Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-09-25
POPULIST HAND BOOK
One Chapter to Be Devoted to an Attack on
Senator Sherman.
Chairman Buffers Charge of Du-
plicity Senator Stewards
Answer Prepared.

Chairman Butler Of the populist national
&C mmittee has decided to devote chapter
of his party's hand book to vigorous at
tack on Senator Sherman in answer to the
latter's recent statement that there was
nothing secret about the passa ge of the bill
of 1873 and that nothing was done by any
one to obscure the real purposes of the
bill.
To Star reporter this morning Senator
Butler said that he believed he could prove
that Senator Sherman did everything posi-
BILE to get the bill through the Senate with
out its purposes being known. He accuses
the Ohio Senator of duplicity at the time of
the passage of the bill -.,
''On the 18th of January, 1873" said Sen
ator Butler, this morning, Senator Sher-
man made a free silver speech. The Con-
gressional Globe of the Forty-second Con-
gress, third session, page $50, quotes Sena-
tor Sherman as saying, and this was the
day before the Senator called up the bill
for passage:
"If che fact is proven by the experience
of mankind, 1t is that gold and silver are
the best possible standards of value. They
have been so recognized from the earliest
period of recorded time. However much
nations might differ in religion habits, pro-
duction climate, they have not yet differ
| ed in this primary axiom of exchange or
| barter. Experiments have been tried with
other standards, from the iron of Lycurgus
! to the finest bank note engraving of mod
ern times, but all have resulted in the con-
| viction that goi and silver is the only true
! standard of value
ION the next day, January II, 1878, Sena-
| tor Sherman. in calling up for action the
! bill which demonetiZed silver, said: I rise
| for the purpose of moving that the Senate
| proceed to the consideration of the mint
| bill. 1 will state that this bill will not
| probably consume more time than the time
| consumed in reading It
| This shows that Senator Sherman not
! only tried to mislead the Senate by maki.g
| Senators believe that the bill was an I'M
| important one, but his speech of The day
before was intended to throw every Sena-
bimetallism and the money of the Consti-
tuition believe that he, Sherman, was rs
| strong bimetallist there was in the
| United States
Senator Stewards Reply.
| Senator Butler proposes to deal sharply
| with the Senator. In addition to what the
Senator has to say on the subject will be
| the following, which Senator Stewart has
prepared in answer to Senator Sherman:
| John Sherman pleads not guilty to tn,
crime of 1873 and acts as his own attor-
| ney in discussing the evidence upon which
| he relies for acquittal. The Associated
Press informs us that ne has published a
| letter in which he says some very queer
| ard foolish things. For example. Senate
| gressional Record show indlspntable proof
that the clause in the act of 1873 stopping
| the coinage Of the silver dollar not
SurreptitioCsly and clandcStinely passed
| thro, gh Congress.
| "Mr. Sherman knows this Is untrue, be-
| cause there is not word said al
fusion made in the recorded proceedings OF
the Senate showing that even an allusion
Of any name or nature was made in any
debate in the Senate Of the United States
| with regard to the decentralization Of sill
1fy~r f~o he
debate in the Senate on the codification OF
the mint laws that the bill which took
from silver the right of coinage was a cod
ifcation bill, and was not understood as
| q change of the original law. He further
says: I have never been able to see wha
motive could exist for secrecy in the mat
ter
"Why then. did he not. SIS chairman Of
the committee, tell the Senate of this all
important change in the law. He ha(
charge of the bill and was silent from
beginning to end on the subject. He can
not deny that 1t was subject which h
he went to Paris and took an active par
to get the Paris monetary convention o
1867 to recommend the single gold STANDARD
and wrote a letter to our commissioner
Mr.. Ruggles, urging the adoption Of thu
gold standard. He came back to America
and introduced bill in 1858, demonetizinl
silver ard adopting the gold standard
simply read: "A bill in relation to the coin
age Of gold and silver He reported tn
bill favoraby from the finance committee
but E. d. Morgan filed minority re
port exposing the fraud. He then droppe'
the whole matter and never brought
. to the attention Of the Senate or took an.
| further action in 1t until Morgan had lef
, the Senate. All these efforts on his par
prove conclusively that the demonetiza
ton Of silver was a paramount consid
Grafton with him. If there was no neces
| sity for secrecy why did he abandon tn
l hi NJ vryffI hor Of 70
the Morgan report came in and before tn
bill had ever been read In the Senate
Why did he wait till Morgans term ex
| pired? Why did he change his tactics an
have the provision demonetizing sllve
buried in codif1cation bill, which he pre-
scented to the Senate as such and neve
explained that his hobby was containe
in the bill or mentioned the fact that h
| desired to demopetize silver He saws b