The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1896-09-28


slipped through the house. as the rec
ords show.
But let us see what Sherman had TO
say about the act in 1876, when the mat
ter should have been fresh In his mind.
On March 30, 1876, Senator Bogy, or
Missouri, was making some remarks on
the bill to amend the laws relating to
the legal tender quality of our silver
COINS when he was interrupted by Sen
ator Conkling. who inquired:
"Will the senator allow me to ask
him or some other senator a question?
Is it true that there is now by law no
American dollar? And if so, is it true
that the effect Of this bill is to be to
make half dollars and quarter dollars
the only silver coin which can be used
as legal tender?"
John Sherman undertook to answer
the question, and the reply coming from
the chairman of the senate finance com
mittee. and the chief concOcter or the
act of 1878, must be regarded as re-
markable. lie said:
IL will answer the senator from New
York, that since 1858 the use of the
silver whole dollar has been discontin-
ued, and none has been issued. That
has been so since 1863"
This was another fabrication, for the
law of 1858 relates wholly to subsidiary
coins. 1t reduced the amount of silver
in these coins to prevent their export
to the French mint, and took away their
full legal tender quality, making the
halves, quarters and dimes legal tender
to the amount of 50 only.
Mr.. Conkling persisted in inquiring if
there was now by law no American dol
lar, and asked if there was no power to
issue it. To this Sherman replied that
"there has been no silver dollar issued
since 1853, and my impression is that
the law of 1853 did not confer the power,
but the law of 1873 cut off the power, in
my Judgment, if it existed"
And yet over 100000 standard dol
lars were coined at our minis from 1871
to 1873.
Now this was what John Sherman
said on March 30, 1876. On the 2Jth
Of April, only twenty-siX days after he
had made the remarks which we have
quoted, he made another statement
which it is interesting to compare with
the lie which is now sent out by his
authority. The Congressional Record
shows that he said on the 25th of April
1876:
"The act of 1873 did not in the slight
est degree demonetize silver. The
right to coin the silver dollar. which is
now proposed to be authorized. has al
ways existed in this country; has never
been taken away. It is the legal dollar
today and the silver dollars that are
now outstanding are a legal tender for
all amounts unless the legal tender has
been taken away by the revised stat
utes. The act OF 1878 simply
leaves the old dollar where the law of
1853 left it. 1t says nothing about it,"
And vet twenty-six days previously
he had declared that the law of 1873 cut
off the power to issue silver dollars if
the law of 1853 did not More than
that after his shutting and stumbling
in 1876 he declares twenty years after
wards that mo man IN either house pro-
posed to retain the old silver dollar"
w ny, the ldOHer OF d'Ctlt htiilHtll ''iii-
not show such a record as this. 1t is
enough to make Satan green with envy
What public man has ever been shame
less enough to make such a record as
this and to vary it with constant
stream of misrepresentation in regard
TO every question Of Importance that
comes up for discussion? In congress
and out of it, Sherman seems to glory
in the shame of it, 1t is this faculty
that keeps him alive and gives him
strength to conspire against the pros
pcrity Of the people. But let us take
courage and thank God that, as we
have had but one John Sherman in our
history, we are not likely TO nave
another.