The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-07-21


IL was near the end OF the session when
Horr. breaking away from the long con-
f1nueo discussion OF the clTcun1sI an@es
surrounding the enactment OF the law Of
1873. stated comEaotly his version Of the
existing conditions of the debate and
then pumped the main question: Ought
We again 10 throw open the m.nts OF the
United States 10 the free coinage OF sill
ver2'
Mr.. Harvey was evidently taken by sur
prise but stood BY his guns and insisted
upon proceeding with his attempt 10 prove
thai the dem0Retization OF silver was
accomplished with a surreputiousness
that was criminal
Here is what Mr. Horr said preparatory
10 springing the chief issue. There are
things about which AR. Harvey and my
self differ. and some about which We
agree. He thinks our fathers established
a single measure OF value: that that
measure was 371.. grains OF pure silver,
and that gold was made q simple COM
panion metal Of silver and that its value
was TO be all the time measured by a
silver dollar. | believe those early pa
trtoJs attempted TO establish measure
OF value of the metals. gold and silver.
and that they supposed they had hit upon
ratio which would secure The use Of
both gold dollars and silver dollars side
by side. We agree that up TO 1884 the
measure of value in actual use in this
country was the silver dollar / assert
that in lSi the ratio was changed. that
the gold dollar was made smaller. He
admits that. | insist that when the gold
dollar was cheapened IL became the actual
measure of values in this country and
remained so up 10 the suspension of
specie payments. that the silver dollar,
though still legal measure of value, was
not used in this country as the actual
Ia
both agree that from 1862 20
1873 the domestic business of this
country Was done by using the greenback
dollar as the measure Of values which
was during none Of these years equal TO
the value OF either the gold dollar or the
SILVER dollar. he states that in his book
anu we agree. Now mark. we both agree
that IN lNS the coinage Of silver dollars
was stopped by law. and that since 1879
since the resumption of specie payments
the domestic and international business Of
TINS country had been done on a gold
BASIS We agree that Great Britain has
been on a gold basis since ISI6 no DISPUTE
abotlt II. claim that Geruiahy ceased the
coinage Of silver IN 1871 and he claims
that II was not done until later. in IS73
but we both agree that Since January /
S'i Germany has been entirely upon a
gold basis. We agree that the nations
4 III. Ok
France Belgium. Switzerland. Italy and
Greece, are all OF them today gold stand
ard countries. There is no dispute be-
tween us that British America and Aus
triiia are also gold standard countries
We agree that Mexico. China. japan and
several OF The republics of South America
are silver standard nations There is to-
day no nation OH the face OF the earth
thai is actually using double standard
The actual measure Of value In each of
the countries OF the world is either gold
alone or silver alone. except in some coun-
tries where depreclated paper money IS
the only circulating medium, and metal
money Is bought and sold as a commodity.
Just as was the case in this country dur
Ing the suspension of specie payments
Mr. Harvey claims the law OF 1873 was
secretly and fraudulently passed. He
won't deny that he claims that. | have
denied 1t. and still deny IL. / say there is
not grain OF truth in such statement.
But we both agree that the law was pass
ed and IS in force today Now the irnpor-
tant question before the American people
at this moment, and the one we are here
70 discuss. Is: Ought the law TO be re-
pealed? Ought We 10 again throw open
the mints Of the country TO the free coin
age or silver upon the old ratio OF r. 10 !.
when The actual rating value In the mar
kets Of the world IS fully 50 to r.
Mr.. Harvey-When l have cad the
printed record Of what AIR. Horr has lust
now said IL VII be time enough for na
to take up a new subject | am not done
w4th the present subject yet. rhe act Of
ls55 served ;be purpose Of the .aea who
were seeking TO overthrow the constitu-
tlonal standards OF money in his way.
In 1855 on account OF expectation OF our
silver coins by reason Of the French ratio
Of l5i2 10 ] being less than ours. Is TO l.
congress preserving the silver unit. or
dered hy act mat the fractional silver N
cents ana less. should Se cut down in size
10 the French ratio 70 stop its xporta-
t.on The silVe~ unit was preserved and
could De preserved without even coming
a single ono Of them. IL would regulate
the other coins al thc same Now tnelr
fractional silver hal its legal tenser
character faks7 srom IL because il VAS
no- ~ full weight. n was not made fun
weight because of the expectation. aut
81 was made non-legal tender because Il
was no. 90 full weight. awaiting further
consideration whether we would GO 70 tNe
T'r%nrh ratir as a whole Or not. 80 that
when RE hiI On 1873 MAS being -nuside~-5.
pt r1s tine when ooho1F was thinking
about c0lns arA very FEW knew anything
ahou. q. these men who were steering
the bill said. We are re-e1acttng the acc
~ 1855 There cannot be anything wrong
ahout tNat. ard that fS What Trey made
senator's ana cc-erssstreu hcievs thav
were aoiuF. excert th2t they were going
- reHu-e the SIZE - :D0 silver dollar So
rut MS ca the French ratio. but they were
talking ~ men who knew nothing about
hi-rsetafls1n o. the previous history %
coinage The art ~ lS11 served their pur-
pose 70 eet ne language - fhe hsn con-
crrniuE rhe fractional coin. and the pre-
reaf~r clause tna- ha1 the foiiar tr %
f-t1 sNe fanCuags - the act - - s.
All tNat thev had - - vas - ssrIko out
tha line tnat hai the foua- - g. lhe
words % the act ~ ISIS. which Waz a
r~ee -ot-sre fol'ar. snd there Won had
a. a., without any free coinage about -.
= have before vae On ibis tah,e The files
~ the Chf-aEo Tribune from iS-A T.
NtH vas passed ~ the senate on January
= 50 tHas the morning pspers of ..le .tA
would contain any nevs showing iaat tis
fssrlfssrlen IA laws o. tho government haS
tsen changed TIE ersiv reference IA. ar
peas n that paper ts n = press telegram
Fra1, Veshtn E;ou CITY. walsh is this L
rexasfs. NJ. sherman called up the BIZ %
revise ana a-nCnd the laws relating ~
n frts. assay ofices an1 coinage % tho
rrnftef states which WAS amended ana
ysasse1.' That - az Ore - the money
metals - 30 UrtfeG States as Il SIS r7ovv
s.oFp-s,f ~ was struck DOM ~ 1Eas hsH.
one % me moneys ~ tte eersti-1 ts,e-f has
f,rs7 overt hraVit fhe Solar shnt rad reRf-
lated a3I o.Asr cssns haf aee1 sroaShes+