1t was
not made full weight because Of the ex-
portation and 1t was made nOn-legal ten
der, because it was not Of full weight,
awaiting further consideration whether we
could go to the French ratio as whole or
not. So that when the bill in 1873 was be-
ing considered at time when nobody was
thinking about coins and very few knew
anything about it, these men who were
steering the bill said:
"We are re -enacting the act of 1858.
There can't be anything wrong about that"
and that is what they made senators and
congressman believe they were doing, ex-
size of the silver dollar, to put us on the
French ratio, but talking to men who
knew nothing about bmetallism or the pre-
vious history of coinage, the act Of 1873
served that purpose to get the language in
the bill concerning the fractional coin and
the preceding clause that had the dollar In
it, into language Of the act of 1853. 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 q free coinage dol
lar, and :here you had an act without any
free coinage silver in it.
This bill was passed in the senate on
Jan. II, so that the morning papers Of the
18th would contain any news, if there were
any, showing that the fundamental laws Of
the government had been changed.
The only reference that appears in the pa
per is press telegram from Washington,
which says this: "Mr. Sherman called up
the bill to revise and amend the laws re-
lating to minis, assay offices and coinage
of the United States, which was amended
as passed" That is all, not another word.
One of the money metals Of the United
States, as is now conceded, was struck
down by the bill; the constitution had been
overthrown; the dollar that had regulated
all other coins had been abolisi ed great
war debt to be paid off and one Of our
money resources for paying it had been de-
stroyed. Uong continued applause)
No information of that fact was con-
yeyed to the people through the newspa-
pers of the country. (Applause.) The re-
porters at Washington did not know it.
The money of the people that had served
them we'll was destroyed, and now I chal-
lenge Mr.. Horn to show me anywhere in
the newspapers of the United States dur
ing the passage of the bill which he says
has no faint of fraud attached to it, where
the public knew that a bill was being con-
Sldered by congress that was to destroy
as money one-half Of the money metal Of
the country. or that they had passed such
bill. have charged that it was passed
secretly. 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 1t was discovered several years af-
terWard is one of the best evidences Of
Its secret passage
The contestants being clearly at logger
heads as to the point of discussion. little
1urther progress was made. until adjourn
ment was taken till Monday The debate
prior to running against the big snag had
been full Of interest
MI Horr, in opening, declined to allow
MT, Harvey to accept as admitted any
had failed to deny. Mr. Horr said Mr..
Harvey had been reading series of care
fully prepared essays, and he (Mr Horn
could not be expected to remember ali Of
the STATEMENTS made in them. He would,
however, furnish Mr.. Harvey rule to 60
DE He might take it for granted that he
(Horr) denied everything except what he
expressly assented to- Mr.. HORT took
up the
International Monetary Conference
IN Paris, of 1857 at which the leading civ
ilized nations of the world were renre
sented and pointed out that after eight
days consideration, the representatives of
all the nations present, including the United
states, voted unanimously, with the excep-
tion OF the representative of Holland. in
favor of a gold standard. It was after this
that our statesmen began to consider the
question of our currency and it was openly
and as legitimate outcome of this inter
national conference that the act of 1873
was passed. Mr.. HORT then argued at
length, quoting from letters and documents
to prove that the charge that the de-
monetlZation act was passed through the
influence of British brides was false.
Mr.. Harvey, replying, said that the argu.
ment tended to show that the most i'm
portant letter submitted by Mr.. Horr show
ing that the man who was supposed to
have done the bribing had in fact advised
that the nation continue bimetalliSm, was
inconclusive. At some future time a letter
written by Hon. John G. Carlisle might be
produced, showing that he was a bimetal-
list, instead of a single standard secretary
of the treasury. Mr.. Harvey resumed the
history of the act of 1878, quoting from
the debate in the senate when the bill was
put on its passage.
Mr. Hort said that there was in the bill
of which Mr.. Harvey had spoken a provi-
sion for a token dollar worth five francs
The senate struck that out and substituted
the trade dollar.
Mr.. Harvey-If you will show me any
where in the deb,,.e that day where the
senate struck out that precision we will
stop the debate right here. (Great applause
from Mr.. Harvey's friends)
Mr. Horrible bill as passed contained
the trade dollar, did it not?
Mr.. Harvey---Yes sir.
Mr.. Horr suggested that that covered the
point and proceeded with his argument.
He said that nobody thought of striking
down silver when the bill was passed. At
that time silver was not in circulation and
the bullion in the dollars was worth more
than 81.
Mr. Harvey read from Senator Sherman's
statement on putting the bill on its pass
age, showing that the bill provided for
two dollars: A 3S4-grain dollar equal to
the French five-franc piece, and the trade
dollar. He declared that Mr.. Horr had
said that this small dollar was not in the
bill
Mr.. Horn, interrupting, said he never de-