The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-21
Favors Opening the MINIS to
the Unlimited Coinage of
the White Metal.
ALWAYS FOR BIMETALLIsM.
This Government, Says the Ken
tucklan, Should Not Wait for
Any Conference.

I6TVleW puDlSneu IN To-Day s OOuI4eI-
Journal Senator Blackburn in unmistak-
able terms outlines his position on the
silver question and boldly throws down
the gauntlet to his opponents for similar
candor on the same subject. With his
usual aggressiveness the Senator almost
dares his opponents to meet him on the
issue he represents, and it may be assumed
the issue viii be promptly accepted.
Senator Blackburn has written with his
own hand the statement OF the position on
which he expects to stand or fall IN the
Senatorial race. He declares his position
as follows:
of have heretofore shown no DISPOSE
ton to be interviewed by the daily papers
of this city. it has not been because of my
uurpose TO conceal from the people my
views on any public question, but because
I was anxious TO avoid, If possible, per-
version and distortion to which my utter
ances have generally (of course uninten-
tionally) been subjected.
II never had, have not now and never
intend to have any secrets in politics.
am at a loss to understand how any one,
especially in Kentucky, can remain in ig-
norance as to nv sentiments upon the sill
the matter to desire such information.
For the last twenty years, in Congress and
on the stump, anywhere and everywhere,
have earnestly and persistently insisted
upon the restoration of the silver metal to
that place in the money system OF the
country which 1t held prior to the passage
OF that disastrous act OF decentralization in
1873.
If there is one man in public life in all
the country whose views on the subject
were entitled to be known to all men, by
reason of his acts and utterances, l had
reason to believe l was that man. Upon
this subject l have never held an opinion
or made an utterance that have in the
slightest degree altered or modified in all
these years.
Yet if there is still any uninformed who
desires to know my views, I will reiterate
them in the shortest space possible by say
ing 1 am in favor of opening the minis of
this country to the unlimited coinage OF
the silver metal on an equality with the
coinage of gold. I am opposed to mono
metallism, and just as much opposed to
silver recommendation, without reservation;
1 am a bimetalIist. l want, and mean to
continue to insist upon the use of both
metals on even terms as the redemption
money of this country.
4 would be glad to see this result
brought about by the action of an inter-
national conference, provided it could be
done without delay. 1 am opposed to this
Government waiting for any such confer
ence to act. Our experience with such
agencies has not been such as to give US
either confidence or hope of the attainment
of this purpose. Upon the contrary, our
participations in such conferences have, in
their very barrenness, become farcical and
ridiculous.
in 1892 this country, with only 4, 900 900
of people, was bold enough to prove itself
able to discard the monetary system of
Great Britain and establish one of its own,
which for nearly a hundred years met
every demand and stood every strain that
the growth and development of the
country put upon it. l believe the
destruction (entailed upon US by
this decentralization policy of one
half of your redemption money has
contributed more than any cause to this
shrinkage of all values, the depreciation of
all property, the stagnation of trade, the
paralysis of industry, the financial troubles
in which we now find ourselves. While it
may be true that the restoration of silver
to its place of unrestricted coinage and I'M
limited legal tender function may not prove
a panacea for the ills that we now
suffer, / am convinced it will do more and
60 further in that direction than any one
piece of legislation that has been sug-
gested. have an abiding faith in the
capacity of the parity to work out and
maintain its permanent integrity with gold,
provided the oppressive hand of the law is
to its coinage. ! believe and ALWAYS did
believe the act OF 1873 was an unconstitu-
tional measure, l believe the act of 1873
would have been so held by the Supreme
Court of the United States had the partisan
spirit dominated the action of that race.
This conviction l have stated in debate on
the floor of the Senate as broadly as [ put
it here.
Il agree with Daniel Webster, who in
his day and even to this day, was and is
still held to be something of an authority
as a constitutional lawyer. He declared
the constitution of the United States made
gold and silver the redemption money of
this country, and that neither Congress
nor any State had any r1ghttuI power TO
substitute any other, nor to destroy
either the one or the other of these metals.
If Congress had the power TO de-
monetize silver, it must be conceded
that it had the same power to demonetize
gold. 1t had seen fit to exercise this
assumed power as to one of these metals
Had 1t exercised the same power over the
other the anomalous and somewhat en-
barrassing condition would not have OBJ
tanned any money at all. If they could
strike down half they could strike down all.
Il am in favor Of the restoration of the
silver metal at a ratio of 16 to 1, believing,
IN the light of an experience that covers
century, such ratio will establish and
maintain permanently the parity between
the two metals. l believe we should take
this action at the earliest day
possible, independent of the policies /
or views of other nations. 1 have
as abiding faith IN the ability of nv coun-
try to establish and maintain its own
monetary system as that which | cherish
in its ability to defend its own soil from
invasion or institutions from assault. II
MT xryao