The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-12
Ruin Wrought by the Revo-
luton in Monetary
Systems.
REMEDIES FOR THE EVILS.
White Metal Men Must Unite to
Elect a President, Says the
Missouri Statesman.

happily introduced by Senator Teller with
long-continned applause, and gave the
closest attention throughout his address,
the delivery of which occupied nearly two
hours. 1t was notable fact that fully half
those in attendance were women.
81 have chosen for my subject" said Mr..
Bland, after acknowledging his magnificent
reception, "'The Fight of Twenty Years in
Congress for the Free Coinage of Silver and
the Fight to Come This is the first time
have ever visited silver mining State
since this great battle began. have no
interest whatever in the States producing
the precious metals, and no sympathy for
them beyond the interest and sympathy
have in our common country. The losses
your silver producers have sustained on
account of the demonstration of silver are
not to be compared with the losses of the
farmers of Missouri in the fall of prices of
farms and the products of the soil, conse-
quent, as we believe, on the demonstration
of silver"
Mr. Bland prefaced his review of the
twenty years. battle for silver with an &C
count of the manner in which its demonetiz-
alton was accomplished and gold estab-
lished as the unit of value by the act of
1873.
"While it is evident" he said, ''from the
manner in which the revolution in our mon
etary system was accomplished that it was
done in an indirect and stealthy manner,
yet it was the most important and far
reaching legislation on money ever enacted
by our Government"
The lecturer then reviewed fully all at
-, 10
silver after the effects of the act of 1873
became known. He said the free coinage
bill of 1877, which was vetoed by President
Hayes, was voted for by Mr.. Carlisle of
Kentucky, now Secretary of the Treasury;
Mr.. Foster of Ohio, who was Secretary OF
the Treasury under Mr.. Harrison's admin
istration; Mr.. Herbert, now Secretary of
the Navy, Mr.. Mckinley, now Governor OF
Ohio; Mr.. Mills of Texas, now Senator
from that State, and Mr.. Morrison OF
Illinois, now Interstate Commerce Com
missioner.
1.-THE fact" added Mr.. Bland, "that most
of these gentlemen, if not all of them, have
changed their views upon this question,
should be attributed to the uncertainty of
human opinion and the action OF public
men, for surely the necessity of silver
restoration is as meritorious and urgent
now as it was them"
Regarding the repeal of the Sherman
silver purchasing law, Mr. Bland said:
Impartial history would show that this
result was secured by methods most repre-
hensible and deplorable.
"The moneyed power of this country and
Europe had sought to bring our people and
their representatives into complete subjec-
ton. The vast debts throughout the coun-
try were pressed for collection, and when
debtors went to the banks to secure loans
to meet their obligations they were coolly
told that it was not safe to loan money
| until the repeal of the purchase clause of
| the Sherman act.
"The friends of gold monometallists
| insisted that the repeal of the silver
| purchase clause of the Sherman act would
restore confidence throughout the coun-
try, invite an inflow of gold to our shores
and would bring universal prosperity.
Just the reverse has occurred. We have
sold bonds to the amount of $4,000, 900
since the repeal in order to check the flow
of gold from our shores and to maintain
| the single gold standard. The gold mono
metallists have given the people an object
lesson indeed-one that they will not
forget-an object-lesson that has been the
best educator in favor of bimetallism that
could have possibly taken place.
| Gin all The great battles in Congress on
the silver question the Southern people,
while enthusiastic for silver, have had that
! sympathy and enthusiasm clouded with
! the dread of force bills or Federal inter.
| ference with their local self-government.
Fortunately. however, in the great battle
over the force bill in the Senate the Sena-
| tors of the West, and especially of the gold
and silver mining States, in their opposi-
ton to this measure, which resulted in its
| final overthrow and defeat, have given
assurance to the people of the South that
their political reliance, both for the safety
of their home government and their pros
perity on economic questions, point to the
| West.
THE day has now come when war issues
cannot longer dominate our politics. The
battle of the standards is the greatest
battle to be fought in this country and the
world over. This vast country of ours of
| forty -four independent States and other
vast territory, with over seventy billions of
wealth, increasing at the rate of more than
billion annually, is strong enough to
maintain its own monetary system, to
open the minis to the free coinage of gold
and silver, and thus again restore, not
only to ourselves but to the world, the old
order of things, by which gold and silver
circulated side by side, aiding and sup
porting each other in giving labor employ
ment and effecting the exchanges of COM
merce.
SIN conclusion, attention should be
called to the fact that no President since
1873 has been a friend of silver. The bat
| tie to be fought and the all-important
point to gain is to secure President who
will sign free coinage bill if sent to him,
| and will not use the power and patronage
of his office to prevent such bill coming
to him, but on the contrary will recon-
mend such legislation. If we can once
secure such President the battle is won.
To this point all our energies in the
future must be directed. 1t is not
my purpose, and would be out of place in
a non-partisan lecture or speech of this
| character to indicate how that may be
brought about, further than to express the