The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-10-25
SEIZURE ON ALTGELD.
Spirited Rejoinder Made by the New
4 York Orator. ~


PEORIA. Ills, Oct. 24-Carf Schurz
arrived here this afternoon from Chi,
cago and was met at the depot by a
committee representing the Sound
Money Democratic Club of Peoria I'M
der whose auspices he spoke at the
tabernacle tonight. He was received
with cheers and escorted to the Ma
tional hotel. During the afternoon he
received many visitors and tonight
was escorted to the tabernacle by dele
cations representing the sound money
Democratic club the Union Veterans
and other organizations. Mr. SchurA
first replied to few questions asked
him by ]. w. Burton, president of the
Peoria free silver club, and then pro-
ceeded with his speech.
Mr.. Schurz's speech was in the main
a rejoinder to the reply of Gov. Alt
geld's reply to Mr.. Schurzs recent
speech in Chicago. He said in part:
deny emphatically that the characterization
of silver in the United States by the act of
1873 has been the cause either of the hard
times or Of the low prices, and 1 deny, with
equal emphasis, that the free coinage of sill
yer in the United States alone, without wait
ing for the aid or consent of any other ma
ton, would be the remedy. I assert that in
point Of fact, the act of 1873, paraded by the
silver men as great crime has not dimin-
ished the volume of currency, has not made
the remaining dollar a 200-cent dollar at all
and has not in that way depressed prices.
My reason for this assertion is simple and
conclusive. If prices had been depressed by
a sweeping change in the purchasing power
of the money of our country that change
would necessarily have operated upon all things
equally. But did it? Do we not all know
that the prices of some things-among them
some agricultural products-substantiall
maintained themselves for several years after
the act Of 1878, which is said to have de-
monetized silver, while others went down
little and still others went down consider
ably, Now, II the dollar had become a 200
cent dollar by the act of 1873, 1t must have
been the same 200-cent dollar for wheat
well as for hardware, and for corn as well
as shoes, and for oats well beer. and
for potatoes well as cigars. 1t could not
be 200-cent dollar for one thing and at the
same time $50 or 125-cent dollar for an
other. Now, If all prices were not equally
affected, as everybody knows they were not,
their decline cannot have been caused by
sudden and great change in the purchasing
power of the money of the country. Nothing
could be clearer.
The last point made by Mr.. Schurz was In
reference to the quotations Gov. Altgeld had
made from speeches and messages of Lincoln
to support his views of the money question,
Mr.. Schurz saying, in conclusion:
Abraham Lincoln and Bryan, Abraham Lin
coin and Altgeld! To associate these names
together as allies in q common cause-aye, to
pronounce them together in the same breath
Is not only fraud, 1t is sacrilege. AS an
old friend OF Abraham Lincoln, who sat at
freedom and humanity, and who was with
him many a day in his struggles for the
rights of man and for the brotherhood OF all
the American people. l solemniy protest
OF Illinois to resent and repel 1t. They are
the custodians Of Abraham Lincoln's grave.
Let them prove themselves the worthy Gus
todians of his historic character and Tame by
buryfng the regulators and meters OF class
hatred who dare to claim him as their own,
under a crushing vote of condemnation.