Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1895-08-14
Copyright 1895, by Azel F. Hatch.

The first Of the series Of debates be-
tween Hon. R. G. Horr and w. H. Harvey
ESQ, author OF Coins Financial School.
began in the Illinois clubhouse at p. m.
The chamber that had been prepared Tor
the occasion was full to its utmost capac-
fly Of interested listen ners. When the
gathering came to order Dr.. Thomas, Pres
ident of the Illinois Club. welcomed the
quests of the club in q brief address and
presented the judges Of the discussion hon.
H. J. Miller and Judge w. A. vincent.
Judge Miller then stated the conditions OF
the debate (Which have been widely puo-
lished), the principal feature OF the same
being that the talks will be running
Tight" as 1t were. The Judge then intro
duced Hon. r. G. Horr, who opened the
debate.
Mr.. Horr proceeded to make orief
statement defining the position ne pro-
posed to occupy In the debate. He SAID IN
part that "the foundation OF the discus
sion upon which we are about to enter Is g.
small book published by Mr.. Harvey, my
opponent and entitled Coins Financial
School, The real aim and object OF that
book is to convince the people OF the
United States that this government alone
should at once enter upon the free and un-
limited coinage Of silver upon the old ratio
of l6 to L. The wisdom Of such course
dispute. Mr.. Harvey will still maintain
the Affirmative of that issue. l will state
in the outset that from the beginning to
the end Of the book there Is hardly pro-
position made to which I give my consent.
propose to controvert many things which
are stated as facts, and shall attempt to
prove that the entire theory set forth by
its author, II adopted by the people OF this
country, would lead only to business dis
aster and financial ruin. do not now re-
member ever to have examined book
carefully In which found so few state
ments that consider worthy OF belief and
certainly never saw 30 many absolute er-
rors erammed into 70 few pages" Uaugh-
teri
Mr.. l-orr said he did not oppose bimet-
allism, but believed In the use OF both
metals to the fullest extent that could
safely be done; that in all large tran
sactions gold was the best to use. and that
in all transactions between nations the two
metals should be used only at their COM
mercial value. He was believer in an in
Every clear in my idea that until some
such arrangement shall have been made it
would be simply suicide for this nation to
adopt a system Of free coinage Of silver
upon the old ratio, . ratio which all the
civilized nations Of the world have long
since discarded. do not believe that any
one government can hx the value upon
any two metals and name a ratio which
will be accepted by the people Of the world
or Of the country itself, 80 that the two met
ais will be used side by side. do
not believe that silver has been demon
etized anywhere In the world. believe
that the law Of 1873, which Mr.. Harvey's
book denounces n crime was honestly
conceived, openly advocated and passed by
the American Congress after full delibera-
ton, and because the people at that time
who held seats in the American Congress
believed that such Q law ought to be en-
acted believe II our nation
should adopt tho course advocated in this
book 1t would seriously injure the entire
wage-earners of tho United States. l
shall deny most emphatically that the
great majority Of the people Of this coun-
try are in debt, and shall insist that
creditors and not debtors.
will state still further that II this book
about which we are going to debate Is true
then l am all wrong. Naughter) It
seems to me to be devoid Of business sense
from beginning to end, and l shall enter
upon the work Of attempting to prove that
and hope to be able to do in language
that shall be 30 plain and explicit that my
fellow ciizens will be satisfied that have
accomplished my task
Mr. Harvey: I am here to defend the
facts and principles in Coins Financial
School" I expect to make good In this
debate the following propositions:
l. That silver and gold are the money Of
the Constitution. That the silver dollar
was the unit Of value In our coinage sys-
tenn In this country from 1892 to 1878, Just
as the yard stock was the measure Of
length. That gold was measured In this
silver unit, and concurrent coinage given
to 1t (gold). That silver and gold COM
bined constituted the legal standard Of
value in this country till 1873. Silver meas
ured gold; the two together measured all
other property.
2. That the act Of 1873 was surreptitiously
passed.
8. That during the period 1892 to 1873 the
mints were opened to the unlimited coin
age Of both metals into primary or re-
demption money, and that both were treat
ed as such. That during that period peo-
pie had right to have either metal coined
into full legal tender money and that the
option was with the debtor to pay in coins
of either mot.
1. That thb bimetallic system made an
unlimited dc aand for both metals to be
coined into laoasy, increased the demand
for these mota--apd 50 long as this law,
authorizing any ono u toSS:.s71A grains Of
silver and q 2-1o grains Of gold into dol
lar, there was no one willing to sell either
for less than Z dollar.
s. That the option to pay In either metal
caused the cheaper Of the two metals to be
used and Transferred the demand from the
dearer to the cheaper metal and restored
its relative commercial value. We are
called silver mon because we are defending
the metal that has been demonetized, but
We are nevertheless for both gold and sill
yer.