Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1896-10-13
Ignorant of Its Contents


Mr.. Kelly, of Pennsylvania, who intro
duced the bill. declared on the floor OF the
house in 1873 that, though he was chairman
Of the committee on coinage, he was dig
norant Of the fact that 1t would demonetize
the silver dollar" Congressional Record.
volume 7, part 2, page 1859 MIR. Blaine.
who was speaker Of the house when the
bill passed, declared on the floor of the
senate in 1878 that he Ibid not know any
thing that was in the bill at ALL" and that
'1ittle was known or cared on the subject"
(Same, page 1063) Garfield declared that
he knew nothing about it. Congressional
record. volume7. part 1. page 9Se) Mr.. TIol-
man, of Indiana, declared that the passage
Of the bill through the house was "co-
lossal swindle." and never had the sane
ton Of the house." Congressional record,
volume 4, part six. appendix 1882 Mr.. Can
non, of Illinois, said: Neither members Of
congress nor the people understood the
scope Of the legislation" Same. page
1913
In the senate the bill was taken up for
consideration on the 18th Of January. 1878.
and debated and passed on that day. AL
the debate that was ever had upon It IN
that body took place on that date.
The bill. as 1t passed the senate, contra.
diets in plain terms some positive asser.
tons made by Mr.. Sherman during the de-
bate upon 1t as to the provisions it con-
tanned. concerning the standard silver
dollar. It demonetized silver, which he
declared to the senate 1t did not. Mr..
Hooper had misled the house by omissions
and eyasions and indirections; Mr.. Sher-
man deceived the senate by direct misrep.
reservations. This was the Crime of 1873"
The Proof of Deception.
The ineffaceable proof of this serious
accusation Is contained in the report of
the senate proceedings of January II, 1873
in the Congressional Globe. from which
| I will quote some passages: Congress
sional Globe parts and 2, third session.
| Forty-second congress, pages 66S-C74.
There was no reference in the debate to
the fact that the bill would abolish the
legal tender quality of silver. The house
bill changed the weight Of the silver dollar
from 41211a grains to 1884 grains, and made 1t
like the smaller coins, legal tender tor
| five dollars only Mr.. Sherman had re-
ported an amendment to strike this out.
and insert instead trade" dollar, to
! weigh 42O grains, with the same limitation
as to the legal tender quality. The bill pro-
hibited the issuance from the minis of any
coins not named therein. This was to make
sure that the 4129-grain dollar would not
survive by any implication.
The question may be asked how could
Mr.. Sherman thus deceive the senate. The
reply Is that the bill was being hurried
through by him on his statement, at the
outset, that its consideration would not
| PROBABLY consume any more tlIu6 lldI
the time consumed in reading It,
That meant that its II sections contained
nothing of sufficient Importance to even re-
quire explanation by him, much less to cal
for debate. 1t was represented by him tc
be merely bill to enact into law some
changes In the m!ntage Offices deemed nee
essary He evidently satisfied senators
that 1t was not worth their serious atten
ION, Those who have any acquaintance
With senate proceedings understand very
Well that such mere routine legislation a!
this was represented to be attracts M
attention in the senate chamber. The sen
ator in charge is trusted to truthfully stat
Its objects. and no one thinks of doubling
his word.
Tho Testimony of Senators.
That no suspicion was being entertained
at the time that silver was being demone
, tized by the bill is evident from the declar
atoms subsequently made in the senate II
1873. On February Is. of that year. Senate
Thurman said:
~ cannot say what took place in tn
house, but know. when the bill was pendin,
In the senate, we thought it WAS simpl,
a bill to reform the mint. regulate the coin
: age and fix UP one thing and another, an
, there Is not q single man in the senate,
think. unless member of the committe
: from which the bill came. who had tn
slightest idea that 1t was even squfn
toward demonstration"
/ On the same day Senator Allison said:
, But when the secret history of this bi
comes to be told 1t will disclose the fac
. that the house of representatives tntende
to ruin both silver and gold and intende
. to place both metals upon the French re
j. lation instead of our own, which was tn
true scientific position of this subject
1873"
On the 3Oth OF January. 1873. Senator Bee
said:
= ut (the bill demonetizing silver) neve
= was understood by either house of congress
say this with full knowledge of the fact
+, No newspaper reporter, and they are tn
i most vigllant men ever saw In obtainin
;, information, discovered that 1t had bee
. done"
: From the record, which have faithful
:, reproduced, 1t is impossible to reach on
: other conclusion than that the confidene
= of the house was abused by Mr.. Hope
a that the confidence of the senate WE
a abused by Mr. Sherman. and that by the
~ Joint efforts the most important pieco
legislation of the century was carrie
"a through congress by stealth, and the doub
Ia standard, which had existed by the will
10 the people for more than so years, WE
"a taken away from them without their col
~ sent or knowledge, In the interest of alien
~ by the manipuations herein described.
- am. very truly yours,
- GEORGE G. GORHAAI.
J. Washington. D. G., September s. 1896
N Since the leading nations, Including tt
Int