The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-07-19

the treasury and transmitted to the SEN
ate on April %, 1870. The bill as it was
at that time drafted dropped the dollar
silver coin of the United States and
changed the unit of value That was in
the original bill, as it was sent to the
senate with letter from the secretary.
Now, nobody tried to cover up that fact
In this report of Mr. Knox were found
all the letters of these different experts
to whom had been sent a draft of the
bill, and who had been asked for their
opinion on it Those letters were all
printed by order of the senate in con-
nection with the carefully prepared re-
port of Mr.. Knox"
Mr. Harvey: "Mr. Horr, permit me.
Have you that bill aud those letters with
your"
Mr.. Horr: 81 have not got them here
today, but I have them in the city, I
think"
Mr. Harvey: "Will yon produce them
during the debate?"
Mr.. Horn: 81 will if I have them;
don't know whether brought them with
me but l think 1 did. Mr.. Patterson
wrote to Mr.. Knox and his letter was
printed in the public documents. l will
say to this house that every single docu-
ment l have referred to l copied from the
books of the government in the city of
Washington myself individually, SO 1
know what I am talking about Mr.. Pat
terson said: 'Ihe silver dollars, half
dime and three cent pieces are dispensed
with by the senate amendment. Gold is
the standard money OF which the gold
dollar is the unit Silver is subsidiary,
embracing coins from the dime to the
half dollar
''Can anything be more plain than
that? Was there any covering up of
anything in that letter."
Mr.. Harvey: SIN the presentation of
the monetary situation I have called
attention to the condition morally, of
congress at the time of the passage of
the act, to the impeachment charges
against Vice President Colfax-in 1873
| for fraud-the resignation of Secretary
of War Be1knap for bribery, 1878. 1 now
proceed, after first stating for Mr..
Horr's information, that Delmar, the
English historian, says that the act of
1876 demonetizing silver in England.
had clause in it that it might be rein
stated by the king; that that clause Civ
! ing right to reinstatement was repeal
ed in 1871, and before the act was repeal
ed by two weeks it was in the hands of
Mr.. Knox, the comptroller of the United
| States treasury, (Applause) and was in
part the basis of the act in this country.
! "There was an era of corruption in
i congress at that time. Clinton Colgate
confessed before the ways and means
committee of 1878 to the use of money
| to influence the incorporation of special
features in the revenue bill, testifying
among other things that Charles Sher-
man of Ohio, brother of Senator Sher
man, had been paid $4,000 by the New
York stock exchange in connection with
the revenue bill. The officials of the
| stock exchange were subpoenaed, and
the facts developed that while the money
had not been paid, Judge Sherman had
rendered bill to the exchange for his
services and, as he claimed, for securing
the services of his brother, Senator Sher-
man, to put the bill through. ZAP
| plause(
at would readily exhaust the words of
this debate to go into all the investiga-
tions of that notorious congress-"
Mr. Horn: "The attempt of Mr.. Har-
vey to smirch the congress of the United
States, and make the people of this coun-
try believe that the people who acted as
| mem berS of congress in this country as a
rule are corrupt and have been subject
to purchase and sale can be character
lied only as infamous. (Applause) No
nation on the face of the earth ever had
a purer set of Legislators than have been
in the congress of this country during its
existence There sit before me several
members of congress who served with
me in several congresses, and | appeal to
| each aud every one of them if, during
| their entire service, they either saw or
mistrusted that money was being used to
! purchase the members of congress.
| served six years without ever knowing
thai an instance of that kind had occur
red during the congresses in which had
served When men start out with the
proposition that in order to prove their
case they must also prove that the ma
jority of the best Legislators of the coun-
try are thieves and scoundrels they had
better stop before they begin. Zap
plause) The people of this country
and the congressman is no exception
as an average are upright, honest bust
ness men. I admit that Judge Sherman
was guilty of crime that was never in
any way connected with his brother,
John Sherman, and you know it They
exonerated him."
Mr.. Harvey: "Did they impeach Judge
Sherman"
Mr. Horn: Judge Sherman resigned
Immediately. They drove him from the
bench. [Applause.l The public opinion
of this country would not permit a man
to hold public position who would do a
thing of that kind. But what has that
to do with the question whether Mr..
Knox openly and squarely presented this
bill to congress? Mr.. Knox said himself:
The coinage of the silver dollar piece
the history of which is here given, is
discontinued in the proposed bill. It is
by law the dollar unit The present gold
dollar piece is made the dollar unit in the
proposed BILL"
A voice in the audience: "When was
that written?"
Dir. Horn: "Just before it was sent to
congress in 1870. 1t was a part of the
report that Secretary Boutwell, sent to the
senate in the spring of 1870. 1t accom-
panied the bill and was printed in the
public document as being an explanation
of the bill by order of the senate. Is
there anything hidden in those state
ments?"
Mr. Harvey: Among the many charges
| Of cnrrnntinn m ado II 4hia roriod 1910