Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1895-07-25
Charged with nriberx.


Charged with bribery.
Mr.. Harvey Among the many charges
of corruption made at the period. 1873, there
was one of significance when we consider
that silver was demonetized by a single
sentence being omitted from the report of
the conference committee and enrolment
OF Tie mint bill; and indicates the power,
In this instance, a corrupt clerk could have.
George A. Bassett, clerk OF the ways and
means committee. 1879, was charged with
having demanded $3.50 per month from
the bankers and brokers of New York 10
assist then. In repeating the tax on borrowed
capital. and 5000 when the act passed.
The Chicago Tribune Of Feb. II, 1873, the
very month In which silver was demoae-
tized. said. Turkish corruption under the
pashas and beys, or Russian official rot
tenness, could scarcely be worse than It II
here tApplausel.
stands Up for Americans.
Mr.. Horr: mir. Harvey still continues to
rest his case upon an attempt to prove that
the human family Is made up OF scoundrels;
that there is no such thing as honor among
the people of this or any other country.
The Infamous statement that every man
has his price ought to be branded upon the
brow of every man who will quote it In
earnest, because IL Is a lie against human
ity dong continued APPLAUSE II is equalied
only by the other statement that there Is
no such thing as virtue among the women
Of the United States or any other country"
Mr.. Harvey: II don't make that state
ment."
Mr.. Hor.: THAT was a motto that no
body but a villain like Aaron Burr ever
could have originated, and i am surprised
that In the nineteenth century a man will
stand up before an American audience and
base his case upon the proposition that
the people Of our grand republic are mostly
villains; because ! say to you In all candor
. -atar ~ rpnrrnSa fnilo nm a.,
h.nesty and decency to the average Ameri-
can people. l know IL because I have been
one myself. you know Qaughterl. But what
has all that to do with whether this bill
was properly presented and discussed2 I
an familiar with what Mr.. Kelley said
afterwards, but l am now going to read
to you what he said when this bill was
up In the house on the report of Mr..
Hooper. 1t Is not a speech .nat was
printed by leave This took place on the
floor of the house. 1T Is impossible TO re-
tain the double standard. The value Of
gold and silver continually huctuates; you
cannot determine this year what will be the
relative value of gold and silver next year.
They were Is to / a short time ago; they
are l6 to / now. Hence all experience has
shown that you must have one standard
coin which shall he a legal tender for all
others"
The Act of 1873.
MT. ftOTE tutn iOOh uk TIE uiStDTy Ol tUs
demonstration act and proceeded TO show
the stages through which 1t had passed.
and that it's final enactment was not until
after II had been before congress for more
than three years.
Mr.. Harvey then returned 10 the attack
upon the honesty of legislators throughout
the country, including congressman In the
Colorado and Illinois legislatures. This We
nality was sapping the foundations of the
government as IL had sapped the founda-
tons and destroyed every republic of the
past.
Mr.. Horr again returned to the defense OF
the honesty Of the American people. lie
said Mr.. Harvey merely picked out a few
corrupt men, and drew from them the
proposition that the people of the nation
were corrupt. Why. II Mr.. Harvey had
lived In Jobs time he would have looked
over that unfortunate mans sores and would
have given out and published throughout
the world that all Challeu was an immense
carbuncle.
Mr.. Horr then, amid laughter, said he
would return to the question under discus
sion, aud proceeded with the history OF the
characterization act, pointing out how the
bill had been read In full several times and
printed separately eleven times and twice In
the reports of the controller of the curren-
cy. The debates In the senate on IL occu-
pied sixty-six columns in the Congressional
~ Az ANbOAN Va t"S -
was stated that 1t had been examined line
by line and word by word, and was finally
passed. He would show that. In so doing,
the senate knew what it was about.
Mr.. Harvey, In reply, said that Mr.. Horr
would have to retreat from his position
when the proper time came. In point OF
fact, the bill about which he was talking
was not the bill finally passed. Judge KEEL
ley, in presenting the bill In Che house.
said that Ii was merely a codi.cation of the
mint laws. In response to a question,
Judge Kelly replied that the bill made no
change in the value Of the coins Of the
nation. In 1872, when the bill came up
again, II was spoken Of as a bill on a dry
subject, and members lost interest. II was
at that time. as appears from the Record.
that the frat disclosure Of the Intention to
change the standard to gold was made In a
speech by Mr.. Hooper. But there was rea.
son to believe that the speech was not act
ually delivered, but was printed by leave
that Is, Ii was read from manuscript and
these words omitted. But no reference was
made to the decentralization Of silver. On
the enrolment of the bill, a clause was
omitted which had the effect Of limiting the
coinage Of silver.
Mr.. Horr replying, charged Mr.. Harvey
with quoting q single sentence. and leaving
out the modifying context. The record
showed that the statement was made In Q
running debate, and was not under leave ts
print. In the very speech referred TO by
MIR. Harvey the speaker said that the bill
provided for a standard sin a single metal"
instead of, as before, In two metals, and
that all coins, except subsidiary coins,
should be Of gold. Mr.. Horr then spoke Of
| the demonetization Of silver In 1916. as the
result OF experience in the use of the double
standard. In 1871 Germany adopted the
gold standard, and threw on the market
S3oO, oO0,O In silver. Ii was this that set
the world to considering the silver question
not any gold-bug conspiracy. The fnan-
clal policy OF no great nation was ever
dominated by a conspiracy.
Questioned by Spectators.
In replying to the large assortment Of
questions put to Messrs. Horn and Harvey
by spectators, the most interesting colloquy.
perhaps, was at the very end of the days
proceedings. This conundrum was put by
Mr.. l.. G.. Powers OF Minnesota:
You said yesterday my answer Is, first,
that / did not say that l had forced them
10 change IL or 10 correct any mistake
In Coins financial school up to date page
l52, you say: ''Coin here explains how an
error had crept into the official report OF
the treasurer, that he has since forced the
treasury department 10 correct that error
Please explain the NANTES discrepancy"
Mr.. Harvey: '.The answer Is, Coin, a lit
tie boy In knee pants. represents the cause
Of bimetallism; he does not represent me