The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1896-05-20
SENATOR VEST HITS HARD.
He SCORES CLEVELAND FOR HIS
GROSS INCONSISTENCY.

lated by the Administration to Defeat
the VIII of the People On ,he Financial
Question.
The following is an extract from a
speech recently delivered IN the Unit
ed States Senate by Senator Vest:
Ihave-and it is all I shall say ia
connection with my personal history
struggled to the full extent of my
limited ability to prevent the uufor-
tunate condition of affairs in the Dem
ocratic party today upon this currency
question. I stood here at the risk OF
severe criticism from men who agree
with me in regard to the free and un
limited coinage of silver and begged
the Democrats in this Senate not to
thrust this issue upon US, if possible,
but to hold the party together upon
some conservative basis.
went to the President of the United
States in person, and to the Secretary
Of the Treasury, and undertook to
show them what would result if it was
attempted to force the Democratic par
ty to the single gold standard. I told
them that it was impossible to hold US
together, whatever might happen to the
Republican party, in which equal dis
sensions existed, but which had the CO.
hesive power coming from being mi
nority party and which might cause
them to survive this struggle for 3
short time, at least, in face of the great
-, ,,~>%a1S;@S, to Son Shot actt-
IS pledged. I stood here, as | have
said, upon this floor, and was alienate6
by personal and political friends upon
this side of the Charoer because |
begged my party associates, possible,
to postpone at least this question in re-
gard to the free coinage of silver until
we could adjust other matters and
crystaiize the power of the party upon
what conceived to be its fundamental
principles; but I also said, and say
now. that if forced to the issue, I new
er would consent to monometallisn,
either of gold or silver.
That opinion is based upon my abso-
lutte conviction that there is not enough
of either metal in the world to trans
act the business OF mankind without
oppression to large majority. be-
Geve that tmonometallism either Of gold
or silver is a bastard monopoly, which
gives into the hands of the few the
power to control the interests and the
products of the many. But we have
come now to that position when against
all protest, all supplication even, the
administration has forced this issue
upon US. We attempted when the re-
peal of the purchasing clause of the
Sherman Act was before the Senate to
effect a compromise with the admins
tration upon this subject, and offered
to support that repeal against our con-
victions, provided they would make
some concession to silver as money
metal.
That compromise was rejected, and
we were then compelled either to fol-
low the money ideas of Mr.. Cleve-
land, the President of the United States
-aad of the Secretary of the Treasury,
who gave his adhesion to him-either
TO follow their lead in regard to this
matter and separate ourselves absolute
ly from our own convictions and those
Of our people, or to follow the manly
and honest dictates of our own judg-
ment. In such contingency no self
respecting public man could hesitate
for an instant. I am, therefore, not
responsible tor this discussion or for
similar discussions before the people
of the United States.
MIR. President, this thing has come
to that pass when manhood and decen
cy will not permit US to stand here and
be told that we are in favor of unsound
money, that we are advocating snap
conventions, and that we are attempt
ing to lead the people in the direction
of great disaster.
This morning I saw in the papers
that our President had extended the
civil service to something like 800
more employees of this government.
This administration, therefore. has
pledged the people Of the United
States, so far as it was possible, to the
civil service reform, of which we have
heard so much. One of the first ele-
ments of that reform is divorce be-
tween the patronage of the govern
ment and its political action. One Of
the burning tenets Of this school IS
that the patronage of the government
should not be Indirectly used for the
purpose of uencing the political
convictions or declarations of the peo-
pie.
Some:y ears ago very dear friend of
mine at my instance was made United
States district attorney for the West
ern district OF Missouri; a man Of emil
nent ability, of fspotless character, who
stands as high in the estimation of the
people of Missouri as any man within
its broad domain. When Mr.. Cleve-
= land was candidate the second time
for President, this gentleman, a Demo
crat belonging to the same school with
myself, during the session OF the
United States Federal Courtat Kansas
City, went at night to the adjacent vii
lages within easy access Of the place
where the court was held and plead
with the people to vote the Democratic
ticket, which he believed represented
the welfare Of the country. | was as
founded on picking up the St. Louis
pdHSIS u JOA q SCl t11LI 4e1IS4 ~ AAASA A4~AAS
to find that my friend had been re-
moved from Office, without a hearing,
simply because while United States at
torney he had gone out and spoken for
the party to which he and the Presl-
dent and myeslf belonged.
took the train within ten minutes
for Washington, arrived here, went to
His Excellency, and asked him respect
fully upon what ground he had per-
petrated what I considered an outrage
upon my friend, an eminent Democrat.
He brought out newspaper para
graph from a paper which had bolted
the Democratic ticket the preceding
summer, and also helped to beat the
Democratic nominee for Congress.
p is paper had charged that Colonel
ntOn nv friend. while holding the