New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1896-08-12

9SSeAoA AA<1SA OCCA GltslASO Tl04I1lG OllA-sWG
would have had Free Coinage within q
month after its passage.
Mr.. Mckinley, who had not then
looked at the White House through q
halo Of gold, and who was not then u:,-
der the management Of Mr.. Hanna, so
understood it, advocated its adoption,
and in support of it used the following
language:
"Iwould have this bill ld1fferenti could,
but it represents the purpose and the
idea, not fully it is true, which I have
touching the silver legislation which is
required, and shall vote for it because
tits in the right direction, and embodies
much which is good and all in the inter-
est of the people. What does it doa
First, it ntilizes every dollar of the sill
yer product of the United States, and to
that extent, it is just to the silver pro,
ducers of the country. Second, it makes
demand for that silver product, and if
the friends of silver are right, it will so
increase the value of that product. as to
bring silver in parity with gold. It pro-
v1des further that the very instant silver
and gold come together or the very in
stant that the bullion value of silver
shall be equivalent to the coin value of
silver, that very instant you have free
and unlimited coinage Of silver in the
United States. See page 5,s12 OF Con-
gressional Record for June 7th, $780,"
If you and are now STOOLS and repu-
diators" because we advocate the free
coinage of silver, our Republican friends
must Dear in mind that the wisdom and
honesty of their candidate for the presi-
dency is less than six years old.
This bill passed the House and went
to the Senate. The Senate substituted a
Free Coinage Act. When the substitute
came back to the House on the 18th of
June, 1890, the Speaker, Mr.. Reed, un-
der his construction of Rule "a of the
House, referred the Bill to the Coinage
Committee withcutconsultlng the House.
This was discovered by myself and 9TH
els after the adjournment. The Coinage
Committee of the House was intensely
hostile to all silver legislation except on
the line of the Window v arehouse Bill.
II this reference of the Bill to the Coin
age Committee had remained, the Bill
would never have seer daylight again,
and we would have had no silver legis-
lation in the 51st congress. Accordingly,
when the house convened on the moving
of the 10Th of June (see page 626l of the
record a motion was made to correct
the Journal Of the previous day (show
ing the reference of the Bill to the coin
age committee by striking out the refer
ence) the effect of which would be 20
leave the Bill with the Senate amendment
on the speakers table, subject to such
action as the House might see fit to take,
On that day (sce page 1852 Of the record)
I voted with Bland and the other bime-
tallists in the House against approving
the Journal. This was the test vote of
the bimetallic strength of the House.
The result of this was that Speaker Reeds
action was set aside and the Bill re-
manned con the speakers table," aud la
ter GA a conference committee was ap-
pointed. The whole matter was then in
conference between the two Houses, and
Senator Sherman, under tie threat that
an nything looking toward free coinage
would be vetoed by the President, sue
ceeded in having section six of the House
Bill which provided for free coinage Of
silver when parity was reached, stricke n
out. The bill,as agreed upon in confer
ence, and which was afterwards called
the Sherman Bill, contained the main tea
lures Of the original House Bill which I
helped formulate, but with the free coin
age provision stricken out, as suggested.
It being perfectly we'll understood that
any thing but this would receive the Pres
.ident's veto, concluded to vote for the
conference report on the principle that
a half loaf is better than no bread. SEN
ators Jones, Stewart and Teller advised
me and the other silver Republicans to
vote for the Sherman Bill as it was the
best that could be obtained. We did so
and it became a law. II it had been adj
.ministered in the spirit of its provisions
it would have proved Of inestimable VAL
.ue to the people, and even as it was, vi
.olated and misco onstrued in its every pros
vision BY both administrations, it gave
the country three years Of prosperity
This gives you 4 correct history Of the
silver legislation of the 51st congress and
my competition with it. Mr.. Boen says