The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-08-31
SENATOR WHITE TALKS.

Senator Stephen M. White addressed q
San Francisco audience of fellow Demo
Gratis Saturday night. Either Senator
White did not know what he was talking
about or he deliberately played upon the
supposed ignorance and stupidity of his
hearers. He said: 1.-THE Bland act made
silver legal tender, and thus far it was
all that could be asked, but it limited the
functions and power of silver to the ex-
tent of its coinage"
If there is now or ever was a "Bland
act'' the people of the United States would
be Obliged to Senator White if he will in
form them when and where it was enacted.
The records of the proceedings of no Con-
gress make mention of any such act. In
1877 Congressman Bland introduced tree
silver coinage bill in Congress, but it never
became an "act." His bill was reyamp ped,
however, and when it reappeared before
Congress it bore little if any resemblance
to the original bill. 1t was then called the
ALLISON Bland" bill, and it subsequently
became san act of Congress-"
No doubt it was the Allison-Bland act
Senator White referred to, but whether so
or not, it is very evident that he got him.
self very much mixed up. He said the
act Limited the functions and power OF
silver because it restricted the extent OF
its coinage" Since when did silver have
functions and power (of money! in any
form other than as coin? The meaning OF
the Senator's assertion is that because the
coinage of silver bullion into silver dollars
was restricted, silver bullion was deprived
of the functions and power of silver dol
lars. That is what silver-mine owners
complain of.
The idea of the Senator appears to be
that it is the duty of the Government to
confer the function and power of money
upon silver bullion, and in order to do
that the price of silver should be advanced
by law to where silver bullion weighing
371H grains would have the same "func-
ton and power" as that number of grains
in the form of coin. In other words,
Senator White is very anxious about silver
bullion, and wants free coinage of silver
so that bullion will have the function and
power of coins. The Senator out Bryan
Bryan.
But Senator White was good enough to
admit that there is no certainty at all that
the Democratic partys free silver coinage
scheme would work. He said: Never
can there be fair test between gold and
silver until both are given the same
chance before the law" This is an ad.
mission that the Democratic party is play.
ing game of chance with the monetary
system of the country, and that no one
can foretell what the outcome will be. Ex-
Governor Boies is quite in accord with
Senator White. He says free coinage
would be an experiment, but he wants to
begin and keep on tinkering with the
country's circulating medium until the
fright spot is touched"
Senator White should be sufficiently
well acquainted with the people to know
that they are not interested in comforting
the function and power of money upon
silver or gold bullion for the sake OF the
bullion, nor are they in any mood for ex.
perimental work upon or tinkering with
the conntry's monetary system. But
thanks are due the Senator for emphasiz.
ing the fact that Democrats DO not know
enough about economics to be trusted
with the affairs of the Government