The herald., 1896-09-16
MR.. PALMER'S RECORD
All of His Popularity Due to His Cham
pionship of Soft Money


All of His Popularity Due to His Cham
pionship of Soft Money
Editor Herald: Being somewhat IA
miliar with the record of John M. Palm
er, I wish to call the attention of sound
money Democrats to the following
facts:
In 1873 John NJ. Palmer opposed the
resumption of specie payments and was
an ardent greenback Democrat. All
his public utterances on the stump in
Illinois, his editorials in the Springfield
State Register, popularity and eleva-
tion to positions of trust have been due
to the fact that he posed before the peo-
pie of his state as a champion of soft
money, paper money, rag money, fiat
money and free silver.
The Illinois state legislature that sent
John M. Palmer to Washington to fill
the seat in the senate contested so hotly
by Charles B. Farwell adopted the fol-
lowing resolution, before the termina-
ton of that contest without a dissent
ing Democratic vote:
Whereas, The people Of the state of
Illinois will be greatly benefited by
free coinage of silver; and,
Whereas, There is now pending in the
senate of the United States bill soon
to be voted upon for it's passage; there
fore, be it
Resolved, BY the house of representa-
tives, the senate concurring, that we
heartily approve of and favor the pass
age OF what is known as the free COIN
age BILL" and we hereby instruct our
representatives in the United States
senate to vote for and exercise their in
fuence and use their best endeavors to
secure the passage of the above meas
ure.
Resolved, Further, that the clerk of
this house be, and is hereby, directed to
transmit to Senator Shelby M. Cullom
and Charles b. Farwell individual
transcripts of these resolutions
In that contest the Democrats held
only 1Ol votes, 103 being required to
elect. After the passage of said resolu-
t1ons Palmer was still short two votes,
the contest being somewhat similar to
the fight in this state, the Populists or
Changers holding the balance of power,
their names being Moore, Cockerill and
Taubeneck. On the 10th day of March,
1891, an interview was arranged be-
tween Gen. Palmer and Moore and
Cockerill, after which their votes were
secured. The interview was published
broadcast throughout the state Below
is an extract from the famous interview
on the strength of which he was elected
to represent in the United States senate
the state of Illinois:
Mr.. Cockerill-I would like you to
give us your views on this question of
money. Tell us how you stand in re-
gard to 1t, whether you favor the aboli-
tion of the national bank circulation?
General Palmer-Yes, sir.
Mr.. Cockerill-You believe that all
money should be issued and coined by
the government, and all circulation
controlled by the government?
General Palmer-Yes, sir. AS have
stated during the canvass and perhaps
to you before, had at one time enter
tafned the view that the power of the
government to coin money was derived
from the constitution and was limited
to the mere conversion of the precious
! metals into coin; but that in the pro-
gress of time the public mind had
reached a point that the government
was furnishing that which served all
the purposes of money. I think I
stated that in 1878 I took the ground
that the government should furnish all
that was to be treated as money for
public purposes
Mr. Cockerill-And should control its
volume in the interest and benefit of the
people exclusively?
General Palmer-Unquestion that
the government was the sole money
making power of the country. ad-
vanced these views in 1878, and they
were published in article after article
IN the State Register when owned it.
Some were written by Major Souther
under my direction and some by N.Y.
self.
In order to convince Mr. Moore and
Mr.. Cockerili his views were in accord
ance with his previous utterances and
his honest convictions, he had with him
the files of the State Register of which
he had been editor and proprietor for
thirty years, and cited to them the fol-
lowing clippings:
There is not man anywhere who
hn nntv It'll,
not insist that congress has the right to
issue legal tender paper at pleasure or
who does not rest assured that con-
gress has the right to farm out the
privilege of supplying the people with
currency through banking corporations
Democrats, the fight for the silver dollar
is more than forty years old. We won
it once against the national banks under
the lead of old Hickory and by his
bones, we'll win it again. Senator Pal
mer in State Register, January 20, 1878.
scratch an opponent of the coinage
of silver and you will find supporter
Nof the national bank system and you
won't be obliged to scratch very hard.
Senator Palmer in State Register,
JaIuary %, 1878.
ut is all very we'll to abuse the friends
Of the silver dollar as innationlsts,
thieves, repudiators, and all that sort
of thing. but really the friends of the
tention to the members of the conven-
ton who framed the United States con-
stitution and who made the silver dol
lar the unit and standard Of value in
this country. Senator Palmer in State
Register, January "a, 1878.
IF there is any dollar more honest
than the silver dollar of 371A grains
(of pure silver) it has not been discov-
cred in the century or more that the
nation has existed. If there can be
any such thing as a dishonest dollar
that miserable sham trick and travesty
of a coin. gold dollar exactly fills that
designation. Senator Palmer in State
Register. February 6. 1878
1t is not likely that General Palmer
will poll many votes in his own state or
be able to attribute his defeat to the
infirmities of age. nor with his record
complain of the ingratitude of repub-
lies nor will William j. Bryan be greatly
impeded in his march to the White
House by the Pactolian stream of votes
flowing by the door of the statesman
from the Sangamon
ROBERT ]. ADCOCK.
September 15 1896.