The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-06-14


Among the political derelicts whom the
free-silver agitation has brought into
the channel of current events is Alex
ander De,mar, who delivered an address
at Memphis on Wednesday. Delmar is
Hessian in politics and free lance
in political economy. On the organiza-
ton of the United States Bureau of Sta
tistics. in 1866. he was appointed its chief,
but gave SO little satisfaction that in
about two years Congress legislated him
out Of Office Since then he has been
on many sides of many questions, and
has furnished expert opinions to order
on a variety Of topics. The Memphis
press dispatch speaks of him as "a men,
Der of the silver commission of 1876
monetary commission with which / was
connected" il Delmar allowed himself
to be introduced to the Memphis con-
vention as a member of the silver COM
mission of 1876 he was party to fraud.
He was not member of that commits
sion nor connected with il in any way.
The only members of that commission
resentatives were Hon. w. S. Groesbeck,
of Ohio, and Prof. Francis Bowen. of
Massachusetts. George NJ. Weston. of
Maine was secretary of the commission.
If Delmar had any connection with il
il was in some subordinate or hireling ca
pacity. His name does not appear in the
record. Neither does it in connection
60.
ence of 1878. The burden of proof is on
him TO show that he ever had any con-
nection with any monetary commission.
In his Memphis speech he said:
The monetary commission with which /
was connected reported that the acts of 1873
were, one or them, passed surreptitlously,
surances. This has since been vehemently
denied. | am going to show you not only
that the commission was right, but that
these acts were the issue of European in
trigueS and precedent.
He then proceeded to unfold a cock
and-bull story about an alleged Euro
pean conspiracy to demonetize silver.
was passed by the British Parliament,
he said:
Within fortnight after its enactment in
legged, contained mo innovations and no
new principles. was in the hands OF the
Controller Of the (paper) Currency at Wash
ington, a young man and a new man, en-
tirely ignorant OF coinage, and one whose
office had no connection with coinage or
the mints. There it became the basis of a
bill which purported. like its prototype, to
be merely a codfcation of the existing laws
relating TO the coinage, but which also, like
its prototype. really curtailed and destroyed
the ancient prerogative of the state with
respect TO the coinage and the making of
silver coin national foreign) legal ten
ders for the payment OF debts.
The Controller of the Currency who is
thus referred to as "a young man and a
new man entirely ignorant of coinage"
was the Hon. John Jay Knox. the ablest
Controller of the Currency the country
has had. with the possible exception of
Hon. Hugh McCulloch. He served as
deputy controller five years and as Con-
troller twelve years. His twelve annual
reports are a mine of monetary knowl-
edge and constitute standard authority
on financial questions. Delmar refers TO
him as a young man. He was eight
years older than Delmar. having been
born in 1925. while Delmar was born in
1886. Mr.. Knox resigned the position Of
Controller to accept the presidency OF ii
national bank in New York. which posi-
ton he held till his death. He was uni
versally regarded as one of the soundest
bankers and highest financial authori-
ties in the country. He is dead, and Del
mars fling at his memory is the kick of
a living ass at dead lion. Delmar says
Mr.. Knox was entirely ignorant of
coinage" The truth is he hadscharge of
the mint and coinage correspondence of
the Treasury Department for several
years before he. became Controller OF the
Currency. and in 1870 Congress made a
special order printing his report on the
mint service. containing codification of
the. coinage laws with amendments. Del
mars insinuation that this young man,
entirely ignorant OF coinage" was par
ty to the framing of coinage bill mod
eled after an English bill and intended
to accomplish by indirection an I'M
worthy and unpatriotic purpose. is a
base libel on the memory of one whose
name was a synonym for personal and
official integrity. A great many persons
have ignorantly or artfully charged that
the act of 1873 was surreptitiously passed,
but ii was left to Delmar to concoct a
theory Of "a sordid conspiracy" and try
to smirch the memory of Hon. John Jay
Knox by intimating that he was in it.
He Is worthy advocate of a cause
whose cornerstone is dishonesty.