The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-05-03
VOORHEES, AND SILVER.

| The declaration of Senator VOORHEES,
on the silver question is open. above
board and satisfactory. He is with the
| silver men of the Democratic party, in
demanding the free coinage of silver
as we'll as gold at the present ratio,
without limit and independent of any
other nation. That ought to be sufi-
cient even for his enemies. who taunt
him with his course in reference to the
repeal of the purchase clause of the
Sherman act
He says concerning that provision:
THE Sherman act. which was con-
celVed in rancorous hostility to silver
and brought forth into law by an ini-
QuititOus betrayal of silver's free coin
age. has been buried in an unhonored
grave. oyer which no lament will ever
be heard
That is correct. The design of the
purchase clause was to defeat free
coinage bill 1t was wrong in principle.
No matter what temporary benefits it
may have brought to some silver deal
ers it was not right. The government
had no more just right to buy silver
to store up than to buy wheat for the
same purpose. Purchasing anything
which is a mere commodity to benefit
class of producers is not one of the
functions of government.
The repeal of that provision was
proper. The Democratic party was
pledged to the movement. There was
nothing wrong in what was done. The
evil lay in what was not done. If an
efficient silver bill had been passed as
a sequence to the repeal measure, no
fault could have been reasonably found
with the work. But even without that
the repeal was right. because the pro-
vision in the law was wrong.
Voorhees, at the time announced him
self bimetallist. He viewed the repeal
bill as measure to remove out of the
way an obstruction to free silver coin
age. He was jeered by silver Repub-
licans. The Herald believed the Senator
and said so. He now plants himself
squarely on solid silver ground. In an
swer to the cheap money sneer, Sen
ator Voorhees, remarks:
IF 1 am told on this question that
silver bullion as a marketable cOmmod-
ity commands a low price. my answer
is that If gold had been conspired
against. persistently assailed by foul
means as well as fair. stabbed in the
dark and in the light and in the back
and under the fifth rib. and wherever
else a dagger could be planted. for
nearly a quarter Of a century past, it
would be in far worse crippled con-
dition than silver
Of course. there is nothing new in
that. But it is the truth. and coming
from him will find its way into circles
where the same thing uttered by others
has not penetrated. 1t is a sufficient
answer to the nonsense about "a de-
preciated currency for silver. being
cast down by adverse legislation can
be raised by Just law. and free silver /
coinage will necessarily raise It's mar
ket price to the coin value.
In reference to the expected attitude /
of the Democratic party on this cues
ton. Voorhees, says:
NO dubious phraseology or strad- I
ding Dlanks on this question of silver /
will be tolerated in the next national /
conventions that are to take place in +
this country. Words will mean what !
they say. and men will be nominated +
whose lives and records will constitute |
a guarantee that the principles de-
clared viii be carried out. Nor are the /
people to be imposed on any further
by the ominous air with which the /
money lords and money lenders pirate 1
about the terrors and disasters of being
put on a silver basis by the free coin
age of silver
That is what The Herald has fore
Swallowed for several months. The stall
warts of the South are planting the
silver standard firmly for the coming
The proper course for Dem
ocrats is to rally round it within the
lines of the party, and not be enticed
away by any side issue or other
party. Silver and victory must be the
for 1896.