Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1896-12-12

Arkansas Gd2eIle. ~ udS uSch oAeSA
fehearsed. so often indeed that ono
would think every citizen Of the eoun-
try was familiar with the facts, but
they are not, or If they read about 1t
they have forgotten the facts.
The act demonetizlng silver was
struggled through congress. Less than
a half dozen members knew OF 1t.
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 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, was as ignor-
ant of the fact that it would demone-
size the silver dollar, or OF its drop
ping the silver dollar from our system
of coins, as were those distinguished
senators. Messrs. Blaine and voorhees,.
who were then members of the house,
and each Of whom, a few days since,
INTERCEPTED the other: Did you know
1t was dropped when the bill passed?
Mo- said Mr.. Blaine. did your No.
said Mr.. voorhees,. I do not think
there were three members in the house
that knew it | doubt whether Mr..
Hooper, who, in my absence from the
nd ottandanaa
on the committee on ways and means,
managed the bill, knew it. l 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 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 long time after its enact
uient into law OF the substitution in the
senate of the section which dropped
tina standard silver dollar. l profess to
know nothing Of its history, but / am
prepared to say that in the legislation
of this country there Is no mystery
eqssal to the decentralization of the sill
yer dollar of the United States. have
never met a man who could tell Just
how 1t came about or why. The bill
was passed without any allusion in de-
bate to the question of the retention
orthe abandonment of the standard sill
yer dollar
Evidently the crime was committed
after it had left the hands OF the com
mittee, and before it was voted on IL
the house. How it passed that body il
Thus described by Congressman Brigh
of Tennessee: 1T passed by fraud IL
the house, never having been printed
in advance, being a substitute for tn
printed bill; never having been read a
the clerks desk, the reading haviu,
been dispensed with by an impression
that the bill made no alteration in IN
coinage laws; it was passed with0u
discussion, debate being cut off b,
operation of the previous question.
was passed, to my certain informa
ton, under such circumstances tina
the fraud escaped the attention O
some of the most watchful as well a
the ablest statesmen in congress at tn
time
Senator Allison said in reference t
the subject: When the secret histor
of this bill of 1879 comes to be told,
WIFI disclose the fact that the house G
representatives intended to coin bot
gold and silver, and intended to plac
both metals upon the French relatio
instead of on our own, which was tn
true scientific position with referenc
to this subject in 1873, but that tn
bill afterward was doctored."
Senator Beck said: THE bill neye
was understood by either house Of cor
igress." Senator Thurman said: "Ther
is not single man in the senate. III
less a member of the committee frol
y which the bill came, who had Il
slightest idea that 1t was even a squir
toward characterization
81 Mr.. Holman, in the house. said I'll
measure and the methods Of its pas
age was colossal swindle. 1t do
not possess the moral force Of law"
Representative Cannon, Of Illinoi
says the bill was not discussed ar
= neither members of congress nor IL
people understood the scope OF Il
N Legislation.
Senator Hereford. Of West virgini
in a speech in the senate, said "the bl
~ never was read. never was discusse
and the chairman Of the commits
said to Mr.. Holman, when asked Il
question, that 1t did not affect Il
coinage in any way whatever"
Who was benefited by this Grim
The foreign and New York bondhol
ers. Who paid for it? Let the folio
Ing affidavit explain. 1t was made
Mr.. Frederick A. Luckenbach, a fc
j mer member of the New York Sto
Exchange, but a resident OF Denver I
several years. The present editor