The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-07-24
The GREET DEBATE.
Silver and Gold Face
to Face.
A Historical Discussion
Read Both Sides.

Chicago, July 17.-After preliminary
statements by Messrs. Horn and Harvey
the debate began by Mr.. Horn asking his
opponent to tell plainly if there was ever
any such school held as that described
In the book, Coins Financial School,"
Mr.. Horr said
Il find all through the book a large
number of statements attributed to a
very considerable number of the business
men of Chicago, and am informed that
tnose men, never one of them, uttered
single word attributed to them. If the
DOCK is written as an allegory, 1 would
IKE my friend to explain why he did
not use, as all literary authors do, the
names of the fictitious characters, un-
less he intended to convey the impress
SION these men were present and received
the castigation which he says he admins
tered to them on the spot daughter
The book even goes further. 1t gives
the crestfallen manner in which some of
these gentlemen left the room, after be-
ing wOrsted in this fearful manner
Laughter) l feel now that what we
want to get at is the fact about the book,
80 we will know where we are proceed
ing"
Mr.. Harvey-"The school, is allegori-
ca! 1t marshals the opinions of the two
sides to this controversy; so the one in
imagination can see the flight of opin-
ions and the contest as it proceeds. It
puts in the mouths of the gold standard
advocates their well-known views fair
~ stated, with which the country has
been flooded up to the time the School
was written. The strength of the book
was intended to be in the fairness of
stating these views. The fact that a
little boy il knee pants was the instruc-
Tor or the men was supposed to be Suffi-
cient to fix the story as allegorical. One
reading Aesop's fables does not care
whether the animals talked or not. Mel
Their does he attach any Importance as
to whether the little boy talked or not.
1t is the subject and the truths uttered
that give to it in each instance its i'm
pertance. If it is charged that actual
characters are used in the book, while
similar books use fictitious characters,
the answer is that the well-known utter
ances and opinions of these men are used
:. and the further answer that Shakespeare
used actual characters.
Mr.. Horr-I submit that if my friend
had studied the scriptures little more
carefully when he was looking for the
motto which 1 shall take up next he
that a man is not permitted to bear false
witness against his neighbor. He says
that he put into their mouths the words
that they themselves would have utter
ed. l have had that done for me so
many times in my life that know what
1t means But now l come to the motto
of the book, which is this: Il thank thee,
oh, Father, Lord of heaven, and earth,
because thou hast hid these things from
the wise and prudent and hast revealed
them unto babes
Does my friend desire to intimate that
the king Of finance which he teaches is
something that babes will understand,
but the people who know anything will
never be- able to comprehend? (ApplauSe
and laughterD
Mr.. Harvey-Mr. Horr misrepresents
the meaning of that verse. The word
babes is intended to mean the pure of
mind and unselfish. 1t is in that sense
that it is used in the Bible and means
can see clearly those things which the
impure OF mind and selfish cannot see
or understand.
Mr.. Horr-Gentlemen. I merely called
his attention to the use of the passage of
scripture which he has now fully explain
ed by saying that the passage does not
mean what it says; that the word which
is translated babes really means hon
est. disinterested persons. 1 desire to
say that that motto is not susceptible
of the explanation he now makes of it..
That motto was intended to illustrate
the fact that a boy, child, even, like
this young fellow who taught finances in
his book, could distinguish the difference
between right and wrong and would be
among the first to learn to live a pure
life. But 1 submit to him that that mot
to does not give an excuse for boy be-
cause he is in knee breeches to stop tell
ing the truth. 1t does not give the boy
any right to misrepresent facts.
At this point the contestants discussed
at some length the definition of money.
Coming to the money system of the Unit
ed States Mr.. Horn said:
THE first law that was ever passed in
this United States on the subject Of
money was on July 6, 1885; that was two
years after the subject had been dis
cussed in every shape and form by the
people and press of the United States.
Congress then-I will say the exact words
And on the question that the money unit
of the United States of America be one
dollar, the yeas and nays being required
by Mr.. Howell every member answering
aye, it was resolved that the money unit
Of the United States Of America be one
dollar.
Resolved, that the smallest coin be
OF copper, of which 200 shall pass for one
dollar
Resolved, that the several pieces
shall increase in decimal ratio.
THAT was the first action taken by
the American congress. They first fixed
the unit, that is, the name of the thing
that should be used as the measure Of
value, deciding that it should be called
one dollar and that the smallest division
of that should be copper. and that it
should take 200 of them to make the unit
"That was the first effort of the new
government to establish a monetary sys-
tenn. Now everyone will say they had
not yet stated at all what the dollar
should consist Of except that 200 copper
half cents should be one of them, and
that was the first unit of measure that
congress established, 200 half cent cop
pers. That is all the law there has ever
been on the subject and all that has ever
been said about it anywhere. (Applause.)
So we had the first money of the daddies
of copper, no doubt about it.
"Now comes the next important legis-
lation upon this subject: Resolved,
That the standards of the United States
Of America for gold and silver shall be
II parts fine and one part alloy
Originally that was the weight of
alloy in all the coins of the United States.
Afterwards we reduced the alloy so that
1t was one part in 10.''
Mr.. Harvey-What Mr.. Horn says
about copper used as money during the
continental days preceding the adoption
of the constitution is too trivial to be
used In this argument. At the time our
constitution was framed the details gov
erning the concurrent coinage Of the
two metals in our financial system was
under discussion in committees and be-
tween statesmen of that period. So while
these details were left to congress, after
the adoption Of the constitution bime-
tallic system was provided for in that
} constitution. Article 1, section & says:
Congress shall have power to coin mon-
ey, regulate the value thereof and of
foreign coins" Section 10 says: mo state
shall coin money or make anything but
gold and silver coin tender in payment
Of debts" 1t says gold and silver, Zap
p1ause) not gold or silver. applause J