The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-05-21

CovlSGroS. Ky, May e0.-Thc uccro.
tary Of tho United States treasury, tho
Hon. john G. Carlisle. opened the dis
cussion OF the question OF sound money
hero tonight at Central Gard on.
The beginning Of tho address was do.
laycd by street demonstration Of con.
siderable magnitude. l. was S:25 whom
Secretary Carlisle, escorted by Congress.
man Asberry and others, entered the
hall. Twenty minutes later Hon. Mr..
Asberry introduced tho speakcr In n
brief speech. After tumult OF up.
plause. again and again repeated, Mr..
Carlisle began his address.
Secretary Carlisle criticised tho man.
aecmont Of tho treasury undos tho
Harrison administration and then went
into the silver question. saying:
Whether We shall continue to preserve
our existing monetary system, under
which all the dollars In use, whether
they be gold. silver, or paper, possess
equal purchaiing power in the markets,
or provide bylaw for the free and un-
limited coinage OF silver dollars con-
tanning il2l grains Of standard silver,
and make them the units and mea,ures
OF value In tho exchange OF commodities
and in the payment Of debts, is by far
the most important question that has
been presented for the consideration OF
tho American people during this genera.
tion; and that question now confronts
us. Tho free coinage OF silver and tho
substitution Of new unit and measure
Of value for the existing one in the bust.
ness transactions OF the country Is no.
an ordinary experiment which can be
safely tried to-day and abandoned to.
morrow II found injurious, because tho
immediate consequences Of such a step
would be 30 ofar.reaching and so endnr.
ing that thev would continue to be felt
Tor years ai.or the policy had boon re-
versed. 1t is incumbent. therefore.
upon those who insist Upon the adop-
tion OF this revolutionary policy TO show
plainly and conclusively in advance not
only that 1t would result In no injury,
but tha. it would be positively bene-
fetal, Tor il not positively beneficial the
change would at least be wholly useless.
This cannot bs done by appeals to tho
excited passions aud prejudiccs OF the
people, By attempts. to array ono class
OF our citizens or one section OF our
country against another, or by the use
Of e1travaGant statements unsupported
by facts and reasons. The questions in
volved arc too serious. the interests 10
be affected arc too large, aud tho com.
mon sense Of tho people IN too strong to
justify or even excuse this course Of
treatment.
THE ACT OF 1873
The allegation. even il 1t were itrue,
that great crime was surreptitiously
committed in 1873, or at any other time,
does not prove. or even conduce 10
prove, that tho free coinage OF silver at
the ratio ot l6 to would DO beneficial
to the country under tho conditions
now existing. But, gentlemen, it Is true
that tho act OF February l2. 1878,
which made the gold dollar the unit OF
value and dropped the standard silver
dollar from the coinage, was passed by
stealth, or that its purpose or effect was
to deprive the people OF tho use Of any
coin then in use or thon in existence in
this country. That bill was pending in
Congress for nearly three years and was
under consideration during five sessions
OF that body; it was distinctly recon-
mended in two reports OF the secretary
OF the treasury and the director Of the
mint, and it was officially printed and
laid on tho desks OF thetmembers OF tho
house and OF the senate thirteen diier-
m II m as haforo tb a q >, al yota - Of ol,on
on it. It was road ut longth In the
open senate several times. and in tho
house at least once, as shown by tho
record; it WAS reported from commit.
tees seven times, and the discussion
upon it in tho house fills sixty.six
columns Of the Congressional Globe,
and in tho senate seventy.eight
columns. As. frat reported to the SEN
ate and passed. by that body in January,
1871, the bill did not provide for tho
coinage OF any silver dollar whatever,
butexprossly limited the coinage Of that
metal TO subsidiary pcces-half dollars,
quarters and dimos. In this form, with
out any provision for tho coinage OF any
kind Of silver dollar, tho bill was passed
in thosenato on tho 10th, day Of Janu-
airy. 1871, upon tho call OF tho yeas and
nays, and tho record shows that the two
senators froEl kentucky, Hon. Carrot.
Davis and Hon. Thoma, e. McCroery;
the distinguished Democratic senator
from Ohio. Hon. Allen G. Thurman;
tho present senator from Nevada. Hon.
William NJ. Stewart, together with all
tho other senators from tho Pacific
slopo, voted in tho affirmative, while
Senator Sherman, Senator Morrill, and
twelve others voted in tho negative
Tho reason given by Mr.. Sherman for
voting against the bill was that tho sen.
alto had. in obedience to tho demands OF
tho senators from tho Pacific coast, so
amended the bill, after it was reported
from tho committee, as to abolish tho
charge Of ono.iiith of ono por cont for
coming gold, thus making tho coinage
OF that metal entirely freo.
40 MYSTERY ABOUT IT.
Tho bill went TO tho house Of ropre.
sontatiycs, but 1t was not disposed OF
during that Congress, and at the frat
session OF tho next Congress Mr.. Kelly,
Of Pennsylvania, introduced It in tho
house and il was referred to com nit
toe. So far rs tho coinage Of tho silvor
dollar was affected, tho bill introduced
by himwa precisely tho same ms tho
ono that had passed tho aenato--that is,
it made no provision for such coin.
llowover, when tho bill was finally rc..