Omaha daily bee., 1896-10-29
COIN OF THE COyFEDRATES
Sinister Interest Of the South in the Free
Coinage Movements
SECRETARY sORTOws BOLD STATEMENT
Efforts Of the Late LcHdrrS OF the
Rebellion to Accomplish by
False Finance what They
Failed in by Force.

WASHINGTON. Oct. 2S.--ro the Editor Of
The Bee. One Of the NEST remarkable ut
tcrauces ever made by an Individual in this
city was made by j. Sterling Morton secic-
,ary Of agriculture. to a Post reporter, and
it's publication has caused no end Of gossip
ana a most alarming amount Of excitement
among the 'confederates." The dellverance
as follows
The finance which they teach is entirely
confederate hat. In the southern confed-
eraCv the same leaders who now are in com
mund Ot he picket guards FOR free sllvgr
at l6 20 were leading tinauclers. ANA l4ur-
ris. Pugh. Morgan ana the other confederate
campaign seem 10 desire 20 accomplish ny
false finance that which they failed TO bring
about by Irms-natiOnul dlshonor ana dis
grace.
The reason why this bomb caused so much
commutiOn among the southern statesmen
was because IL was loaded with truth IL
took lots % courage for a democratic cabi-
net officer 20 throw II. But il was a Nebras-
kan who did Il. and you know Nehraskans
this year are right at the front. For one. /
am clad the secretary had the courage to
delivered this center shot. His words are
tull ut meaning and are well worth Cuusid-
ering. The secretary could have ampihed
The subject. but he doubtless preferred to
/ leave thAt 20 others. With your permission
I I desire 10 enlarge 4 little upon the sub
/ iect.
! Free ana unlimited aud independent coin
/ age Of silver az the ratio Of rs to 1 would
benefit four classes only. viz: Gl the silver
mine owner O2l the holder Of silver bullion.
30 the cotton states. ~ those in debt who
are able 20 command silver al its commercial
value For my present purpose / will discuss
/ the third item. The others have been sutfl-
/ ciently debated. In fact. The Bee has
I haustCd he subject under those heads.
I Why is the south practically solid FOR
] the dogma OF free silver? Ny answer is
I mr. mn hat ha i., Fa.sp
/ Of poor money here ana good money in
/ England IN 1892. Can l prove this? GER
I tainiy can. by the greatest man inteilec-
/ tually the south ever sent to the congress
Of the United States. namely General Nc
I Dutfc Of South Carolina IN the debates of
the giants of 1892 that wonderful man said:
| 1T is immaterial to my purpose TO deter
I mine the degree precisely in which the
I value Of money would be appreciated in
/ England ana deprecated IN the United
/ States The important point to be estab-
lishet is that the appreciation abroad ana
1 depreciation At home united would produce
. i considerable change in the value OF
/ money as compared with commodities gen
orally. and change fully equal to the
rate of the protecting duties IN the valur
| Of money as compared with the protected
( articles Debates volume g page 3.S22.
SCHOOL OF THE SOUTH.
This is rhe language Of i man who had
the courage Of his convictions. He was not
only clear on his subject but he was bold
ana direct. From him and Calhoun the
south received it's schooling the subject
of the tariff ana finance. and every speech
and essay which has emanated from the
south on these subjects since their day has
been built upOn what thosa master minds
developed The men who AGd received their
ideas ana inspiration from ACDuiiie and Cal
houn carried the dogma into the constitu-
tion Of the confederate states. Since the
failure OF that instrument by being shot 70
death by loyal bullets thesol same men have
DCen plotting to- place uIIOn the statute
books Of the United States which they tried
70 destroy, laws embndymg the same old
dogma Of free trade and cheap money
for this country They have found ready
allies IN the silver haruns who. with the
cunning southern politician. have spared
neither pains normOney TO deceive the north
ern ana western farmer into accepting the
cheap money Idea Of the cotton states Tho
main argument 10 this END was based upon
the claim that the interests of the farmeTa
Of the latter section of he country were
identical with the interests OF the southern
planters. This claim is wholly untrue 50
TAR rs cheap money is concerned. The plant
I ers sell most Of their cotton 10 England.
ana they sell it for gold. This is utterly
untrue OF any commodity produced by the
| farmers of the north and west. Any one
| can see then how he south is 20 be bene-
/ itud by good money in England ana cheap
1 money here. II wants England 20 have the
best money, ana plenty OF 10. that ii may
get high prices IN gold for its cotton. while
I IL desires here inferior coin or nappr with
which 20 pay its black deld hands ana
purchase svch products Of northern white
! labor &: needs.
History shows because the leading men
. II the south declared il. that the full nur-
pose Of the tariff reform movement OF 1882
was TO bring about the result stated by Nc
Duifie 20 be an appreciation abroad ana 4
depreciation at home Yet he said that il
was ''immateriaI what the degree of injury
might be 10 the north bT such 4 change in
our financial system. The southern leaders
have not the courage 70 declare this in their
arguments for free silver a cheap money
but ii is the real motive IN their hearts.
nevertheless Ana Secretary Morton had
me Intelligence and nerve 20 say so.
Mr. Walter Given anticipated the crisis of
this year in politics way back IN 1890. and
ne said. The attitude Of the cotton states
toward the m0netar- system Of the country
IS more menacing than ever before. For
meriy the south looked to an artificial
scarcity merely But nov, while that end
Is 20 be attained in respect 10 gold. il is pro-
posed also 10 lnilct on the country me Op-
pCs-te evil OF cheapened silver. This for the
reason that the cotton planters selling IN
England want high prices and gold there
while here where they buy labor and sup
plies, they desire a deprecated currency"
SLAVE LABOR THEIR DESIRE.
Free trade would realize 10 the cotton
states the same thing tree silver or a
utiltt4At CURRENCY. drIces Nut DoilNg
Of the south has been for fifty years or
more 10 antagunize honest money and i
sound financial system. ChrisIy says so in
precise words in his book. Cotton is
King He says in so many words that the
efforts Of southern statesmen between 1870
and 1880 10 cheaper northern provisions
by causing 4 scarcity of money had failed
because the mines OF California prevented
both the free trade tariff and the subtreasury
scheme from eXhausting the country OF he
precious metals, extinguishing. the circuIa-
tion Of bankHUtes and reducing the prices
OF agricultural products 20 the specie value -
So long as the south can get substantial
encouragement from the north to keep up
its fight for free trade and a deprecated
currency il win keep it up. But il is 70
be hcDed that the discussions OF this cam
paign will have so opened the eyes of the
northern farmer and laboriHg man that in
the fllture will moi he. an easily