Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-05-17
TooMBS ON The DOLLAR.


an interview with the Hon. Robert
Toombs of Georgia, and in the constitu-
fion of the date of February a. 1878, pub
lshed the interview, which was as fol-
lows:
There is no man In Georgia whose
opinions upon the current topics are more
eagerly sought and more widely appre-
ciated than those of Gen. Robert w.
Toombs Since the war he has welded in
his quiet way a much greater influence
than statesmen in repose generally do.
And today his voice Is worth more votes
ito any cause in Georgia than that of any
man within our borders. Thus far his
opinions upon the financial question
have not been given, and the opportunity
afforded by his presence in the city was
not to be neglected.
A reporter ofthe Constitution made No.
II Kimball house last night by parallel
approaches, and succeeded In routing
couple of parties who had the general
surrounded. Warmed with his success,
the reporter became unfeeling, and the
general made terms as follows:
General, what do you think of the mon
ey question:"
"Why, 1t is the painest thing in the
world l would whip my 12-year-old gal
grandchild IL she couldn't understand 1t.
There Is no mystery-no secret-no
science about it. 1t is a plain, honest
business question, and ought to trouble
no honest man five minutes"
you think 1t can be settled, then,
without any great difficulty or danger to
the country"
IF there is honesty and manhood
enough in congress to carry out the wish
es of the people there can be none. All
we need Is fair and honest representa-
tion, and then we will come to a fair and
honest settlement of this whole question.
1t is the people and not the damned doc
trinaires In congress who are interested
in this question"
do you favor the reconciliation of
sllver?'
YES sir, 1 do. We ought to get back
to the standard silver dollar, and that Is
the dollar Of 4121s grains, $40 fine All
this talk about demonstration is bosh.
1t was fraud, put through by avenal
congress- set of thieves fixed up the
code and did their corrupt work there,
but we are not bound by it. 1t is not law.
Take our own code of this state. The su-
preme court is constantly driving out Of
it things that never were law. The silver
dollar never has been legally demonetiz-
ed. and If 1t ever has it was fraud upon
the people-a trick that ought to be pun
ished by penalty on the tricksters."
The silver dollar of 412h grains, then,
you consider fair and just Standard"
at Is, and ought to be restored. Why
when Pendleton got up his agitation in
Ohio In 1867 and 1868 by declaring that the
bonds ought to be paid in greenbacks, be-
cause they were bought in greenbacks
the bondholders got frightened and said
we must get rid of these greenbacks
They went to work and had their value
destroyed-they demonetized them and
got them out of the way by an adjudica-
ton of the supreme court. Well, what
next? Why, European nations demone-
tized, some by taking the silver out of
coinage and others by issuing a worse
paper currency. Then the increasing
production of the mines in this country
came in to swell their fears, and so they
XqAta tl,ok bot, L. 49,
were payable in coin gold and silver, or
Its equivalent, at the present standard
value, they must get rid of silver. And
they did 1t. But that makes no differ
ence. The silver dollar then was a dollar
with the value of 4121a grains of silver,
and 1t makes no difference whether there
lever was silver dollar-the bonds are
payable in the equivalent of 4121a grains
of silver at that date"
And that you deem was the contract
of the bondhoders?"
Undoubtedly, and they know it..
kTheir effort is to reduce us down to the
sgold dollar at its then standard value,
fbut the people have some rights as well
as the bondholders, and they are not the
'people / take them for If they do not
maintain those rights. They have the
right to pay what they promised-no
more and no less What did they prom
Else? The very bond upon which the
bondholder claims gold says that the con-
tract was coin, of gold and silver, or its
equivalent at the then standard value.
That Is the contract, and the bondholders
have no more right to demand more than
the government has to offer less"
Have you read Mr. Hills views on
that point?"
Yes and they are peculiar. He says
he doesn't. want to remonetize the
standard dollars because some men
would make fortunes out Of 1t, or, In
,other words, have 10 per cent added to
their money Not at all The Bland bill
Ia a IN
is in the right direction, and the only
change would make In 1t would be to
require the government to buy bullion
and let the people have the benefit of the
percentage upon coinage. They cannot
coin all that is produced, and they can
limit and regulate it's coinage to suit the
demands OF the times. But Mr.. Hill. to
keep from making 10 per cent for a few
people, is willing to take 10 per cent front
the money of the whole people--more
than that, to add 10 per cent to the whole
amount of their indebtedness. If Mr..
Tilden is right in his figures the public
debts of the country amount to 81 ,000, 000,-
900. BY Mr.. Hills plan we are to pay
the creditors bonus of 500, 600 more
than we actually owe them. Nobody but
a nation of fools would think of doing
such a thing as that. The proposition Is
too foolish to be worthy of statesman"
How do you dispose of the talk about
national honor?"
"Oh, national honor be d. What is
the national honor? 1t IS the falth and
honor of the people, and they are guard
ians of that. How can the national
honor or the national credit be Inn
paired by strict and honorable compll-
ance with our obligations? The consti-
tuition of the United States says that no
state shall impair the obligations of con-
tracts. Neither has congress any power
to impair the obligation of contracts
Those are fixed facts, but how does con-.
gress propose to apply them? Mr.. Hill
I. te tat. 10, ho1d hot
would be no violation of the obligation
of the government to pay the bondholder
10 per cent more than we owe him, but
1t would be repudiatlon-awful and
damnng to pay him less than we owe.
Well, now am not In favor of paying
him less than is his due, and that, as
/ have said. is fixed In the face of his
bond. Anything else would be refiec-
ton upon our national honor and ma
tional credit 1t is as much an impair
q