The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-07-27

the second time this bill came up
said: THE senate took up the bill and /
acted upon it during the last congress
and sent it to the house. It was re- |
ferred to the committee on coinage, |
weights and measures, and received as |
careful attention as I have ever known |
a committee to bestow upon any meas
ure. We proceeded with great delib- !
Grafton to go over the bill. not only by |
sections, but line by line and word by |
word. The bill has not received the !
| same deliberate consideration from the
committee on coinage of this house, but
the attention of each member was
brought TO it at the earliest day Of this
session. Each member procured copy
of the bill, and there has been a
thorough examination of the bill
Now, then; the next day, January Z,
1872, the bill, after further discussion,
was again recommitted, and on Febru-
airy 9, 1872, it was again reported from
the coinage committee by Samuel
Hooper, a member of congress from
Massachusetts, and recommitted, sent
| back to the committee. February 10,
/ 1872, it was again reported by Mr..
| Hooper with amendments, printed and
made the general order for March II,
1872, until it should be disposed Of.
April 9, 1872, the bill came up in the
house for consideration. Mr.. Hooper,
| who had the bill in charge, made a
prepared speech upon it of ten columns
and explained the provisions of each
section of the bill. He said: Section
Is re-enacts the provisions of the eX-
listing laws defining the silver coins and
their weights respectively" Now,
mark-"except in relation to the silver
dollar, which is reduced in weight from
1929 grains to 3S4 grains, thus max
ing it a subsidiary coin in harmony
with the silver coins of less denomina-
ton, to secure its concurrent circula-
ton with them
What Kelly Said.
Mr. Harvey pause a moment in the
logical arrangement of this argument
to reply to Mr. Horn. He says that
Judge Kelly, who was chairman of the
committee reporting this bill, said in
1872 something indicating that it was
an honest measure. Now, Mr.. Horn,
read you from volume 3, part 1, Forty
fourth congress, second session Con
gressional Globe, page 40, date, De-
/ d, L.
''Mr. Speaker have none of the re-
marks quoted from me to withdraw.
They were not made on the bill de-
monetizing the standard silver dollar
which was passed and which was
Substitute, never read in this house,
and, being a substitute, was not the
bill to which I had spoken QOng and
continued applause)
On May 10, 1879, page 1895 (Congres-
sional Record, Vol. 9, Part i Mr.. Kelly
again says: In 1872, when 1 made the
remarks which were cited by these
gentlemen. and which have been fire.
quently quoted in both houses, and al
ways with an air as much as to say
that to convict this man of the crime
of having been instructed by the logic
of events would forever settle this mo-
mentous question, we were not using
coin and no gentleman in either house
appears to have appreciated the scope
and magnitude of the silver question or
to have given it special study. Hence
the bill-and I wish the gentlemen to
know what that bill was. 1t was a bill
to reorganize the minis, not to revise
the coin money of the country, but to
reorganize the minis, and it was passed
without allusion in debate to the Ques-
ton of the retention or abandonment
of the standard silver dollar.
Il was chairman of the committee
that reported the original bill, and 1
aver on my honor that 1 did not know
the fact that it proposed to drop the
standard dollar, and did not learn that
it had done it for eighteen months after
the passage of the substitute offered by,
Mr.. Hooper, when I disputed the
fact and was shown the law" Gap
plause)
: Important Quotations.
: Mr. Horr-I am familiar with what
) Mr.. Kelly said afterwards, but 1 am
: now going to read to you what he said
f when this bill was up in the house on
: the report of Mr.. Hooper.
81 wish to ask Mr.. Potter if he knows
5 of any government in the world which
l makes it's subsidiary coinage of full
5 value? The silver coin of England is
l 10 per cent below the value of gold
coin, and acting under the advice OF
the experts of this country and Eng
: land and France, Japan has made her
: silver coinage within the last year IL
per cent below the value of gold coin,
and for this reason it is impossible to
retain the double standard. The value
of gold and silver continually fuctu-
: ates; you cannot determine this year
q what will be the relative value of gold
+ and silver next year. They were Is tC
: 1 a short time ago; they are 16 to 1 now
, Hence all experience has shown thai
II you must have one standard coin which
\ shall be a legal tender for all others
! and then you may promote your do
: nestle convenience by having sub
h sidiary coinage of silver which shall
circulate in a limited value and be re