Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1895-04-21


rerview given below, published in to-
days Courier-Journal, Senator Black
burn. in unmistakable terms, outlines
his position on the silver question, and
boldly throws down the gauntlet to his
opponents for similar candor on the
same subject. With his usual aggres-
siveness the Senator almost dares his
| opponents to meet him on the issue he
presents, and it may be assumed that
the challenge will be promptly ac-
cepted.
His challenge to his opponents is
| that they express their views as can
! didly as he does his through the col
umn OF the Courier-Journal that their
position may become as widely known
as his own, and that the people may
! decide between them.
Senator Blackburn arrived in the
city Thursday, and is stopping at the
| Willard Hotel. In response TO the re-
iterated inquiry concerning his present
position on the coinage question, he
yesterday prepared the following state
ment as an authoritative
EXPRESSION OF HIS VIEWS:
81 am at a loss to understand how
any one, especially in Kentucy, can re-
main in ignorance as to my sentiment
upon the silver question if they feel in
| terest in the matter. For the last
| twenty years, in Congress and on the
stump, anywhere and everywhere, |
have earnestly and persistently Insist
ed upon the restoration of the silvel
metal to that place in the money sys-
tenn of the country which it had always
held prior to the passage Of that disas-
trous act of demonetiZation, passed in
| 1873 Upon this subject | have never
| held an opinion nor made an utter
ance that have in the slightest degree
altered or modified in all these years.
Yetif there is still any uniformed who
| desire to know what my views are, l
will relate them in the shortest space
| possible by saying that am in favor of
opening the mints of this country to
The unlimited coinage OF the silver
. metal
ON AN EQUALITY WITH GOLD.
1 am opposed to gold monometallism
and just as much opposed to silver
| monometallism, without reservation or
evasion | am bimetallist. l want asad
| mean to continue to insist upon the
use Of both gold and silver on even
terms as the redemption money of this
country. l would be glad to see this
result brought about by the action of
an international conference, provided
that it could be done without delay.
! whilst it may be true that restora-
| tion of silver to its place of unrestrict
ed coinage and unlimited legal tender
function may never prove a panacea
| for the ills that we now suffer, | am
| convinced that it will do more and go
further in that direction than any one
| piece of legislation that has been or
| could be suggested. l believe and al
ways did believe that the act of 1873
was an unconstitutional measure.
| believe that it would have been so held
| by the Supreme Court of the United
States had not a partisan spirit domin-
| ated the action of that tribunal. This
conviction have stated in debate upon
the floor of the Senate as broadly
ASIPUT IT HERE.
81 agree with Daniel Webster, who in
| his day, and even to this day, was and
| is still held to be something of an au-
| thority as a constitutional lawyer. He
! declared that the constitution of the
| United States made gold and silver the
redemption money of this country, and
that neither Congress nor any State
had any rightful power to substitute
any other nor to destroy neither the
| one nor the other of these metals. If
! Congress had the power to demOnetiZe
! silver it must be conceded that it had
the same powers to demonetize gold.
Il am in favor of the restoration of
| the silver metal at the ratio of 16 to l.,
! believing in the light of an experience
that covers a century, such ratio will
establish and maintain permanently
the parity between the two metals.
! believe that we should take this action
at the earliest day possible, independ-
ent of the policies or views of other
nations. | have a faith as abiding in
the ability of my country to establish
and maintain in its own monetary sys-
TEN as that which | cherish in its in
| stitutions to defend its own soil from
invasion or its institutions from as
sault.
In my judgment, we are as indie
pendent of foreign dictation or domina-
tion in the one as in the other.