The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-08-26
MCLEARY ANSWERED
HIS FAMOUS SPEECH TAKEN
UP SECTION BY SECTION,


ANALYZED AND EXPLODED.
We received, the other day, q letter
from q distinguished lady Of Red
Wing, Minn., Mrs. Julia B. Nelson. with
acopy of the speech which Congress-
man McCleary, has been delivering
everywhere east and west, and re-
questing that we should reply to it
through THE REPREsENTIvE. We
have received similar requests from
other friends.
We propose to take up the speech in
question, argument by argument. II
any of our readers think that we have
missed any point Of importance they
will be kind enough to write US, and
we wilt answer that point.
The first argument Of the professor
is thus expressed:
II shall confine my remarks this
evening to one subject of the many
that might be presented, the so-called
silver question. What Is the silver
question: It is simply this: Shall we
or shall we not allow the man who
owns the silver bullion to take it to
the mint. present 9Th grains Of pure
silver, or 4l22 grains standard silver,
and have it coined into the form of
silver dollar, have 1t handed back to
him without any expense to him for
the coinage, and with the authority
to pass 1t over to anyone whom he
may owe or have business relations
NTH 10n TOO Gho11 vno hon
We not permit that thing to be done?
Many good men, honest men, believe
that We should answer that question
In the Affirmative; we believe that we
should answer 1t in the negative.
In reply. we would call attention to
the fact that, for many years prior to
1873, the government of the United
States, by law, authorized any person
who Ito use Prof. McCleary's wordsl
''owned silver bullion to take it to the
mint, present 3714 grains of pure sill
yer, or 4124 grains Of standard silver,
and have 1t handed back to him with
out any expense to him for the coin
age, and with the authority to pass 1T
over to any one whom he may owe or
have business relations with as 100
cents"
II the owner of silver bullion had
the right to do that for many years in
these United States. why should he
not have the same right to do it now?
II it gives mine owner in 1896 an un-
fair advantage. why did 1t not give
him an unfair advantage in 1872? And
yet that system was inaugurated by
the founders of the republic-Wash-
ington. Jefferson, Adams, Hamilton,
etc.
But Prof. McCleary will say in reply
that the silver bullion is worth only
So cents on the dollar, and prior to
the act of 1873 1t was worth 100 cents.
Why was 1t worth 100 cents then and
only worth So cents now? Because
then the minis were open to it, and it
could be turned into dollars worth by
law 100 cents; and now the minis are
closed against it, and it Is thrown
back upon its value as mercantile
commodity. If the minis stood open
to silver today 4124 grains would be
worth 100 cents, for
"The value Of thing
Is Just as much as 1T will bring"
And when 4124 grains of standard sill
yer would bring a 1O0-cent dollar at
the mint it would be worth 100 cents
everywhere. Even a fool should be
able to comprehend that. No man
would sell 4l2& grains of silver for less
than 100 cents when he could get 100
cents at the mint for it from the
national government.
Consequently therefore McCleary's
whole argument Of the unfairness of
permitting a mine-owner to take 100
falls to the ground. for as soon as the
minis are open to silver and he is able
to get 100 cents for 4123 grains, it can
no longer be bought for So cents, but
is worth 100 cents.
And it must not be forgotten that
the friends of free silver are not ask
ing that the mine-owners be given
any additional or unheard of right or
benefit.
They are simply demanding that II
John Smith and Bill Jones owned a
silver mine in Nevada. in 1872. the
government, their government. to
which they paid taxes and for which
they are expected to fight and die, IL
necessary, in case of war, should not
pass q law, in 1873, to cut down the
value Of their property one-half. And
ii the government did pass such q
law John Smith and Bill Jones would
have perfect right to ask, and con-
tinue to ask for q quarter of a GEN.
tury or longer, that that law should
be repealed. and the full value of their
property be restored to it. And it
would be a great piece Of dishonesty
for Prof. McCleary, or any other man,
to claim that this should not be done,
because a lot of money-lenders were.
In the mean time, In the enjoyment
of some certain advantages resulting
from the wrong done to the silver
mine owners.
We are not asking for any innova-
ton, or any change in our monetary
system from that established by the
fathers. We are simply demanding
a redress Of villainOus wrong, &C.
complished by fraud, at the instance
NJ forniurors