The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1895-09-06
Some Startling News.

something new on Cne silver queS-
ton, something never published
before. 1t has been said that Sen
ator Sherman was at one time
bimetallist.
We are prepared now to produce
the proof and drive the truth clear
through the old scamp and clinch
it on the other side. In newspaper
parlance this is a "big SCOOP"
We made a visit to the state IL
brary last week where bound vol
umes of the Congressional Globe,
now called the Record, are kept.
On page 627, will be found the first
of speech in the Senate by Senator
Sherman in favor of Senate bill No.
1913. This bill was introduced by
Senator Buckingham, of COnnec-
ticut. The finance committee in
troduced a substitute. The bill
was to regulate charges for mintage
and to resume specie payments.
Sherman made a long bimetallic
speech, which, in these days, would
be termed a "Populistic speech. "
We will make but one extract,
which anyone interested can find
on page $50, part one, Congression-
al Globe, January 16, 1873, bottom
of second column. 1t is as follows:
eff any one fact is proven by the
experience of mankind it is that
gold and silver are the best possible
standards of value. They have
been so recognized by every nation
from the earliest period of recorded
time. However much nations
might differ in religion, habits,
production or climate, they have
not differed in this primary axiom
of exchange or barter. Expert
ments have been tried with other
standards from the iron of Lycurgus
to the finest bank note engraving
of modern times, but all have re-
suited in the conviction that gold
and silver is the only true standard.
Paper money supported by the
credit of a government is conven-
lent substitute greatly facilitating
exchanges by the ease and safety of
handling and transmitting it, but
it is not real money; it is only
promise to pay money, and the only
test of its character as false or true
money is its capacity to be convert
ed into gold or silver of prescribed
weight and tineness."
Now have you ever read a higher
tribute to silver? He placed it on
an equality with gold every time
he mentioned either.
Turn to page GA, part second,
Congressional Globe, January II,
1873, only one day later, and you
will find that H. r. 1884, demone-
tizing silver, engineered by Senator
Sherman, passed third reading.
This bill deprived silver of it's
right to unrestricted free coinage
and destroyed it as d legal tender
money in the payment of debts,
except to the amount of five dollars
and less. In short stopped the
coinage of it in the future. Many
members of Congress claimed that
they We're deceived in the nature
of the bill-plead the baby act.
Perhaps some of them were. But
that cannot be said of Sherman.
He probably framed, or assisted in
framing the bill. At any rate he
was its foremost champion. He
had changed from a bimetallist to
goldbug inside of twentyfour
hours.
Everybody believes that he sold
out. 1t is well known that Sherman
had to mortgage his home to get
money to defray his expenses In his
first campaign. He had been in
the Senate only eight years and
had he saved every dollar of his
salary-$5, 900 year-which was
impossible, he could have had only
about $4,000. In q short time
after this bill passed he was peput
ed to be worth several million dol
lars, and he has been the pet of the
goldbugs ever since. However,
Cleveland divides honor with him
now.-Progressive Farmer, Raleigh,
NC.
Sherman's Jack Pot and What it Has
Cost.