The advocate., 1896-08-19
Senator Plumb.

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the Senate, advocating the free coinage
of silver. We make single extract:
But there are some interests which conspire
to make this effort for the increase of the vol
ume OF money center around silver. In the
first place IL is q conservative movement. 1t
does not carry on its front any suggestion Of
an unlimited expansion Of the currency or the
exercise of an unwise Congressional discre-
tion. Silver Is as precious q metal as gold ls.
1t has been money from the beginning. AS
such It has travelled hand in hand with gold
80 long as the greed of man would permit 1t
to. 1t was as valuable, relatively, as gold,
until the law Disseminated against It. 1t was
equally q measure Of value until demonetIzed.
Its supply is sufficiently regular so thatits use
as money will not introduce elements Of dis
turbance into the business Of the country. In
addition to that, as the value Of silver en-
hances, the price of agricultural products en-
hance in foreign markets, and consequently
in the home markets.
Senator Plumb introduced free sill
YER coinage bill In the Senate at the
beginning of the first session of the
Fifty-second Congress, December, 1891.
The Topeka Capital, April II, 1890, in
an editorial article, headed "Playing
With the Silver Question" said:
1t looks very much as II the Window bill, as
amended without improvement, will become
law, and Republicans in the West will be COM
PEELED to accept a measure which they do not
like. A candid examination Of the bill Is not
satisfying to any person who believes in free
and unlimited coinage of silver
Neither the President nor Mr. Window believes
in free silver coinage and this bill is their bill
Two objections are urged against free
silver coinage, ~ that it Is only scheme to
enrich miners Of silver; (9) that the RepublI-
can party is not pledged to the free coinage Of
silver. AS to the first objection, 1t has no
force unless 1t be urged against the free coin
age Of gold, ss well as silver. AS to
the second objection, It may be said that while
the party platform Is open to the construction
put upon 1t by the monometallists, IL Is equal
ly open to other views 1t simply declares In
favor Of using both metals In our monetary
system. To use one metal as the standard and
the other as subsidiary Is using both metals %
money, though one Of them can not be used In
payment Of sum exceeding five dollars.
And this is called bimetsllism, but 1t is
not what the Western and Southern people de.
mand. They demand q complete restoration
OF silver to its original place as money metal
equal in ali respects to the free value Of the
coins, dollar for dollar
Hon. B. w. Perkins, M. c., repre-.
Senting the Third Congressional dis
trict, Kansas, spoke in the House of
Representatives, when the silver bill
Of 1890 was under discussion. We
quote the following sample sentences:
represent constituency that believes in
free coinage. represent a constituency that
believes great crime was committed In 1878,
when silver was demonetlzed, and l share that
conviction.
My judgment Is that fullest justice will
never be done until the same provisions are
given to silver Ss are given to gold under OK.
listing laws. [See Congressional Record, June Z,
1890, FIity.irst Congress- volume ., part 6, page
5S0Ll
Hon. E. H, Funston, NJ. c., Second
Kansas district, during the same de-
bate, said among other things:
Mr. Speaker, the alarming condition Of the
business Of the country, not by reason Of the
tariff nor oyerproduction, as has been claimed
on this floor, but by reason OF an insuficiency
OF currency, demands that the mlnts be
thrown open and every ounce OF available
silver be coined into dollars. The people are
expecting this; they are demanding this; and