The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-09-25


country to adopt the free and unlimited
| coinage OF silver at a ratio Of Is to
| without international agreement. The
/ points he made were that he was IN IA
| vor OF both gold and silver. or as much
| of it as could be safely coined 10 keel
both metals al parity; that the Repub-
lican party was the friend of silver; that
this country has more money per capita
| now than at any time since 70; that
! free silver and free trade We're simply
| catchy delusions; that in his opinion
| free silver would drive gold out OF the
| country and degrade the American dol
| lar to the level of the Mexican dollar
that, according 10 Gresham's law, two
standards could not be kept together as
| the cheap dollar would drive out the
| better dollar; that there was no trick
| or surreptitious action about the aneg-
| ed crime OF 70; that a debased dollar
| would be injurious to every pensioner,
| every depositor in the savings bank
| every laborer and every holder of a
| life insurance policy. Mr., Long sup
| ported each and every one of his propo-
sirions with splendid arguments, using
! figures and facts that We're beyond dis
pute He was in fine trim and his ar
| gument was so interesting and his ora
| tory so impressive that he was scarcely
| disturbed during the entire hour allowed
him in opening the debate. His Re-
publican friends cheered him often but
he did not encourage applause as he
wanted all the time allowed him for ar
gument He reatired at the end Of the
| hour amid a storw of applause from all
over the house The Republicans be-
haved themselves so we'll that Mayor
Wilcox expressed his thanks for the
good order observed.
When Mr. Simpson arose TO speak he
was given another great ovation and
he did not discourage il, although his
time was going on. When l want 10
skin a goldbug l want to do itright,"
said Jerry, as he pulled off his coat and
vest and collar and cuffs. He then
sailed in to combat the splendid argu-
ment made by Mr.. Long. His side OF
tfnehou Sc became very demonstrative
and freely used such expressions as
That's the hot stuff Hit him again.
Skin him alive and other similar
remarks
Everybody acknowledged that he was
in much better trim than he was at
Hutchinson and maintained his side OF
the argument much better. He read a
great many quotations 10 break the
effect of Mr.. Longs opening remarks
and read from Ricardo, John Stewart
Mill and other famous authorities in
Guiding Mr.. Long himself, or rather
from a resolution ne voted for while in
the senate of Kansas. urging congress
to pass free coinage act. He quoted
from the speeches of Senator Plumb.
Senator ingalls, and a great many other
distinguished Observation-Disclosures
80.
and unlimited coinage of silver. He
read from reports in answer to ques-
tons put to him by Mr.. Long at Hutch
inson. showing that Spain. Portugal
and France had maintained the equality
of the coinage and commercial ratios of
gold and silver at a fixed ratio. He
eontended that the prosperity of the
country from 1880 to 1891 was not due
to the tariff but due to the ciOnage of
silver under the Bland-AlliSon act; he
wanted Mr.. Long to say whether he
was in favor of high tariff because it
would rise prices and If he would ans
wer he would say that the same argu-
ment Mr.. Long used for the benefit of
the pensioner and the insurance benefic
larry, regarding the rise of prices caused
by the silver dollar would apply. He
said that Mr.. Long said at Hutchinson
that products were not used in the pay
ments of debts and he contended that
all debts were paid by products of la
Dor. He also contended that the pub
lie debt was never reduced but that on
the contrary 1T was increased because
it takes more of the product of labor
to pay the public debt now than it did
when it was at it's greatest height. He
said that measured by the value of pro-
a I. and hA
public debt is greater now than it has
ever been. In a word, Mr.. Simpson
disputed every proposition Mr. Long
made and by the time he finished there
was no question but what he had the
best of the argument. That idea pre-
vailed only a few minutes, however, for
in mis- closing argument Mr.. Long went
after his opponent like a tornado and
knocked most OF his argument into
smithereens. He put Mr.. Simpson on
the rack. He stood over him with his
pointed finger and hurled thunderbolts
of oratory and argument al him. There
was a severe skinning on the program
and Jerry got it. The Republican side
of the house fairly went wild with en-
thustasm at the knock out blows ad-
ministered by Long. He kept Simpson
frying over the Goals for half an hour.
He read from the report of the French
monetary commission Of 1867 to the ef-
feet that the legal ratio in France had
not given concurrent circulation at Isl.
TO l. That from 1903 to 1850 the circula-
ton was practically silver, and from 1850
there was an influx of gold to France
and the outflow Of silver which result
ed by 1867 to a substitution OF gold for
silver in circulation He pointed his
finger at Simpson and said he knew
that the question II any nation had
maintained double coinage and double
coinage had not been answered.
why" said Long, Ibid France aban-
don free coinage II she were maintain
ing the parity of the coins and keeping
them in circulation?' Long insisted
that the Hutchinson questions had not
been answered and especially the one
that wanted TO know If he were an alb
solute free trader.
Simpson, will answer that now.
am"
Then followed the most dramatic part
OF the reply You have deliberately
misrepresented my position on the ST.
Yer question two years ago. He then
read from the original Of his prepared
speech Of two years ago showing that
he was in favor Of the liberal use OF
silver-the coinage OF the American pro-
duction-but was opposed 10 unlimited
coinage at the ratio OF Is TO !. because
the parity could not be maintained"
tits expected that Simpson viii go
after Long In ike manner at yelling
ton tomo-rcw and If ne does the deba-.
wifi be worth hearing. No man within
forty mikes Of Wellington can afford 20
mss 1t Some think. however, tina:
and that he viii behave himself In Well
ington. Il Is thought mat be VIII no.