The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-01-06
BOATNER BEGINS.
Debate on the Currency
Bill.
QUESTIONS BY MR.. BLAND.
Treachery and Fraud Caused the
Recent Defeat.
SILVER YET CUTS SOME FIGURE.
In His Usual FIowery Style Bourke
Cochran Talks About Eco
nomic Laws.
SILVER YET CUTS SOME FIGURE.

ties of Secretary Carlisle, and dwelt upon
the duty of supporting him, which, ne
said, rested upon the Democrats.
In the course Of Boatner's speech Bland
put several questions to show the admins
tratiou had adopted a gold policy, and
finally declared its financial platform was
a fraud ii there was no intention 20 carry
it out. and asserting the platform should
mean something.
BOatner asked if Bland had not been
supporter of President Cleveland in the
last campaign, whereupon Bland replied
that he had supported the platform and
voted for its candidate, but The party had
gone down in ignnminious defeat for lis
treachery and fraud.
Pence brought up Secretary Carlisle's
advocacy of silver while member OF the
House in supporting Matthews resolution,
and asked if soon after accepting the
treasury portfolio ne had not announced
his intention of paying some of the Gov
ernment's obligations in silver and had not
been called down:
Boatuer replied it was useless to revive
free silver as factor Of the currency ques-
ton.
Bland retorted: "You can'trun the Dem
ocratic party on Republican lines, and no
mugwump can change its policy"
Boatner continued that it was the mis-
take of the century when the sdministra-
ton failed to pay obligations in silver as
we'll as gold.
1--WE should no longer keep ourselves on
exhibition" Boatner concluded, "as una
bic to agree on single measure that PROM
ises relief to the people"
Lacey (R) Of Iowa followed in opposi-
tien to the bill. There was the usual fill
ing of seats when Cochran ross in the first
aisle Of the Democratic side. He deplored
the tendency to treat the measure as
party one, which was likely to wreck it on
the rocks of political expediency. The
vote of confidence in the Democratic party
in 1892 had been reversed, he said, and he
did not think the constitutional provision
which allowed the party to retain power
until March was granted for passing party
acts.
An agitation without result which would
ruffle restored business tranquility had
better be dropped. If this House succeeds
in esta blishing a monetary system based
on human Jeason and experience OF ex-
peIts its last days. will not be without
profit or devoid of honor. There were, in
his opinion, questions on which legisla-
tors could divide along party lines with
advantage, but this was not one of them.
He said there were many questions on
which mankind had differed from the be-
ginning of civilization and questions
connected with the finances and political
economy were among those over which
there had been much dispute. Neverthe.
less, he commended, the laws controlling
these questions were immutable, and to
obey them was to bring blessings, to ignore
them the reverse.
'We can," he declared. mo more affect
the economic laws by our legislation than
we can by the same means affect the laws
governing nations"
He asked that the question now at Issue
be considered on the basis of these Geo.
nomic laws. He thought be saw evidence
that the judgment of the generation has
been warned by the superabUndance of
talk on the 'crlme of 1873" when silver
was demonetized, which had involved the
use of host of employees and much mys-
terry, but had brought but very little prac-
ticsl good to the people generally. The
tendency to treat political economy as a
mysterious science had enabled men to
pose as statesmen who if they talked COM
nonsense would have been discovered.
but were able 10 confuse the people by
shouting platitudinous nonsense. An
Gent astrology was no more absurd than
the double standard, but when we reflected
that this generation had allowed its daily
affairs to be affected by the nonsense of
impOstGrs, our charity toward the ancients
broadened, and oGr sympathy was touehed
by the sight of our own people listening IN
men who said that the payment of wapes
in bad dollar was better than pood
dollar, and that taxation was the hand
maid of prosperity.
When Cochran alluded sarcasticallv tn
the free silver fight of BLAND and Grav
and what he termed the change of attitude
of Boatner, who was about to retire In the
calmer fields OF Jurisprudence, Bland in
terrupted with question regarding Cock
rams prediction that the repeal of the
purchasing clause Of the Sherman act
would restore prosperity, and Cochran
challenged him to produce a word of his to
that effect.
II am not one," Cochran resumed. "who
preteDds that prosperity can be forged in
believe all the law and gospel on the sub
ject of political economy was revealed to
the first man when a just God told him that
''by the sweat Of his brow he must earn
his bread
prosperity was in the earth, and char
iatans who said they had it in their clothes
or their brains, and who had cursed the
country for twenty-five years, it was my
chief object to oppose
Taking up the banking and currency
bill he spoke briefly. of the claims of the
committee that it would promote the ends
Of trade. He claimed that instead Of pro-
noting 1t would prevent, forbid ana pb-
struct the very thing it was hoped IL would
accomplish. For local and domestic pur-
poses, Cochran said, he would not be afraid
of silver as a silver standard of value, but
his objection to it was based on the fact
that throughout the world everything is
measured by gold, and even il we had
national or local standard, the products Of
the farmer and other producers must Gltl-
mately after all be measured by the uni
versai standard.
Hutchinson M nf Texas iD0uired. II