The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-07-27


Chicago, July 20.-The Horr-Harvey
silver debate was continued today be-
fore the largest and most enthusiastic
audience since the discussion began.
The act of 1873 was gone into extensive
ly. The essential points are covered in
the following condensed report:
Legislation of 1873.
Mr.. Harvey-The debate so far is of
value in this: It shows that gold and
silver is the money of the
constitution. 2. That the silver
dollars of BIN grains of pure sill
yer was the unit of value in our none
tary system and regulated the other
coins in our coinage system from 1892
to 1873. 8. That silver and gold in con-
current coinage was until 1873 the stan
dard and measure of value of all other
property and the basic principle of our
monetary system. 4. That prior to 1873
when one metal increased in exchange
value over the other the debtor had the
right to pay in the cheaper metal. 5.
That silver was not demonetiZed by the
act of 1873 on account of the overpro-
duction of silver. 6. That $143, 100000
of silver was coined by our minis prior
in 1873. This degate is of great value
in removing these points of doubt, that
are now more or less subjects of gen
eral discussion, and brings us nearer
to the issue in the controversy.
Mr.. Horn, in his closing speech at the
last session, refers to what Mr.. Potter
says as to the support of the bill before
the House. and accuses me of unfair
ness in not reading the whole of Mr..
POtter's speech. 1 called your atten-
ton to Mr.. Potter's speech to show you
that the Introduction OF this mint bill
at the time it was before the House eX-
cited his suspicion, showing that it was
inappropriate to be considered at that
period. Mr.. Potter was suspicious. It
was Congress IN which it was natural
to be suspicious. Mr. Potter was salts
fed that something was wrong back Of
the bill, and by following his speech
through you see that Potter thought it
was a specUsationsin nickle; that the bill
privided for therrecoining of the cent
pieces the way Hooper had it then be-
fore the House, by making these cent
pieces largely of nickel, and Potter,
from the experience of that Congress
mittees there were then in session. sup
posed that that was where there was
something wrong or corrupt. Mr.. Pot
ter was not binetallist in the sense
of understanding bimetalIism, or he
would have seen what was behind the
bill, and later in his discussion I asked
Mr.. Horn 70 explain the inconsistency
between Mr.. Hooper's assertion as to
the bill being fair and Mr.. Potter's sug-
gestion that it made a change in the
coinage system. That was on April g.
Mr.. Potter and Mr.. Brooks, both sus-
picious of the bill, defeated it's being
taken up on that day, and the bill went
over, and on May q it again came be-
fore the House, not in the form of the
bill which MIR. Hooper had been press
ing, but in the form of new bill. This
time Mr.. Hooper presented it in the
form of substitute. Mr.. Hooper called
up the bill offered as a substitute and
closed with this proposition; ST move
that the rules be suspended and that
the substitute be put on its passage. "
Whether the change of the unit from
silver to gold was in the bill up to that
moment is not certain. We have only
Mr.. Hooper's manuscript speech; it may
have been in the substitute.
Mr.. Horr-Before commencing the
regular work of the day desire to call
the attention of my opponent and of the
people who may read this discussion to
statement made by Mr.. Harvey on the
day before yesterday. It is in sub
stance this: That whenever he should
make any statement which I should
fail to deny he should take it for grant
ed from my silence that admitted the
truth of what he said. Mr.. Harvey,
you have no power to force me into such
q position.
Eas. The Paris Conference.
now proceed with the discussion OF
the law of 1873. My opponent, after
spending the whole, nearly as I recol-
lect, of the last session in trying to
smirch the people of the United States
not only the American Congress. but
the people of the city where he now
lives-begins to back water and wants
it understood that he does not intend
to make out that everybody is wicked
have shown you that this bill had its
incipiency among the experts on coin
age in the United States. I should have
stated that previous to 1873 there haC
been a monetary conference held il
Paris-I think he has referred to thai
CONFERENCE.-THE said that Senator
Sherman was present at the conference
1 quote here from w. A. Shaw's His
tory of Currency page 275:
''Fhe fFsts widely embracing inter
national conference proper, however
was the outcome of an expression o
public opinion in the conclave of tn,
Latin Union. It was called at the in
vitation of France and met at Paris OF
the 18th of June, 1857. The states rep
resented were"-now listenL"Austria
Baden, Bavaria, Belgium, Denmark
Spain, the United States, France, Grea