The Morehouse clarion. [volume] (Bastrop, La.) 1874-1904, 1895-07-26


false, and he shonId not be held
bIanleiess.
In speaking Of the act of 1873.
he says: at vas gotten through
stoalthily.''
For man of Senator Georges
standing to make such state
ment, in the face of the fact that
the bill was up before five sessions
of Congress, and was printed in
full thirteen times, and was laid
on the desk Of each gemheE Of
Congress ~ many times, and was
discussed in all these sessions of
Congress, and was passed by the
House as early as 1870, and was
sent to the Senate where it was
amended and returned to the
House, and was referred to hnan
clal experts liz different parts Of
the country, who reported on the
bill, specially calling attention TO
the fact that the silver dollar had
been omitted, is truly amazing.
He Is either inexcusably igno-
rant or else he wilfully SANDERS
the then members of Congress.
Fourth. TO still further inten-
sify the prejudice, attempted to
be aroused in the beginning Of his
speech, after cr,ticizing the gov
eminent for paying its debts IN
gold, he says: 1.-The department
paid everybody else in silver, paid
officials, PAID Iaberers or the pub
lie works, paid sailors and SOL
diers in silver. For the bond
holders silver was not good
enough, and they were paid IN
gold"
ANY nan of common sense
would be justified IN placing a
great deal Of doubt on the truth
fulness of this statement. The
government paid and Still pays all
its debts in gold, whenever gold is
demanded, The President, mem
here Of the cabinet. knena>rA af
Congress- v4ncfss 49,
nor any Of the ot'lers'ln al. pfob-
ability ever saw a dollar of silver
IN the payment of their salaries
and wages. Business would sug-
gest that they received a check OR
warrant on the treasury and .,re-
sented that at some bank and re-
celyed such currency as they wish
ed for 1t.
# Senator George were present
/ would ask him if he was forced
to take silver for his salary of
$4,000 year while in Congress,
and think he would say no.
Fifth. He admits that at the
date of the act of 1873 ''neither
gold or silver circulated as money
Then if silver was not used as
money IL 1873 it is an enigma how
the mere omission Of 1t from the
coinage act could affect It's value
to the extent claimed. Under the
former law 1t was admitted to free
coinage, but it was worth more as
bullion than as coin, and therefore
was not 10 use as money at al, and
the omission, 1t seems to me,
could not have caused the deprs-
cation in value and panic twenty
years afterward, which are charg-
ed to it.
Sixth. He says: claw can
not, by It's mere enactment, give
value to anything.
This IS sound doctrine and for
ever knocks the wind out of his
plea for free and unlimited coin.
age Of silver at Is to l.
The admitted value of silver
now is about 80 TO l. If, as he
contends, law for the free and
unlimited coinage of silver at Is
to I would make that kind OF
silver dollar worth a hundred
cents, then his first proposition is
untrue, but If his first proposition
10 true, and all except popul1sts
admit 1t, then the law could not
give the additional value to the 1S
ounces Of silver. and his plea for
such law is answered by his own
proposition IN the negative. He
does not believe ia fat money,
but, IN the Lext breath, he pleads
for the fat of the government to
add 100 per ee,t to the value of
silver by its coinage. Better be
consistent Senator.
Seventh. lie seens to be on
the point Of giving up his long
cherished democracy altogether.
Free trade or tariff for revenue,
SO as to enlarge and extend eur
commerce with the outside world,
IS time honored and always pres