Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-10-01
THE CRIME OF 1873.
What 1t Really Was. and How 1t Came
To Be Committed.

What 1t Really Was. and How 1t Came
To BE Committed.
1t Is alleged that the law of 1873 was en-
acted surreptitiously. Mr.. Bryan Is quoted
as having said that the free coinage men
only ask for restoration Of that system
that we had until it was stricken down in
the darkness without discussion" Within
the last ten years the facts Of the legisla-
tive history Of that law have been pub
lished over and over again. They are to
be found In the report Of the comptroller
Of the currency for 1875, page ITO; in MAC
pherson's Political Manual for 1890, page
1877, and in Sound Currency" volume
III, No. 10. :. The bill was before congress
three years, was explained and debated
again and again.
The fact that the silver dollar was
dropped was expressly pointed out. 1t is
net now justifiable for any man who
claims to be honest and responsible to as
sert that it was passed sin the dark and
without discussion" The fact is that no
body cared aboutit 1t is noteworthy that
the act Is not in "Macpherson's Manual
for 1874 1t was not thought to be Of any
Importance. 1t was not until after the
panic Of 1873 that attention began to be
given to the currency. To that /, who
write, can testify, since I tried in vain be-
fore that time to excite any interest in the
subject. was once in the gallery of the
house of representatives when question
of coinage was before the house. 1 counted
those members who, as far as l could
judge, were paying any attention. There
were six. What is 1t necessary to do in
twenty-five years later, when countless
interests have vested under the law, that
the law is open to reversal" because ii
was passed ain the darkf'
How can a law be passed through con-
gress surreptitiously7 We have indeed
heard of bills being "snuggled through
in the confusion attending the last hours
Of the session. or an amendment, or under
misleading title, etc. There are the rules
of order, however, by which all legislation
is enacted. All laws which get through
tho mill arc equally valid. There never has
boen and never can be any distinction
drawn between them according to their
legislative history. In the present case
there was not the slightest manoeuvre OF
trick, nor is there even room to trump up
an allegation OF the kind.
1t is said that "the people did not know
what was being done. How do they ever
know what is being donef There is all the
machinery Of publicity, and 1T is all at
work. II people do not heed land of course
In nearly all cases they do mott whose fault
is it? WHO'S responsible to go to the 10 900,
900 voters Individually and make sure that
they heed, lest twenty-five years later
somebody may say that the fact that they
did not heed lays down a justification for
a new project which certainly is "a crime
In the new sense which Is given to that
word here?
or interests 1t took away an option which
had existed since 1884, but had never been
used, and for ten years before this act was
passed had sunk entirely out Of sight un-
der paper money imitation. Secretary
Boutwell,, when he first brought the mat
ter to the attention OF congress in 1870, ex-
planned the proposed legislation rs a codi-
flcation of existing coinage laws. Later
1t took the shape Of a complete simplih-
cation of existing law, history and fact,
in order to put the coinage on the simplest
and best system as basis for resumption.
AS we had then no coin, we had free
hand to put the system on the best basis,
there being no vested rights or interests
to be disturbed. That this was wise and
sound course to pursue under tho circum-
stances Is unquestionable.
Three years later, by the rise In green
backs and the fall in silver, it came about
that 4121 grains Of silver, nine-tenths
fine, was worth little less than a green
back dollar. The old option would, there
fore, II still existent, have been an advan-
tage to debtors. Complaint and clamor
for the restoration Of the option then began,
but to give such an option, after the mar
ket had changed, would be playing with
loaded dice. Tho European countries
which still retained the option abolished
1t as soon rs silver began to fall, and we,
II we had retained 1t open until that time,
ought to have done the same.-Professor or
Sumner in Harper's Weekly.