The advocate., 1896-03-25
THE ADMINISTRATIONS TREATMENT on
SILVER.


The pressure on public men is get
ting 80 strong and powerful that even
Mr.. Carlisle, Secretary of the Treas
ury, has been forced to defend the
administration against charges Of dis
elimination against silver coin and In
favor of gold coin. The Secretsry's
defense takes the form of letter to
Mr.. Patterson, now q Representative
in Congress from the State Of Tennes-
see, and was written in response to
letter from that gentleman, who had
written Mr.. Carlisle in relation to
statements alleged to have been made
by Judge Crisp of Georgia, late Speaker
Of the House of Representatives. In
order that no iDjusticg be done the
Secretary by US, we herewith give his
letter entire, as follows
TREASURY DEPARTMENT,
OFFICE OF SECRETARY,
WASHINGTON, March l6, 1885,
MY DEAR SIR You state that in a
speech delivered by Hon. Charles F. Crisp, In
the House Of Representatives, on the 14th day
Of February, that gentleman said:
"He (meaning the Secretary Of the Treasury
refused to give silver for gold, because he
must hold the silver to pay the silver certifi-
Gates and Sherman notes issued under the act
Of 1890, and when Sherman note issued un-
der the act Of 1890 10 presented he redeems 1t
in gold, and not In silver What mockery Is
this? What sort Of friendly treatment is ac-
corded silver by this law and the practice that
obtains at the treasury Of the United Ststes%
And you ask me to "state fully how you I)
have dealt with the silver currency since your
(my) incumbency of the Office OF Secretary
of the Treasury, and whether you (I) have, in
dealing with the subject, dlscredited silver"
can only say that in all the operations OF
the Treasury Department during my admins
tration Of It's affairs the legal tender gold and
silver coins Of the United States have been
treated precisely alike, except that greater ef-
forts have been made to keep silver coin in
circulation than have been made to keep the
gold coin In circulation.
The amount paid out by the department in
silver coins and SILVER certificates greatly ex.
ceeds the amount paid out in gold coins and
gold certificates, and In no instance has the
least discrimination been made against silver
or its paper representative. In no instance has
silver or silver certificates been refused in
payment OF debtor demand due the govern.
ment.
When United States notes or treasury notes
are presented for redemption gold is paid IL IL
is demanded, and II silver Is demanded silver
is paid. Thus the coins Of the two metals are
treated exactly alike in making payments by
the government as we'll as in the discharge
OF debts due to the government.
1t has always been the policy Of the Treas
ury Department to encourage the use OF silver
to the largest possible extent and in order to
accomplish this standard silver dollars will
be sent by express at the expense OF the gov
ernment to anyone who will deposit an equiv
alent amount in silver certificates or in treas
ury notes OF 1890, but gold Is not sent to any
body free Of charge.
The Secretary Is required by law to keep in
the treasury at all times an amount Of silver
bullion, at its cost price, and standard silver
dollars exactly equal to the amount OF treas
ury (sIlver) notes outstanding, and he cannot,
therefore, lawfully use such standard silver
dollars except for the redemption and cancel
lstion Of treasury notes.
My letter to the United States Senate, upon
which Mr.. Crisp's statement seems to have
been based, was written on the 18th day OF
August, 1S93 and at that time there was no
free silver in the treasury. Since that month
treasury notes to the amount of S19 S.792 have
been redeemed in silver and cancelled. Prior
to my administration Of the affairs OF the de.
partment none Of these notes had been re-
deemed in silver or cancelled.
Since the beginning Of the administration