Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-09-12


the country?
II YOU answer in the Affirmative, IN
Justice 10 Yourself. you should inform
the country why you voted for Il. II
your answer be in the negative, 1t
should be supplemented by an explaua-
ton of how an act that was honest III
1873 can be dishonest in 1895.
It is true that me vote in question
was east eighteen years ago, out even
-nen you were cid enough TO know the
difference between right and wrong. II
is also true that silver was not at that
time so far below the gold level as 1t
is now: but in this connection you will
allow M TO suggest that
THERE Is NO DIFFERENCE
whatever in principles. nor even in de-
gree so far as the question Of honesty
is concerned. Petty larceny involves the
same moral ObEquity as grand larceny.
II il is dishonest 10 coin SO cents worth
Of silver into q dollar. ii is equally dis
honest TO coin SO cents worth into a
dollar
Bu, neither Of these explanations is
available because OF other highly sig
nificant circumstances in your congress
sional career.
You have probably not forgotten that
YOU were a member OF Inc Fifty-first
Congress and a candidate for the
speakerShip of the House. l am very
certain that the Republican members of
that body from the Far West have not
forgotten how anxious YOU were for
their support, and how earnestly you
reminded them that You had voted for
free silver nearly twelve years before.
l was one Of those western members.
At that tine 1850 when silver bull
lien had fallen 20 less than 70 cents on
Che dollar in gold, YOU certainly never
gave any token that in your opinion
law providing for the free coinage of
-ha, metal would involve financial dis
honor"
All through the long session Of the
Fi.ty-frSt Congress you distinctly rec
cgnizsd the fact that the characterization
of siiyeu was wrong, that the Bland-Al-
liSOn law was too narrow in its scope.
Your utterances at the time plainly
showed tina. you were prepared to go
any length in that direction, if the Re
publcans in Congress would only keep
You company.
You. Of course. remember that there
was a very earnest demand throughout
the country for silver legislation and
that there was a strong silver sentiment
In the House of Representatives, that
the Republican side was itself deeply
t.nc,ured with the free silver idea. and
tha. nearly every member on that side
conceded that some legislation must be
had You will also remsmber the cir
C-mS,ance that the Republicans in cau-
Gus appointed a committee of fifteen, to
endeavor 10 frame a bill upon which
Republicans could unite. That commit
tee consisted of the eight Republican
members of the Coinage committee of
whom / was one and seven leading
Republicans. not members of that COM
mittee. and 0f whom you were On5. So
tina. YOU and I were. for the time being,
COLLEAGUES IN COMMITTEE.
You will not hesitate to admit that
you were one of the most active men,
bers Of the committee. and neither do I.
But there was one statement made by
YOU that / have never for a moment
forgotten. In emphasizing the necessi-
" Of passing q silver bill. in substance
you said: w. must pass a silver bill;
the country demands It; but we must
pass It as a party measure. l am pre-
pared 10 support any bill that we can
unite upon. | can accept free coinage
or the Window Bill" or anything else
upon which we can agrea, but il IS M
perative that we have a silver bill
/ grant that you showed a preference
for some measure other than free coin
ags. and that after some vacillNiOn you
threw your vote in favor of what was
called the Window Bill" l grant fur
Their that YOU may have expressed your
willingness 10 vote for free coinage
merely for effect. knowing that the con-
ditiCn laid down was an impossible one,
and that the Republicans would never
agree upon such a measure. Still the
fac. is that you said it, and there was
no Inconsistency between that language
and your previous record. II major
fly of tha Republicans had declared in
f. or of a free coinage bill l have no
doubt that you would have kept your
word and voted for 1t. Therefore | ask
Won the further question: Did You. in
1890. regard the free coinage of silver
as meaning financial depression and
CONSEQUENTLY. DISHONESTY
in those who advocated that policy? If
not. the country will no doubt be great
" interested in reading your elucida-
ton of the ethical difference between
free coinage in 1890 and free coinage IN
1895.
Finally. | deem it proper to remind
you that up to the very day of your
nomination you were not the choice OF
the extrem gold standard men. They
looked upon your past financial record
with unqualified disfavor. and the some
what uncertain language of the OHIO
platform. which was supposed TO re-
feet you position, filed them with dis
trus..
In the end. however. you were NOM
mated upon a gold standard platform,
and these same men are now your en-
thusiastic supporters.
You have suddenly become as enthu-
siastic as they in your devotion 10 the
gold Standard" which YOU never fail
ed TO attack n Congress when the OPP
porunity presented itself; for even the
WINDOW Bill and the Sherman Law. "
both Of which received your vote, recOg-
nized the fact that the
GOLD STANDARD WAS WRONG
Not only this. but you seem to have
also apparently abandoned the opinions
OF a life time on a question of morals,
and reached the conclusion that the free
coinage OF silver would be both unwise
and dishonest. This change in your