The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1896-04-24
LIVE ISSUES.
Some Good Bills.


the Peoples party Senators and
Congressman, the following have
been recently presented by Senator
Butler, of North Carolina
A BILL
To prevent discrimination between
various kinds of legal tender
money of the United States, and
to maintain the equal debt pay
ing and purchasing power there
of, and for other purposes.
"Be it enacted by the Senate and
House of Representatives of Amer
lea in Congress assembled, that any
note, bill, bond, draft, check, ex-
change, contract, mortgage, public
or private obligation, or pecuniary
liability, hereafter made or con-
tracted, which may provide for its
payment in a specific kind or kinds
of legal tender money of the United
States, may be paid or discharged
in any kind of legal tender money
of the United States, current at the
time of its maturity or collection,
at its face value, such stipulation
or agreement to the contrary not
withstandlng"
In presenting this bill Senator
Butler said +: "By its title it will be
seen that it is bill to maintain the
equal debt paying and purchasing
power of all the legal tender cur
rency of the country. l see that
the various state conventions now
being held to elect delegates to the
Republican national convention are
declaring in favor Of this policy,
and pledging their party to give
the people such currency. Both
of the old parties declared it their
policy in their last national plat
forms, and will probably so declare
again this year. In order that we
may be able to turn these promises
into performances before another
campaign, I hope the Committee on
Finance will report this bill
promptly. We shall then be able
to redeem, before their next nation
al conventions are held, the prom
Uses which both of the old parties
made, so they will not have to make
these promises over again. The
Peoples party stands ready to help
either party to redeem this promise.
We are ready to do it now. Gold
mortgages are plastered over every
town and hamlet in this country,
and nearly every man to-day who
borrows money is forced to give a
gold bearing mortgage or note. No
government should allow such dis
elimination against any of its legal
tender or lawful money. 1t is
: not only an injustice to the debt
or class, but it is suicidal govern
mental policy. 1t is all wrong and
no party can defend it. Both the
Democratic and Republican party
say they are opposed to such a
policy, but they have done nothing
to correct it. They can correct it
by passing this bill. The law as it
now stands, instead of maintaining
the equal debt paying and purchas-
ing power of all lawful money
actually makes gold dearer. How
can the government deliberately
legislate to increase the purchasing
power of gold, and then insist on
paying its own debts in this dear
money and force private debtors to
do the same. The money lender
and the bond holder are the only
people who are benefited by the
present law. 1t is to the detriment
of everybody else. The bill which
l offer will correct this wrong"
TO LIMIT THE VETO POWER.
The third measure proposed by
Senator Butler is equally if not
more important than the others.
Its aim is to limit the veto power of
the President. 1t proposes an
amendment to the Constitution
providing that majority of Con-
gress instead of two-thirds, as now,
shall be sufficient to. pass any
measure over the veto of the Pres
ident, In presenting this amend
ment Senator Butler said:
"This veto power is one provis-
ion where the Constitution, we
might say, is defective. 1t is a
relic of monarchy. When our fore
fathers framed the Constitution
they lacked just this much of being
weaned from English ideas. They