Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-07-19

yet the free silver papers of this country
intimate that this Law must have been
wicked, because 1t was tackled en- to the re-
vision Of the mint laws. Why. that is
where it belonged. That was the place to
find II.
Now. was there anything secre. about
It? l deny that il had its origination in
England, or London. or anywhere except
In the brains Of the people who we're lock-
ing after the coinage interests Of the
United States. And l defy Mr.. Harvey
not by assertion-to prove one single item
| that had any reference to the British pep
| pie controlling or directing this matter.
After a correspondence with a large num-
Der Of these experts upon minis and COIN
| age. the bill was framed, and with the
| correspondence was submitted to congress
in the most complete form and with an
elaborate report from Mr.. Knox. which ex
| planned ell its provisions. Every step taken
in the incipiency Of this measure was as
open as the light.
Il am now reading from ny own articles
and consequently l use them without quo
tations. Thousands Of copies CT the bill
were sent broadcast to all parts OF The
country. The Bankers Magazine in its
number Of July. 1870, printed this report
OF Mr.. Knox and commented on the same.
The bill prepared by Mr.. Knox was en-
| dorsed by Secretary Boutwell,, Of the treas
ury. and Transmitted to the senate On
| April %, 1870. The b:ll as it was at that
time drafted dropped the dollar silver coin
OF the United States ard changed the unit
OF value. That was in the original bill as
it was sent to the senate NTH letter from
the secretary. Now. nobody tried to cover
up that fact. In this report OF Mr. Knox
W lat 30
experts to whom had been sent a draft of
the bill and who lad been asked for their
opinion upon it. Those letters were all
printed by order Of the senate in connec-
tior with the carefully prepared report of
Mr.. Knox
Harvey here asked il Horr had the bill
and letters with him. Iforr thought he had
them in the city and would produce them
II he did have them. and continued as fol
lows: Mr. Patterson wrote to Mr.. Knox
and was rrinted in the public documents
for Will say to THIS house that every
single documen: lave referred to l copied
from the hruks OF the government in the
city CT Washington myself, individually. so
know what am .al,iin:, about. Mr.. Pat
terson said: The silver dollar, half dime
and three-cent piece are dispensed with ly
this amendment. Gold becomes the stand
/ ard of money, Of which the gold dollar is
the unit. Silver is subsidiary. embracing
coins from the dime to the half dollar Can
anything be more plain than that? Was
there any covering up Of anything in that
letter."
In reply Harvey proceeded: I'm the in
! terrupted presentation of decentralization I
had called the attention CT the people to
the condition. morally CT congress at the
time OF the passage of the act. had re-
ferred to impeachment charges against
Vice President Colfax In 1873 for fraud in
connection with legislation; 20 the resigna-
ton Of Secretary Of War Belknap for
bribery. I now proceed. after first stating
for Mr.. Horr's information that Del Mar
the English historian. says that the act Of
| 1916. demonetizing silver in England. had
clause in 1t that it might be reinsta.ei by
the king; that that clause giving a right to
, reinstatement was repealed in 1871 and
that the act in which 1t was repealed was
within two weeks in the hands of Mr..
: Knox. the comptroller of the United States
treasury, and was in part the basis of the
act in this country
Harvey repeated that there was an era
OF corruption in congress at that time.
Clinton Colgate confessed before the ways
and means committee of 1873 to the use of
money to influence the incorporation Of
special features in the internal revenue bill.
testifyirg, among other things, that
Charles Sherman, of Ohio. a brother Of
Senator Sherman, had been paid 81, eco by
the New York Stock Exchange in connec-
tion with the revenue bill. The officials of
the stock exchange were subpoenaed. and
the facts developed that while the money
had not been paid, Judge Sherman had rem
IN fhn aynhor 60
ices. and. as he claimed. for securing the
services of his brother Senator Sherman,
to put the bill through. Colgate when he
testified. knew of the transaction and sup
posed the bill had been paid. AS Judge
Sherman was then a United States district
Judge the ways and means committee
turned the whole matter over to the judi
ciary committee. directing it to take action
looking to his Impeachment"
He here read letter from Judge Sher-
man to a member of the stock exchange
in which the judge claims to have been
largely instrumental in securing the re-
peal Of certain taxes on bankers and brok-
ers including the stamp tax. The Judge
incloses letter received from the father
CT the man he was writing to (said father
having died just before the judges letter
was written). in which the Judge was asked
consideration promised. The Judge tells
his correspondent that he went to work
in consideration of what was said in his
correspondents fathers letter. and had
interviews with Mr.. Boutwell,, with John
Sherman. chairman Ct the senate finance
committee. with General Garfield. and
other prominent members of congress. and
the result was that it became the policy Of
the administration to repeal not only the
tax in question. but the stamp and other
obnoxious taxes
Harvey concluded with the words: 1T
would readily exhaust the words of this
debate to go into all the investigations of
that notorious oIgress.''
Horr rejoined as follows: The attempt
OF Mr.. Harvey to suirch the congress of
the United States and make the people of
this country believe that the people who
acted as members of congress in this coun-
try as rule are corrupt and have been
subject TO purchase and SALE can be char
acterized only as infamous. There sit be-
fore me several members OF congress who