The Portland daily press., 1895-07-13
THE PRESS.
SATURDAY, JULY Is.
MIR. TALBoTs EDUCATIONAL CAM
PAIGN

When the Hon. George F. Talbot
opened his discussion of the silver ques-
tion he had good deal to say about the
'bumptiousness' of our ''over- confident
opponents" and the offensive display
made of it in proposing to open an ''edu-
cational campaign OF course he
deprecated these things and in
ferentially at least held out the pros
pect that the educational campaign"
which he was about to carry on in the
PRESS was going to be entirely free
from bumptiousness. We were led to
expect calm and dispassionate presenta-
tion of his views on the silver question,
unaccompanied with any aspersions of
the motives of the people who espoused
the other side. But in his article this
morning he seems to have forgotten his
good resolution, and the ''bumptious-
ness'' which he deprecates in the gold
monometalists is very much in evidence
all through his communication There
is that same air of knowing it alp
which he condemns in his opponents
There is also aspersion of motives unac-
companied with proofs The ''moneyed
Glass; is alleged to have been guilty of
deliberately precipitating panics upon
the country for tits own selfish advant-
age. Against Secretary Carlisle the in
sinuation is made that he sold his
opinion for a place in Mr.. Cleveland's
cabinet, and Mr.. Cleveland himself is
accused of driving through Congress ''by
whip and spur" legislation prejudicial to
the interest of the country The refusal
to treat the silver dollar as part of the
reserve is characterized as folly" and
the people who looked upon the Bland
act and the Sherman silver purchasing
act as likely to be productive of mischief
are consigned to the category of very
stupid people who mistook blessing for
curse and drove away the silver angel
with healing on his wings. How much
easier preaching is than practice and
how ready even the silver apostle is, per-
meated though he be with love of the
people and overflowing with the milk of
human kindness, to hit head when
conspicuous one presents itself within
the range of his rhetoric
But really does Mr.. Talbot know it all
His principal complaints in this article
are three in number: first the demoneti-
zation of silver by the act of 1873; second
the repeal of the Sherman silver purchas-
ing law and third the refusal of the ad-
ministration to treat the silver dollar as
a part of the reserve redemption fund
His Indictment against the act of 1873 is
that it was inconsiderate. He doesn't
90 SO far as some of the silver men, and
say it was deliberate crime, committed
by long headed gold monometalists But
it was inconsiderate 1t wasn't discussed
enough, the people hadn't demanded it,
&C. One method of determining whether
an act has been well considered or not is
to ascertain the length of time it was
before the legislative body which passed
it, and the amount of discussion. Now
this bill first appeared in the Senate on
April 25, 1870 in the form of a report
from the Secretary of the treasury. On
April 28 it was referred to the finance
committee. On May 2 five hundred
copies of it were ordered printed. On
June 25 it was submitted to the House
On January TO- 1871 it was passed by the
Senate 36 to a On February 2S, 1871 it
was reported with substitute and recon-
mitted in the House. March 8, 1871 the
original bill was reintroduced and Or
dered printed. January 9, 1872 it was re-
ported and debated. 1t was ssrecommitted
January 10, 1872. February 13, 1879 it
was reported back, amended and printed.
April it was debated. May 81, 1872 it
was amended and passed by vote of ITO
to 49, May 20 it was printed in the Sen
ate. Dec. 49, 1872 it was reported,
amended and printed in the Senate. Jan.
7, 1873 it was again reported, amended
and printed. Jan. II, 1873 it was passed
by the Senate, with amendment. Jan.
2I 1873 a conference committee from the
two houses agreed to the Senate amend
ments and the bill was finally passed by
the House Jan 81, 1873 and became law