The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1896-10-06

t''!l ), Etlb@iS lECiI | a. COIN ttCe on
tie st # january, IL. II Informed
! &c house that it had been prepared
in the treasury department for the
! purpose Of cOdifying and simplifying
the mint laws, the only important
change being the creation Of q mint bu-
reau in the treasury department.
1t was recOmmittcd jar. 10 and
again reported with amendments Feb.
9, 1872, this time by the o Samuel
Hooper Of Massachusetts. He stated
that the bill reduced the weight of the
silver dollar from 412k grains to 3S4,
but he did not state hat it proposed,
as 1t did, to demOnetize silver by max
Ing the silver dollar a legal tender
only in sums not to exceed IS.
The bill then passed the house in
the substitute form under a suspension
of the rules.
Ignorant of Its Contents.
Mr.. Kelly - Pennsylvania. who in.
PRODUCED the iii, declared on the foor
Of the house in 1873 that, though he
was chairman of the committee on
coinage, lie was ignorant of the fact
that 1t would demonetize the silver
ollar Congressional Record, vol. Z,
part 2, page 1869 Mr.. Blaine, who was
speaker Of the house when the bill
passed, declared on the floor Of the
senate in 1873 that he did not know
anything that was in the bill at all"
and that little vas known or cared
on the subject" (Same. page 1863
Garfield declared that he knew nothing
about it. Congressional record. vol. Z,
part l, page 9S9.) Mr.. Holman of In
diana, declared that the passage Of
the bill through the house was a col
lossal swindle," and never had the
sanction Of the house." Congressional
record. vol. 4. part 6. appendix 1881
Mr.. Cannon. Of Illinois. said: Neither
members of congress nor the people
understood the scope of the legislation"
(Same, page 1917
In the senate the bill was taken up
for consideration on the 18th of Janu-
airy, 1873, and debated and passed on
that day. All the debate that was ever
had upon it in hat body took place on
that date.
The bill, as II passed the senate, con
tradicts in plain terms some positive
assertions made by Mr.. Sherman dur
ing the debate upon it as to the provis-
ions it contained concerning the stand
ard silver dollar. 1t demonetized sill
Yer, which he declared to the senate 1t
did not. Mr. Hooper had mfsled the
house by omissions. evasions and in
directions; Mr.. Sherman deceived the
senate by direct misrepresentation.
This vas the crime of 1878"
The Proof Of Deception.
The, ineffaceable proof Of this serious
accusation is contained in the report Of
the senate proceedings Of Jan. II, 1873,
in the Congressional Globe, from which
| will quote some passages: Congress
sional Globe. parts l n 2. third ses-
sion, Forty-second congress-, pages 66S-
ga.
There was no reference in the debate
20 the fact that the bill would abolish
the legal tender quality of silver. The
house bill changed the weight of the
silver dollar from 4121a grains to 3S4
grains, and made it, like the smaller
coins, a legal tender for IS only. Mr..
Sherman had reported an amendment
to strike this out. and insert instead q
trade dollar, to weigh 420 grains,
with the same limitation as to the legal
tender quality. The bill prohibited the
issuance from the minis of any coins
not named therein. This was to make
sure that the 412h grain dollar would
not survive by n implication.
The question may be asked o
could Mr.. Sherman thus deceive the
senate. The reply is that the bill was
being hurried through by him on his
statement, at the outset, that its con
sideration would not probably con-
sumo any more time han the time
consumed in reading it," That mean
that its seventy-one sections con-
tanned nothing of sufficient Importance
to even require explanation by him,
much less to call for debate. 1t was
represented by him to be merely a bill
to enact into law some changes in the
mintage laws which the mint officers
deemed necessary. He evidently sat-
isfied senator's that 1t was not worth
their serious attention. Those who have
any acquaintance with n pro-
ceedings understand very we'll that
such mere routine legislation as this
was represented to be attracts no at
tention in the senate chamber. The
senator in charge is trusted to truth
fully state it's objects, and no one
thinks Of doubling his word.
The Testimony of Senators.
THAI no suspicion was being enter
tanned at the time that silver was be-
ing demonetiZed by the bill is evil
denced from the declarations subse-
qucntely made in the sena in 1878.
On Feb. 10 of that yea Senator Thur
man said:
Il cannot say what took place in the
house, but know, when the bill was
rending in the senate. we thought 1t
was simply a bill to reform the mint,
regulate coinage and fix up n thing
and another, and there is not a single
man in the senate, l him unless a
member of the committee from which
the bill came, who had the slightest
idea that 1t was even a squint towards
characterization"
On the same day Senator Allison said:
But when the secret history of this
bill comes to be old 1t will disclose the
fact that the house of representatives
intended to coin both silver and gold
and intended to place both metals upor
the French relation instead Of our w
which vas the true scientific position OF
this subject in 1878"
On the Both of January, 1878. Senator
Beck said:
1t tthe bill demonetizing silver) e
er was understood by either house OF