Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-01-31
Mr.. Villas ON SILVER
Vivid Word Painting Of the Terrors
Of Free Coinage.
DESPOTlSM OF WESTERN MINE OWNERS
Danger to Pensioners in the Wild
Schemes of Remedy.
ELoQUENCE AND FINANCE

| 'It WILL said Senator Villas, in his
| speech today on the silver BILL doubtless
| never he necessary to discuss this bill as
/ 1t came from the House. But it may be
| said it deserved it's fate-strangled by sill
yer. 1t was hut the fraudulent pretext of
response to the exigency which it pro-
fessed to meet, and to the reasonable sug-
gestions of the President, which it de-
| MED, while it avowed their wisdom. With
! the exception of provision for emergency
| certifiCates-which ought to stand in the
permanent statutes-the House bill con-
| tanned nothing oommendable; everything
! else was but mockery of the legislation
| demanded by OFF, fiscal conditions. And
| so again, as a year ago, partisanship or
| i1nbecility, or both, has stricken Congress
| with paralysis, and the rescue Of business
prosperity from its recurring peril has
| been thrown upon the executive 1t is
| almost as fortuitous as fortunate that an
old statute has remained untouched during
our financial madness which again
| serve the turn; and although in a clumsy
way, when considered with reference to
| existing conditions and suitable meas Tres
| of relief yet it shows Gods pity and mercy
ale not wholly withdrawn from us.
Recreancy Charged.
If he continued, ANY trusted agent
| in private affairs should SO deny duty ard
abuse trust as Congress did a year ago,
and now repeats, no judgment in his con-
demna ton would be too severe. Over
| s!6000,OO0 in the public debt were then
thrown away in the reckless rage of par
| tisanship, and the injury that must now
he sustained by the people for the same
reason is probably no less, although the
exact measure of it is not quite SO clear
Then republican management was able to
show pretense that but for the populSts
and free silverites there might have been
| relief 1t was not true then. and this bill
has now unmasked the fact by denying
| under republican dictations the only remedy
available to the increased mischief
Declaring that the bill it came from
the House ives mere sham and fraud, Mr..
Villas proceeded to show that the Senate
amendments made it worse than the orig
inal measure.
1T was a bad Stock he asserted, though
it has been budded with warm scion.
The best hope is that both will shrivel and
die in the desert air of the Senate"
Horror of Horrors.
In the Senate, he said, Midas is the hor-
ror of horrors; everything turns to silver.
He said he had hitherto concluded that it
was the wisest policy to sit quiet and al
low the silver advocates to do the talking,
as they were in the habit of doing at the
ratio of about 1G to 1, but he had heard
| it asked why the opponents of free coinage
did not justify their faith in debate.
He then proceeded at considerable length
to discuss the free coinage provision of the
pending bill, declaring that the financial
| distress and public misery of the past three
years We're the direct products of the eff
| forts to force silver upon the country.
And he said, 'our course to relief IS
return to sound principles He believed
especially that every step of the fatal pro-
gress in error had been opposed to the car
dinal doctrines on which the democratic
nIfN &c ho cd ii y,
! or sink in recreancy while the spirit flies
| from our institutions of liberty.
He divided the silver advocates into three
| classes: First, those who We're interested
| in silver mining; second heavy Debtors
| and, third those who believe in the prin-
| ciple Of bimetallism. OF the first class he
said that they were few in number, but
wonderfully potential; of the second that
! they might deserve sympathy if they did
not shock IT." The third class he regarded
| as honestly mistaken, and to them he ad-
dressed his argument.
The Silver Despot.
He contended that the silver mine owners
were largely responsible for the agitation
| for free coinage, and after asserting that
silver mining was confined to the western
states. said the mines were owned by COM
| paratively few people, and largely by cor
porations, who, by the employment of la
Dor. often make large profit on compare
lively small outlay. The keenest and best
trained intelects, he said, were enlisted by
| this solid interest, which was possessed of
, great strength Of numbers and riches
powerful in intelligence. learning and Skill
keenly perceptive Of it's special interest
hardy and resolute to seek it." That in
| terest was in to win, to secure the best
| price for silver. He declared the people of
| the Rocky mountains to be subservient to
| the mine holders.
| 1.-The veriest despot of story, the Grand
Khan of Tartary. the Great Mogul, never
| had more submissive subjects than the sill
! yer king of the Rockies nor was ever tyrant
more pitilessly exacting. No independence
| of thought or speech is tolerated there. No
| patty, no creed, no business, can thrive
| which dares to doubt in the realm of that
| monarch, the law Of finance as it is in sill
| yer.
1.-THE business man finds it prudent to
| say nothing, and as for the politician who
dares to faunt his independence, woe be-
| tide him.
"Where," he exclaimed, sis that sturdy
Senator, the brave, unbending Carey? Where
| is Dolph, the strong able and indefa tiga Bile !?
Look on the bloody Moloch of silver to
| learn their fate.
Silver and Protection.
! He traced the past legislation in the inter-
| est of silver to the theory of protection,
| which he characterized Us vicious and
wicked. The Senator then proceeded to
review not only of silver legislation, but of
| silver production and silver coinage in the
| United States, showing that the production
| was small before the civil war.
"Bimetallism is,'' he said, "a high-sound-
| ing, splendid word 1t only bimetallism!
But alas! What is it and where is it? Like
!! dreams that wane before the half-shut eye
| or gay castles in the clouds that pass, for
| ever fitting in the summer sky, always
dancing before the vision, always some
| thing to be gained, but never realized, the
glittering bauble has fitted on afar be-
| fore the fatuous pursuit on which the pub
lie have SO long been conducted, yet always
| to disappear save in the pleasing speech of
silver advocates, while the realities of gain
| could be matched by the other and master
ing purpose
| He declared that from the beginning
| practical bimetallism had never been pro-
! posed to Congress. He declared that Sen
| ators Teller and Wolcott as champions of
silver had based their contentious upon
| protective foundation.
Danger to Pensioners.
| Referring to the claims of the debtor
class, he said that at best they asked to
| have something taken by law from one
class for another class. He claimed that a
free coinage law would be especially hard
| 1xah