Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-06-01
ABOUT SILVER coinage.
Hill Greatly Surprised at Some Of
Sherman'S Statements.
Remarkable That Republican
Voters in Ohio Should Favor Free
Coinage for the Mere Purpose OF
Escaping Half Of Their Obhga-
tions-Shermen's Idea OF inter-
national Circulation.

Albany. n. Y. May Ex-senator Hill
to-day was asked whether he had read
Senator Sherman's speech on the mon
etary question.
Yes" said the Senator, q have care
fully perused Senator Sherman's Zanes-
Vile speech on silver. If an Ohio Dem
ocrat had made the speech there would
have been condemnation all along the
Republican ranks.
The implication startled me, that
there are. in a prosperous State Ike
Ohio. Republican voters who Wish 10
DEGRADE our dollar standard, repudiata
ope-half our public debt and pay their
debts in cheaper money than they
promised to pay
Il have not met such voters in New
York. 1t is difficult for me to believe
that a majority in any American State
or i'm any American Congress will vote
to create q new dollar merely in order
that thereby debtors may eyade the
payment of one-half or one-quarter or
any percentage of what they owe
AND HAVE PROMISED.
That would be worse and more indie
feasible than the creation in 1852, by
Senator Sherman's party, of the full
legal tender greenbaCk dollar. Then
the country was in the agony OF Civil
war. but now there is profound peace.
Until read the latest legal tender de-
cision in 1888, by a Republican SUI
Dreme Court. in billiards case, dld
not think our highest judicial tribunal
could tolerate such Reputation OF pri-
vate contracts by a degradation of our
legal tender dollar. 1t had not been
attempted in our history till 1862.
Whether our standard dollar was sill
YER or gold. or both, it was from 1872
TO 1862 an honest standard, an unde-
graded standard During those sew
entv wears nobody loaning dolsrs felt
it necessary, in bond or note, as now,
to describe the dollars of payment as
gold dollars OF present weight and fine
ness. Not until 1862 did Congress be
Egin to force the circulation of degraded
dollars by imparting to them full legal
tender faculty.
"The failure Of Congress in 1884 to
adopt the European International coin
age ratio of 151a, under-valued silver
and expelled it so that in order to keep
in the country minor silver, the law
Of 1853 authorized the coinage Of small
under-weighted silver pieces, but they
were not
A FULL LEGAL TENDER
This is what Senator Sherman de-
scribes as proper and true bi-metal-
lism. l deny il. II was compulsory
treasury silver purchasing and coming
like the Bland-Allison statute Of 1873
and his own statute of 1890, which diff
fered in no substantial aspect from the
law of 1888. excepting that those Of
1873 and 1890 coined dollars mot minor
silver as did 1859 and made them a
full legal tender.
Senator Sherman said at GAINESVILLE
what was news TO me, that for IA years
after the resumption of specie pay
ments. while the Republican party was
I'm power, we had gold, silver and paper
money passing current in all parts of
the commercial world. I had never
known that from 1880 until 1884, when
Cleveland came, our silver dollars We're
exportable like our gold dollars. One
of my objections to our present govern
ment-taken full legal silver and green
back dollars is that they are not eX-
portable
eve have suspended the compulsory
treasury purchasing of silver and coin
ing of silver dollars. ! urged it in the
interests of international bi-metallism.
The suspension is steadily working in
Europe to that end. 1t
HAS PERSUADED BISMARCK.
If | could have my wish | would not
have the treasury purchase another
ounce of silver, nor coin another silver
dollar under existing conditions, till
the possibility of international BIZ
metallism, ratio of 1919, has been fairly
tested by the whole power of the United
States exerted earnestly and in good
faith by their Congress. their Presi-
dent and the Cabinet, their Secretary
of State, their diplomatic and consular
agents everywhere.