Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1896-09-21

| who might temporarily PfOup ny IL
! degraded currency, no matter tWhat
sacrifices of the plainest precepts of
| good morals. In no case and at no
point, do they propose a system to
pay our national and private obliga-
F! tions on the plain, old fashioned
principles Of good faith and honesty
which have always heretofore distin-
guished the American people.
Practically admitting that the effect
! of the free, unlimited and independ-
ent coinage of silver would be an i'm
mense loss to the savings and re-
sources of our people, and that it's
adoption would reduce the plain of
| their social and industrial condition,
! they yet propose that we shall risk
/ this hazardous experiment. Vermont
! has said in tones that cannot be mis-
understood that she will have moth
ing to do with that fatal experiment.
Indeed, they are urging Us to at
tempt by legislation to make fifty
cents worth Of silver pass current as
a legal tender one hundred cent dol
lar, good for all public and private
obligations. The mere statement of
the proposition ought to lead to it's
instant rejection. We cannot by law
make every man honest, but we GER
certainly will never make q law en-
couraging them to be dishonest.
To me the question of free trade is
a question of humanity, the voice Of
the labor pleading for it's own; and
the question of free silver q question
of morality, honor and good faith,
and its success would be blot on our
hitherto spotless national credit.
The American people, as a Nation,
like those OF the State of Vermont
are entirely above SO unworthy an
imputation. A people that could, as
a weak and struggling confederacy of
less than five million Inhabitants,
emerge from an eight years war Of
blight and destruction, and proceed
Immediately to gather up and pay off
its enormous revolutionary debt, in
Guiding the independent debt of all
the States, aggregating ,$135, 000,0 900,
or $27.00 per capita, at the time of it's
assumption, will not falter at the
present temptation.
A people who could tax. themselves
most heavily to equip and maintain
the armies and navies Of the Union,
and continue the most extensive and
expensive war in history, will not
turn their backs upon the soldiers Of
that war, nor seek to pay their pen
sions in dollars worth only half their
face value. A people who emerged
from that war with an interest bear
ing debt of 50, 1862, 600, 900, or $1,000
per capita for our entire population
in 1865, will not now, after having
honestly paid three fourthg Of that
great debt, ever seek, directly or in
directly, to repudiate one dollar of it
or cheaper the coin of payment. A
people, say, who proceeded in good
faith to pay off that debt with such
unparalleled rapidity, of which it was
estimated in 1888, up to that time,
they had paid $4,000 for every min
ute of every day Of every year from
1865 to 1888. will not now falter, bar
gain Or scheme to defraud any credit
OR of the Government whoever or
wherever he may be.
A people who had the satisfaction
of seeing that debt reduced to $685.
000,000 on March 3, 1898, at the close
of the splendid administration of
President Harrison will readily and
quickly NJ eet both the remainder of
the old debt and all that has been
made since Oaughter), and pay it off,
principal and interest, in the best
money of the world, and recognized
by the civilized nations to be the best
at the time of payment, just as Presi-
dent Jackson paid off the last Of the
Revolutionary debt sixty years or
more after the first of it had been
contracted.
This, my fellow citizens Of Yer
mont, is the faith that the election in
your state inspires in me; but that is
not all. In that verdict 1 see the un-
alterable determination Of the people
of the United States. for whom she
had the honor first to speak, to re-
store the protective tariff system to
our statute books. Vermont is an
agricultural state, but her keen, sa
gacious and honest farmers know full
we'll the value of Protection and its
twin sister, Reciprocity.
They have profted by experience.
They have examined both their stock
books and their store books, and they
have had plenty of time to do it
Dor7nlo+orN- tho uaorc