The San Francisco call., 1896-09-12

honor" Throughout your entire discussion
of the question the germinal idea is that
parity with gold is the infallible test of hon
esty in money, and that our currency, cheaper
than gold at It's present appr eciated value, is
OF necessity dishonest. The conclusion comes
irresistibly that you regard the advocates OF
unrestricted silver coinage as being deficient
in personal integrity and as seeking TO estab-
lish monetary policy that viii dishonor the
American name.
Being one of those whose personal in tegrity
is thus impugned, make free to remind you
that in 1873, as member OF the House of
Represen tatives, you voted for the famous
"Bland btll," providing for the unrestricted
coinage of silver at the ratio OF 16 to /.
At that time the commercial value OF the
bullion which you voted to coin into dollar
| was a little more than 80 cents. 1t had been
much lower, but at the time your vote was
cast 1t had risen considerably as result OF
political agitation and prospective free coin
age. The Bland bill was at that time de-
nounced as "repudiation" and crank dis
| honesty by many OF The prominent financiers
who are now giving you their earnest SUPPORT
In view of these facts, would you regard it as
impertinenL for me 10 request public state
ment OF your opinion as to whether or not the
Bland bill was ''dishonest'' measure, ealcu-
lated to "debase" our currency and ''dishonor"
the country2 II you answer in the Affirmative,
IN justice TO yourself you should inform the
country why you voted for it. If your answer
be in the negative, it should be supplemented
by an explanation of how an act that was
honest in 1878 can be dishonest in 1895.
There is no difference in principle nor even IN
cerned.
You were a member of the Fifty-frst Con-
gress and candidate for the Speakership OF
the House. The Repu blican memters from
the far West have not forgotten how anxious
you were for their support and how earnestly
you reminded them that you had voted for
free silver nearly twelve years before. was
one OF those Western members. At that time
t1SS9), when silver bullion had fallen to less
than 10 cents on the dollar in gold, you GER
tainly never gave any token that In your
opinion law providing for the free coinage
OF that metal would involve Financial dis
honor
Mr.. Bartine then reminds the major
that he recognized the fact all through the
Flity-tirst Congress that the demonetlza-
ton of silver was wrong; that the Bland
Allison law was TOO narrow and that some
thing further must be done toward silver
restoration. He recalls the fact that the
of fifteen appointed by the Republican
caucus to endeavor 10 frame "free-silver
bill" upon which all Republicans could
unite. Mr.. Bartine adds:
You viii not hesitate to say you were one of
the most active members of the committee
and that none was more earnest than you in
the effort to formulate a measure for which
all Republicans, including those who were
strongly in favor OF free silver, might vote.
In emphasizing the necessity of passing sill
yer bill In substance you said, during the COM
mittee debates "We must pass u silver bill,
the country demands it, but we must pass IL
as party measure. 1 am prepared to support
any bill that we unite on. 1 can accept
free coinage or the Window bill, or anything
else upon which we can agree, but it Is imper-
alive thSt we have a silver bill" Did you in
1890 regard the free coinage of silver as mean
abandoned the opinions OF lifetime on q
question of morals