The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-10-05
HERBERT ON FREE SILVER.
THE SECRETARY SHOWS UP THE
FOLLY OF THE DYING ISSUE.


He Declares Himself BimetaIIist
and Believes In All the Gold and
silver We Can Circulate at Par
with Each Other-The Currency
Question One 10 BE Decided on Bus-
iness Principles and Not ON senti-
ment.
Montgomery, Ala, Oct. 4.-Secretary
Herbert was greeted by an immense and
enthusiastic audience at the theater to-
night The people at his old home. regards
less Of political opinions or differences
upon the issues Of the day, assembled to do
him honor, and It was a great occasion.
The speaker was IN excellent form and
voice and was frequently eheered and ap-
plauded, the name of President Cleveland
being received with much enthusiasm
whenever mentioned. This is the scores
tary's first appearance before a Montgom-
cry audience since he went into the cabs
met, and he was exceedingly gratified at
his reception.
Secretary Herberts theme was silver.
lie expressed his thanks for the invita-
tion to participate in the debate and foH
the reception accorded him.
'The question the people are considers
ing" he said. "is whether or not tina
United States government ought to under-
take the Independent. free and unlimited
coinage of silver. This is in itself, tha
most important question we have had be-
fore us since the great campaign Of 1874
when we took issue with the carpet-bag-
gers, who were then dominating our state.
Even setting economical results aside, the
question is important on the conclusion
at which we arrived may depend tha
future supremacy Of the Democratic party
in the United States for years to come.
/ approach this question as biz
metallist; and let me remind you
Of what you already know, that am also
a democrat who has always worked in har-
ness, and 1 never complained that the
party collar chafed me or sat uneaslly on
my neck. / am a bimetallist, because I
believe IN all the gold and silver we can
circulate at par with each other but I
am not the friend of either of these metals
FOR any sentimental reason. What our
currency shall consist of is a question to
be decided on business principles. There
Is a sentimental objection to gold induiged
IN by some-that IL Is the money OF the
rich, but It does not seem to me that this
should nave any weight, because, In my
opinion, the poor man Is entitled to as
good money as the rich. There Is a sentf-
mental argument In favor of the silver
dollar because i is said to have been the
1T does not seem to me that this ar
gument should have any weight because
II is not founded on fact. The fair pre-
sumption Is that neither your fathers nor
mine, or any other mans father wh0rdied
prior 70 1878 ever handled enough silver
dollars 10 Keep him out OF the poor house"
The secretary then plunged into a dis
cussion Of the silver question, and OF the
causes Of the recent panic and hard times,
and IN conclusion said: Il know of no more
effective way Of crippllng the south and
Us industries than for our people to clamor
Tor the payment OF debts already con-
tfacted, and hereafter to be contracted,
in depreciating silver dollars. Fortunate-
ly for this country, the effects OF the panic
or 1893 are rapidly passing away: money
has begun to flow again in its accustomed
channels; wheat has risen in price; cotton
mas risen in price; iron has risen In price;
Industries are reopening everywhero
wages are increasing; and all this comes
from the fact that the capitalists Of this
country, who are shrewd and far-seeing,
and VINO watch with keen eyes the doings
Of every political convention, have come
TO the conclusion that the free silver sem
timent IN the United States 10
to force this country to q silver basis-
They understand that there is no free sill
Yer sentiment in the east, none in New
England, none in New York; none in Ma
ryland, New Jersey, Delaware or Penn-
sylyania. They see that the republicans
and democrats in the state of Ohio havo
pronounced against free silver, that the
republicans and democrats In the state OF
Kentucky have pronounced against free
the other states Of the west and south
are for free silver, and they are confident
as l am, that the people of the United
States, whatever else may happen, viii
In '96 pronounce for the continuance of
sound money for the parity with gold oe
every dollar Of silver and of paper now
afioat or to be aoated in the United States.
Il do not appeal to any low or selfish
motives IN you, gentlemen, when 1 urge
you to place yourselves on the winning
side of this question, but do urge upon
you as democrats, whatever may be your
individual opinions as 70 the advisability
OF enacting a free silver law, to range
yourselves with the controlling Sentiment
of the people Of the United States, which
must and will dominate the next admin
istration OF our government. Let us do
what we can TO have that administration
democratic; Alabama is a democratic
state, deeply interested in the success OF
the party, which, whatever else 1t has
failed to do, has recently in congress pass
ed law to leave the people of the United
States free TO manage their own elections:
another law, making material reductions
in tariff taxations. and which has so far
maintained the financial honor and cred-
destroy the prospects in this coming cam
paign OF our grand old party; you may be-
instrumental In putting the republicans
again in power, but you cannot force free
States.
always been for sound money. They sus-
tanned the law that Benton advocated ana
Jackson approved in 1884, preferring gold
ISL ~ sllFsL st because thsy DeHevea i ~ ~ q cur
tanned Andrew Jackson's specie circular
because they believed in money that was
the very best; they helped to put down the
greenback craze, plausible as the theory
was, because they believed that the COM
merce of the United States, which is push
ing into every port in the world, oguht to
be conducted with money that will be cur
rent wherever the flag of our country may
float; and so they will decide now-our
silver and our paper must be kept as good
gold, our country must keep its place
in the forefront of civilization