The Louisiana populist., 1896-11-20
THE CRIME OF 1873.
HOW ACT DEMONETIZING SILL
YER WAS PASSED.
1t Was Rushed Through Congress with
out Being Read and Debate Was Shut
on by the Previous 0uestion-PeopIs
Never Heard of 1t.

Arkansas Gazette: 1t has been often
rehearsed, so often indeed that one
would think every citizen OF the coun-
try was familiar with the facts, but
they are not, or IL they read about II
they have forgotten the facts.
The act demonetizing silver was
smuggled through congress. Less than
a half dozen members knew of it.
President Grant, who signed the bill,
was utterly ignorant of it. Judge
Kelly, Of Pennsylvania, the chairman
OF the committee on coinage, weights
and measures at the time, when
charged with having advocated the de-
monetization of silver, said in a speech
In the house: In connection with the
charge that advocated the bill which
demonetized the standard silver dol
lar, say that, though chairman of the
committee on coinage, l was as ignor-
ant OF the fact that it would demone-
tie the silver dollar, or of its drop
ping the silver dollar from our system
OF coins, as were those distinguished
senator's, Messrs. Blaine and Voorhees,,
who were then members of the house,
and each Of whom. few days since.
interrogated the other: Did you know
1t was dropped when the bill passed %
No. said Mr.. Blaine, did you?' No
said Mr.. Voorhees, L do not think
there were three members in the house
that knew it, / doubt whether Mr..
Hooper, who, in my absence from the
committee on coinage and attendance
on the. committee on ways and means,
managed the bill, knew il. / say this
in Justice to him." This statement was
made in the Forty-fifth congress
In the Forty-sixth congress the mat
ter was again brought to the attention
Of the house by Judge Kelly, who said:
"All that l can say is that the commit
tee on coinage. weights and measures,
who reported the original bill, were
faithful and able, and scanned its pro-
visions closely; that as their organ /
reported 1t: THAT 1T CONTAINED
PROVISIONS FOR BOTH THE
STANDARD SILVER DOLLAR AND
THE TRADE DOLLAR. Never having
heard until a long time after its enact
ment into law of the substitution In the
senate of the section which dropped
the standard silver dollar. profess to
know nothing Of its history. but am
prepared to say that in the legislation
of this country there Is no mystery
equal to the characterization of the sill
yer dollar OF the United States. l have
never met a man who could tell just
how it came about or why. The bill
was passed without any allusion In de-
bate to the question of the retention
or the abandonment Of the standard sill
yer dollar"
Evidently the crime was committed
after 1t had left the hands of the COM
mittee, and before II was voted on in
the house. How it passed that body is
thus described by Congressman Bright
of TENNESSEE. 1T passed by fraud in
the. house. never having been printed
in advance. being a substitute for the
printed bill; never having been read at
the clerks desk, the reading having
been dispensed with by an impression
that the bill made no alteration in the
coinage laws; 1t was passed without
discussion. debate being cut of by
operation of the previous question. 1t
was passed. to my certain informa-
tion. under such circumstances that
the fraud escaped the attention of
some of the most watchful, as well as
the ablest statesmen in congress at the
time"
Senator Allison said in reference to
the subject: when the secret history
of this bill Of 1873 comes to be told, It
win disclose the fact that the house Of
Representatives intended to coin both
gold and silver. and intended to place
both metals upon the French relation
instead of ON our own, which was the
true scientific position with reference
to this subject in 1873. but that the
bill afterward was doctored." fsst
Senator Beck said: The bill never
was understood by either house of con-
gress." Senator Thurman said: There
Is not q single man In the senate. un-
less q member of the committee from
which the bill came, who had the
slightest idea that 1t was sven squint
toward demonstration"
Mr.. Holman, IN the house, said the
vooouuro End <h> unafhruda NJ &c vso -