The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-06-27
THE KIND OF A MAN
RICHARD BLAND IS
His Beginning and Development rs the
Apostle Of IL to I,
THE ABLESr ADVOCATE OF SILVER
Talks About COinage..Some Hard
Questions and Plain Answers.
Turned Down for the International
COnference...PhilO Bi.
metallism..A Senatorial Pro.
gramme..StOry Of u Refused Testi.
mOnial.
W. b. Stevens. in Globe-Democrat.

W. b. Stevens, in Globe-Democrat.
Shortly before he went out Of con-
gress, MIR. Bland was a guest at a din
ner given to several Missouri members
by ex-senator John B. Henderson.
Bland" said Gen. Henderson, "some
Eastern people were discussing you in
ny presence the other evening. They
est in your professions, whether y,'u
really believe what you talked about
free coinage. They wanted to know
what thought about it"
What did you tell them?" asked Mr..
Bland
II told them," said Gen. Henderson,
that you believed all you said about
free coinage"
II m much obliged to you," said Mr..
Bland.
II told them," Gen. Henderson went
on, after a moments pause, that you
We're honest in your silver professions
because you didn't know any better"
Il don't know that l am SO much
obliged tc you after ALL said Mr.. Bland,
GOO. l,pmoredly.
NchoCy who came In contact With
MIR. Bland while he was in Washing
ton ever questioned his sincerity on the
coinage question. Opinions as to Mr..
Bland's knowledge in that direction
differ according to the standpoints OF
those who hold the opinions. And yet
Mr.. BANDS carnestness of conviction
is matched by his readiness Of speech
on silver. He was never known to be
without something to say upon any
phase Of coinage or In answer to any
argument. OF course, his arguments
did not seem logical or conclusive to
those who differed with him. Judge
Culberson, of Texas, the Father of the
House. was wont to say that Mr. Bland
was the most remarkable debater he
had ever listened to in congress.
"He Is always wound up said the
Judge. HE doesn't have to make
steam. The moment he gets on his feet
and is recognized he starts right off at
forty miles an hour. l don't know that
l ever saw a talker just like him. He
Is u marve! to me-"
The fact is, Mr.. Bland has been hard
student on the money question. While
he has great forcefulness Of character,
he Is personally one of the most modest
OF men. He never makes a show OF his
study, and never utilizss his stock or
information except to carry some point
I'M furtherance of the cause. He Is
never, on dress parade. For years the
leading bimetallists of other countries
have recognized Mr.. Bland as the fore
most representative of that money
theory in this country. Europeans OF
international reputation have sought
his acquaintance and maintained cor
respondence with him.
In -.the eastern view Mr.. Bland Is
wrong, because he is narrow, prejudiced
and ignorant. Mr.. Bland may be all
wrong on the money question, but 1t is
not for want of thought OF information
There Is SO little of sectional prejudice
about him that it almost never shows
in his speeches. He doesn't even lose
his temper when he talks about Wall
street. He insists earnestly that the
men who have money are mistaken In
their views of what will follow the free
coinage of silver. The fact that he
bore no part in the war, though born in
a slave state, helps to show the temper
of the mans mind. Yet If he could have
seen that secession was right what O
fighter he would have been! Mr.. Bland
is a philosophical bimetallist He be.
lieves the double standard, with all OF
the gold and silver there is in the
world for money, is the best thing fol
all of the people. and, therefore, he Is
for 1t.
BLAND'S OFFICE.
The room Of the committee on coin.
age. weights and measures is In the ole
part of the capitol under the dome
opening on side corridor but little
used. 1t looks out on court, and is
warmed and ventilated by an old-fash.
ioned Fireplace with a quantity carved
Carrera marble mantel, one of only
half dozen to be seen in the whole
capitol. There Mr.. Bland was to bt
found when the house was not in ses.
sion, and there was the place to heal
the theory of bimetallism eXpOunded al
its best. In the closing months of the
fifty-third congress. when, after twen.
ty-two years of service, he had beer
beaten at the polls, and when only chaos
seemed to face the Democracy, Mr.
Bland had no doubt Of the ultimate
triumph of the cause Of silver. In 6
number of conversations he forecasteG
with accuracy what has come to pass
He said that the only hope for the
Democratic party to pull itself together
was to take a decided stand for free
silver. regardless of the rest OF the
world, and upon the old ratio. He sale
this must be done, and that the sooner
it was done the quicker would be tht
recovery. 1t wassuggcsted to him thai
there was a very large element in hi.
party which could not follow such ac.
tion. That, he thought, should not bt
considered. He wanted the party tC
commit itself to 1G to / because it was
right in his opinion. He believed thai
with such a platform the country coult
be carried. He believed the election re-
turns of November 1894, would haster
the adoption Of such course by the
Democracy, and just before he went
out of congress he did all in his power
to bring the party to commit itself sc
far as the Democratic representative.
could do it. For that advice and urging
Mr.. Bland was derided by the Demo.
cratic majority in the last congress as
All extremist and a crank.
One day Mr. Bland was asked in tn,
committee room what he really though
would happen If the United State
should pass an act providing that on {
certain date the mints would be thrown
open to free and unlimited coinage O
silver at ratio of IS to 1.
II believe the other leading nation.
would promptly follow" he said. wv,
would have silver restored to it's place
and would 60 on with the double stan
dard."
But, suppose the other nations didn
follow; suppose the United States hat
to maintain free coinage of silver alone
what them" was asked.