The Irish standard., 1896-08-15
JOHN LlND..'N0Y EXPLAINS.
M sS 6i}s &5
Sets Fortl, His Action In Congress
With Regard to Free
Silver.
eoIaiRlEssIAH BoEI is WRONG
INTERESTING Facts Relating to the Pass
age of the Sherman
Silver Bill.

making inquiries regarding the allega-
ton of eS-Congressman Boon that Mr..
Lind had voted against free coinage in
the Fifty-drst congress:
Wm r. Dobbyn, Esq, Dear sir-In an
sWer to yours Of yesterday, permit me to
say that i'm my judgment, Mr.. Boen would
not have published the statement which APP
| peared In the Minneapolis Tribune of the 9Th
! inst. if he had been more familiar with the
proceedings Of the 51st congress, for | know
Of no reason why he should desire to mis-
lead anyone with reference to my record on
public questions. / can best answer your
inquiries by giving a short resume of the sill
yer iggis'ation OF the 5lst song s wncn re-
| Inc feeling in the house III the 3lst con,
gress, especially among the Western and
Soush members was very strong IN be-
| half Of more efficient silver legislation than
! the Bland law, which was then in force
| There were enough of us who favored the
free coinage OF silver on both sides OF the
| house to have passed such a measure, but
word came from the White House through
! MIR. Window. who was then secretary OF the
would Be vetoed. IN response, however, to
this sentiment, MIR. Conger, chairman or the
committee on coinage, on the 10Th day OF
nnittee bill providing. for the deposit of sill
yer bullion in the treasury, and the Issuance
Of treasury certificates the ,,i HI, Wh 1ie1
been formulated by the treasury department
and was known as the Window bill. III
close q copy of it herewith. It did not meet
the approval Of the bimetallists in the house
Mr.. Bland at the same time reported free
coinage bill from the minority of the COM
mttee; There were enough. bimetallists ,a to
fectly we'll understood that such action
would have been, futile and would
have En- in 5 leEsaGn OF aeg
| who favored free coinage, to the number OF
Is. Of which 1 was one, realizing that a free
| tro6o md 70 RI IL q,
measure less objectionable than the Wtndcm
bill, and one that would treat silver as q
| money metal, secure an adequate, Increase
! Of the circulating medium, and insure free
! coinage at an early date, succeeded in get
ting the Republicans of the house to meet
| in caucus and agree upon bill which pro
partment of silver bullion to the amount Of
s4,5ooooo worth each month, and to issue sa.
fhst as SIX Soon Of as ri reG prca
Of silver should reach 81 for'.s7t.2 grains OF
the free coinage Of silver under ths proyis-
ions of the coinage act of Jan: IS This
| bill. Of which enclose afuoPy; w as known
fered as a substitute for the. Window bill.
discussed the merits Of this bill fully on
the eth day Of June; 1880, aid my views may
Congressional Record. This bill, it will be
observed, provided for the purchase by The
treasury department Of the entlre silver
the bullion price of silver should reach par
ity, purchases under the act should cease,
and the minis of theUnited States would be
opened to the free coinage Of silver. This
| was a rational and the only possible way OF
getting at the subject at the time. II it had
become law, we would have ne silver aues-
ton toCay;' free conag e would have become
an accomplished fact. 1t will pc remeHl-
bered that under the operation Of the Sher-
man act Grona which this free coinage Sc &C.
ricn had been stricken ouD silver Dulilon
went up to within 5 cents OF par. Ii the
sixth section had been retained in tnn nhi,
we would have had free coinage WITHIN Il
month after its passage.
Mr.. Mckinley, who had not then looked at
the White House through a halo OF sod,
and, who was not under The managemends
/! it's adoption, and in support OF It, USED me
| following language: 81 would have this bill
different il GO eould but ut 1t p IS ~ rr1e e
which 1 have touching the silver legislation
which is required, and shall vote for it be
cause it is in the rght Gge st 81 i; and en- m
t terest Of the people. What does it do?
| First, it utilities every dollarftof the, silver
product of the United States. and to that e. *
country eel,i Second It makes i demand for
| that silver product, and IF the friends Of
silver are right, it will 50 increase. the val
ity with gold. 1t provides further that the
very instant silver and gold corhertngether
or the very instant that the bullion value
Of silver, that very instant you have free
and unlimited coinage of Of silver in the Unit
!. 1890. # you and are now fools and re-
budiators'' because we advocate the free
coinage of silver, our Republican, friends
honesty Of their candidate for the presi
| dency is less than six years old.
This bill passed the house and went to the
senate The senate substituted free coin
age. act When the senate substitute came
back to the house on the 18th of June, 1880,
the speaker, Mi Reed. under his construc-
ton Of Rule "a Of the house, referred the
bill to the coinage committee without con-
sulting the house. This was discovered by
myself and others after the adjournment.
tensely hostile to all silver legislation ex-
except on the line of the Window bill.
# this reference Of the bill to the coinage
never have seen daylight again, and We
would have had no silver legislation in the
51st congress. Accordingly. when the 81 house
|. Jones l(see page 6261 of the record a motion
was made to correct the journal Of the prev
ious day (showing the reference Of the bill
the re references to the effect Of which would
to leave the bill With ts senate amend d.
take on that Gay (see page .62G2 of the rec
ord) voted with Bland and the other BIZ
metallists in the house against approving
him fhn et tii strength Of the house The re-
suit If this was that Speaker Reeds action
was set aside and the bill remained ION the
sneakers table, y and later on, q conference
committee was appointed: The Whole mat
ter was then in conference between the two
houses, ard Senator Sherman. under the
threat that anything looking. toward free
coinage would be vetoed by the president.
succeeded In having section six of the house
bill which provided for free coinage of sill
yer when parity was reached. stricken out:
The bill as agreed upon IN conference, and
which was afterwacd called the Sherman
| hill. contained the main features of the orig
mai house bill which l helped formulate.
but with the free: coinage provision stricken
ont as suggested. 1t being perfectly
well understood that anything tut
this would receive the PRESIDENTS
veto, concluded to vote for the eonfe e. ::
better than no bread. Senators Jones, Stew
art, and Teller advised me and the other sill
yer Republicans to vote for the Sherman
bill as it was the best that could be obtained.
We. did so and it became a law. II it had
been administered in the spirit OF its pro-
BILE value to the people and even as 1t was,
violated and misconstrued in its every pro-
vision by both administrations it gave the
country three years of prosperity. ,s5s
| This gives you a correct history of the sill
yer legislation of the Dist congress and my
connection with it.. Mr.. Boon says that |
voted against free coinage on March Ath:
1892. So I did. He knows also just as Wen
as do that it was put forward al that time
/ by the Democrats in the house simply to
Eset a little party advantage. Everybody
knew that, it could not become q law.
Dem ocEats ike Mr. Bynum, Mr.. Turner, Mr.
Breckenridge and others, who have now
boIted the Chicago platform, because 1t
I pronounced for free coinage, voted for the