Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1895-05-17
BLAND ON SILVER.
THE VIEWS OF AN Ex.REPRESEN-
TATIVE.
The Battle We'll On for an Equality
of silver a. Redemption Coin
Some Facts of History as 10 Its
DPmOuctiZatfOu.

Missouri ex-representative, opened hi
} Colorado lecture tour in Denver, ol
the 1lth inst. An audience tina
filled the spacious Broadway Theate
greeted the silver champion, who wa
happily introduced by Senator Teller
with long-continued applause an,
gave the closest attention Throughout
his address. the delivery of whicl
occupied nearly two hours. 1t was :
notable fact that fully half those il
attendance were women. After &C
knowledging his magnificent recep
tion Mr.. Bland said:
81 have chosen for my subject "The
fight OF 90 years in Congress for the
tree coinage OF silver, and the fight yet
to come. This is the first time ] have
ever visited silver mining State since
this 20-year battle began. | have no
interest whatever in the States pro-
ducing the precious metals, and no
sympathy for them beyond the inter
est and sympathy have in our COM
mon country. The losses your silver
producers have sustained on account
OF the demonetizatiOn 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,
consequent, as we believe, to the de-
monetization OF silver"
Mr.. Bland prefaced his review of the
20 years battle for silver with an ac-
count of the manner in which its de-
monetization was accomplished and
gold established as the unit of value
by the act Of 1873. He then said:
"While it is evident, from the man.
ner in which this revolution in our
monetary 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 govern
ment."
The lecturer then reviewed fully all
the attempts made in Congress to re-
monetize silver, after the effects OF the
act OF 1873 became known. He said
the free-coinage bill Of II, which was
vetoed by President Hayes. was voted
for by Carlisle of Kentucky, now
Secretary of the Treasury; Foster of
Ohio, who was Secretary OF the Treas
ury under Mr.. Hsrrison's administra-
tion; Mckinley, now Governor Of
Ohio; Mills OF Texas, and Morrison OF
Illinois, now Interstate Commerce
Commissioner. Mr.. Bland added:
"The fact that most of these gentle
men, 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 pub
lie men, for surely the necessity OF
silver restoration lie as meritorious and
urgent now as it was then"
Regarding the repeal of the Sher-
man silver-purchase law, Mr.. Bland
said:
Impartial history would show that
this result was secured by methods
most reprehensible and deplorable.
The moneyed power of this country
and Europe had sought to bring our
people and their representatives into
complete subsection. The
vast debts throughout the country
were pressed for collection, and
when debtors went to the banks to Sc
cure 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 monometal-
ism insisted that the repeal of the
purchase clause OF the Sherman act
would restore confidence throughout
the country, invite an inflow of gold
to our shores and would bring univer-
sal prosperity. Just the reverse has
occurred. We have sold bonds to the
amount of SIZE, 100000 since the re-
peal in order to check the flow OF gold
from our shores, and to maintain the
single gold standard. The gold mono
metalists have given the people an OBJ
ject-lesson indeed-one that they will
not forget; an object-lesson that has
been the best educator in favor OF bi-
metalism that could have taken place.
ain all the great battles in Congress
on the silver question, the Southern
people, while enthusiastic for silver,
have had that sympathy and en-
thusiasm clouded with the dread oi
force bills or federal interference with
their local self-government. Fortu-
nately, however, In the great pa''it
over the force bill in the Senate, the
Senators of the West, and especially
of gold and silver mining States, IN
their opposition to this measure
which resulted in its overthrow ant
defeat, have given assurance to thu
people of the South that their politi
cs' reliance, both for the safety o
their home government and thei
prosperity on economic questions
point to the West.
"The day has come when war Is
sues cannot longer domin ate our poll
tics. The battle OF the standards
the great battle to be fought in thi
country and the world over. Thi
vast country OF our Al independen
States and other vast territory, wit
over $4,000, 100000 of wealth, an
with a population OF 7O,OoO.OOo
people, increasing at the rate OF NOR
than 100000 annually, is stron