New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-05-18

p.pTY IN 1878, bCi bE"4'''
,o,r ABOUT THE CURRENCY
QUESTION LATER-soME
RECENT SOUND
MONEY CON-
vERTs
10 the M, nqi' you please answer me through 'ie
us your BSpid Mr. Mckinley vote for the Hd free
When sng S Coinage of silver? Also %ns 1 az the
yss ssss sss be- BY MF ana
Dsed coinage Of silver s Is II ai be truthfSy said
ssd change loyal advocate Of sound MONEY Win TN
ins' ~ ne the Standard dollar yOT W KEEnER
world s ov W,,,n. Conn. May II. 1896
,.,,sr ,s written in such a spirit OF candor
i"'I .ote great pleasure in answering II. IN
'ha' - 1877 and the spring OF 1878. during the
inc TO- CONGRESS. Major Mckinley voted Tor the
AZ ,o.a # silver and when President hayes
i'e' ,ho hill he voted TO pass the bill over the
w'''N chat time the silver question had peen
w ", discussed. and the bill which Major NC
Ou' 4. now censured for supporting passed the
h"'' n,,h only thirty-seven negative votes IL
hO"'N ,r,ed nv large number Of leading Re-
u.s Few members OF that Congress, even
STATE Of New-York voted against the
Ha ~, doubt AT that time Major Mckinley con-
". I, host "a try the free coinage OF silver
,oa os he believed to be right. He also, FOR
s"' - reason voted to override the veto. He
w ~,ran the subject little study and probably
nav .a eon,e things 10 be true which were as
-, the advocates Of free coinage. which he
.,.ra learned were not true 1t must be re-
a''. rs.r.a tina, large majority Of the Republi-
,,at Congress and nearly all the Demo-
.a ,o,,sd 10 vote against that bill. President
49,. nod the good sense TO veto IL. and then the
..,,,s began 10 study the question.
n,r,rs the extra session Of the next Congress
u.rv ~ the Republicans were al sea on the sill
90, question. The advocates of free coinage were
..,vs and aggressive; the sound-money men were
,,u,jous and many Of them were timid the
.,,,e Democratic party in Congress. with the
.,votion Of hardly bakers Dozen were demand
M The free coinage Of silver. and they were led
4, ,,.,r efforts by John G.. Carlisle and many or
es, ablest men. The greenback craze was at Its
,.,ht and the lunatcs Of that faith were unit
a, sc usual. with the advocates Of free coinage
:. they considered that the road led in the drec-
.ion Of FIAT money. pure and simple
Then II was that men began 20 study the ques-
finn more carefully, and in that Congress Major
Mckinley voted all the time against the free
,,,naee OF silver and from that day to this. so
far nc know. he has never cast vote for H.
INT In his public speeches and elsewhere has been
a stanch advocate OF sound money.
In 1880 General Ewing ran for Governor OF
Ohio on the Democratic and greenback tickets
AGAINST Charles Foster. Sound money was one Of
the main issues and Mckinley was with us all
over the State doing good service for the hnan-
cial principles of his party He has been in every
campaign all over the United States from that
day to this. and has spoken everywhere against
free coinage and In favor Of sound money. No
man knows this better than Thomas c. Platt
Now, forsooth his whole record for fifteen years
sp be forgotten. and these enemies seize upon
byote eighteen years ago, when he voted win
he majority OF his party on one bill. and under
take to FIX his present standing on that question
BY that vote; and that, too, In the face or MS
continuous record since. He beat Long Neal
for Governor OF Ohio, when that candidate ran on
a free-sver platform by more than 10000 ma
Jority, and talked sound money on every stump
In the State. know. because l was In Ohio dur
ing that campaign for forty days. and heard the
Major on several occasions
II during all these years since the XLNth Con-
gress Major Mckinley has uttered one word on
the currency question except against the free
coinage of silver aId In favor Of sound money,
why do not these mer point 1t out?
His votes in 1877 and 1873 no one denies Mr..
Keller asks if since then he has met with
change Of heart Call 1t that If the expression
suits. He has certainly met with change Of
views. / doubt not his heart was right all the
time His motives were good. and his inten-
tons were pura. but he had not then reached
full understanding Of the question. His change
OF views has not taken place recently, since ne
became a candidate for the Presidency. but soon
after those vOtes-indeed. just as soon as he be
came better informed upon the question
Is II crime for a man 10 change his opinions.
especially II he changes them FOR the better?
The Republican party has also been growing In
knowledge upon this question since 1876 That
party would not now pass the Bland-Aliison bill.
even the Sherman law Of 1890 1t knows
more to-day than II did then. When the Repub-
hcan party meets At ST. Louis. the platform
adopted there will show where 1t stands to-day.
do not believe there Is man much talked OIL
among all the candidates for nomination before
that Convention who is unsound on the money
question. II there be one man among them all
VINO fayors the free coinage OF silver In the rdtlo
OF IL 10 j, or any other ratio not first agreed
upon by the commercial nations OF the world.
cannot name him. ! know Major Mckinley,
rnonas B. Reed Senators Allison and Quay ana
S9efnor Morton are all OF them III perieCe
ssieement upon this subject. j am personally
seqoainted with the views OF those men. having
,spealedly heard each Of them define his
Tor him "
4. MAJOR Mckinley has written and spoken more
- oenai Of sound money during the last twelve
LAS tnan can be found in the public records or
y as mansners all combined. during the same
years He has been constantly meeting and OPP
yTvVs'ns the movement to debase our currency
rne people know this, and believe in him. Four
s. states have instructed for him this week
1eht under the fire of these bitter assaults. do
~ ~. say that he will be nominated al st. Louis
S III 40 say that he cannot be beaten by that
s .u OF warfare. The attack comes with bad
sac, s'eee from many men who have joined In the at
,.eA,p' 10 defame him. He has been Republican
-, ausr. true and tried for many years The peo-
kons nave come 10 Ike him They know ne is
s.asst and brave and cean-handed His public
~wA commends him. No amount OF vilfcation
"i.' destroy his good name
A.. "a vast number OF States and districts have
rad In tc fox a 90