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

tually delivered, or that Mr.. Hooper
read from manuscript and omitted in
the delivery certain passages that were
afterward printed. While the record
disclosed the intention to change the
unit to gold, it nowhere revealed the
intention to close the minis to silver.
Mr.. Hooper, on the same day april 81,
goaded to it by an inquisitive member.
said CVol. 3, page 2306) that the bill
f're-enacted existing laws in regard to
silver, except that it changed the size
of the silver dollar from 4121z grains
standard silver to 384 grains" Mark
you, I have quoted his exact words.
He stated as a reason that this would
take the per cent premium out Of the
silver in the present silver dollar as
compared with gold. In other words,
he conveyed the express understand
ing that silver was to be favored. Less
silver was to be put in a dollar. He
did not say that the silver from which
these silver dollars were to be coined
was to be purchased nor that the minis
were to be closed, but he did say that
the bill re-enacted existing laws, ex-
cept to change the size of the silver
dollar. This is the clause providing
for the 3S4-grain dollar, with the right
to unlimited free coinage, that was sur
reptitiously erased from the bill in
1873 before it was enrolled. By the
erasure of this provision or by its omis-
sion in enrolling the bill the minis
were to be closed to silver. This was
now the plan of the conspiracy
The bill had re-enacted the law OF
1853 providing for the purchase of sill
yer for fractional silver coins, but that
law had left the minis open to the sill
yer dollar, but by striking out the sill
ver-dollar clause, the minis would be
closed to silver. This was the point on
which the minds of the conspirators
were focused.
If the change of the unit from silver
to gold passed the gauntlet they were
safe; with copy of the bill sprung at
the last moment emitting this SEN
tence and possibly a further part Of
a sentence in one other section that re-
ferred to it, or with willing clerk to
fraudulently make this omission on en-
rollment, and their object would be ac-
comDlished.
Mr.. Horr-Now, Brother Potter did
speak on that debate, and he spoke the
words that my friend has quoted
Mr.. Potter, in the course of his re-
marks, says just what he (Mr. Harvey
has read, but afterwards ne went or 20
state: In the next place this bill pro-
| vides for the making of changes in the
! legal tender coin of the country. and
! for substituting a legal tender of only
one metal, instead as heretofore of two
You didn't read that part of il for the
same reason that you left OF Il part of
the statute we talked about yesterday,
it was not necessary for the points you
were making now, but if you had read
that it would have shown that tna point
you were making was not correct at all.
| Now, 1 submit to this audience there is
right there in that speach that you re-
fer to, positive proof chat thai bill was
well understood by the people who were
legislating upon it. Mr.. Potter OPP
posed the bill, but he was frank
enough to state that one provision in
the bill met with his hearty approval,
and that was the very provision we ara
debating here to-day
Met with Approval
Potter only suggested that it was not
necessary at that time, because we were
not using either silver or gold as mon
ey. At the same time he afterward
supported the bill and aided in chang
ing the silver coin to the trade dollar.
There had never been but 100000 sill
yer dollars coined, not quite 5000, 600
up to the passage of that bill.
Voice in the Audience-Coin or sill
yer?
Mr.. Horr-I said silver dollars coined.
There had been large amount of sub
sidiary coin, but we lost all CT it by
1858, and we made it subsidiary, and
the coinage after that remained IL the
country.
Now, England, it is true, had de-
monetized silver in 1916. They had
done it because the men who under
stood that subject best in England had
concluded it was best; they were the
clearing house of the world, they were
seeking to get control of doing the
business of the world and they had been
ages trying to find out what was the
trouble when you coin money at a Ger
tain ratio. They found that when a
ratio varied, when it was different from
the commercial ratio, one metal or the
other disappeared from use among the
people and scientifically they decided
It was best to have only one money
standard, and they had adopted this
away back in 1916. Now, my friend in
his book is mistaken; he tells us that
/ Germany followed the United States
Why, Germany demonetized silver in
1871, not in 1873. The edict
was in 1871 and Germany coined
no silver free coinage silver
after 1871. In 1873 the bill was
passed by the legislature, but the law
was in force before that. That is the
record of that government. It is true
: the subject had been agitated in this
country ever since 1870. We neither