The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-02-05
f BROWN ROHST
Administered by Senator TiIlman
on the Policy of President
Cleveland.
A BROADSIDE OF INVECTTVE-
WITH NO SIGN OF MERCY.
Financial Delinquencies Of the Administration
and Shortcomings Of Congress Are Pic
tuped in Acute Colops.


new senator from South Carolina, yes
terday signalized his entry into the SEN
ate by making vigorous speech against
the financial policy of the government
and against President Cleveland on gen.
eral principles. He said
1T is not saying too much, and I feel
warranted in charging that the derange-
ment in our finances and all this cry
about sound money and maintaining the
honor and credit Of the United States are
all a part and parcel of a damnable
scheme of robbery which had for it's OBJ
Ject first, the utter destruction of silver
as a money metal, second, the increase
or the public debt the issue of bonds pay
able In gold, and third. the surrender to
corporations of the power to issue all pa
per money and give them monopoly of
that function
Senator Tillman referred to the Sher-
man silver law of 1890, and in this con-
nection said:
THE silver Republicans of the West
who had deserted the silver Democrats
of the South and accepted the compro-
mise offered by Senator Sherman, may
take warning as to what faith or trust
they can put in any utterances or actions
Of the senator from Ohio as to legislation
IN regard to our finances. The time for
another presidential election approaches.
They must understand that the election
OF any man to the presidency who would
veto free coinage bill means defeat. 1t
means more; it means continued dsas-
ar to ~.
erty to the masses of our people. Under
the Sherman law there was a diminution
OF the amount of free gold in gradually
decreasing scale, but not enough to cause
alarm. During its entire year of 1891 and
the entire year of 1892 there was APP
proximately as much gold as there was
during 1854 and 1885, If the secret his
tory of the year 1892 shall ever be written
1t Will disclose the fact which cannot be
proven now, but of which | have not the
slightest doubt. that the gold ring Of New
YORK, which embraces nearly all the
bankers in the Eastern and Middle states,
and the stock gamblers of Wall street,
controlled the presidential nominations OF
Doth the Democrat tic and Republican par
ties, and had an understanding with the
managers or with both candidates them
selves in regard to what policy should be
tributed money for the booming of Cleve-
land as the only available Democratic
candidate, and they abused and ridiculed
every other Democratic aspirant. There
was plain evidence to show that the pres
ident himself had weakened on the ques-
ton of tariff reform, and the financial
plank was cunninSly drafted so as to
satisfy both gold and silver men. with the
intention that it should be interpreted, If
Cleveland was elected, as meaning the
cessation of silver coinage and the for
cling of a gold standard upon the people.
Whether the scheme was agreed to by
the president in person or not, and
whether he bound himself in plain terms
or not, will perhaps, never be known.
His course has been answering in the
abSOute carrying out of his public pro-
fessions and his letter of acceptance"
There had been no trouble with the
gold reserve, the senator asserted, and
no hint of any less confidence in the ma
tional credit, until about the time of the
last presidential election. Then for the
first time we got a glimpse of the con-
epiracy which he had referred to before.
Secretary Foster, he said, gave the hold
ers of greenbacks and treasury notes the
option of having government paper
cashed in gold or silver, and as they all
demanded gold, the gold in the treasury
rapidly ran down. The financial papers
took up the cry of the country going to a
silver basis, and the first premonitory
breezes of the panic of 1898 swept over
the land, and the consiprators fomented
it by every possible means.
The senator quoted from President
Cleveland's response to the committee
that notified him Of his nomination the
last time, and declared there was nothing
in it to warrant one to expect that the
leader Of the Democratic party would ig-
more the platform, and treat with con-
tempt the trusted lieutenants whom the
people had sent to the national capital to
assist in shaping legislation. The Ian
guage would lead us to expect the very
reverse How many, he asked, of these
reasonable expectations have been met?
Whose advice has he (the president rec
ognized? None but of the boot licks and
sychophants who have crawled on their
knees for the crumbs of patronage and
betrayed their constituents for the Off
ces in his gift. In the history of the coun-
try the high Office of president has never
been so proStituted, and never has the
appointing power been so abused. Claim
ing to be the apostle of civil service re-
form, he has debauched the civil service
by making appointments only of those
whose sponsors would surrender their
manhood, and with bated breath walk
with submissive head in his presence
With relentless purpose he has ignored
his oath of office to hold up and obey the
law, and has paid out gold instead of
coin, and issued bonds to buy more gold,
Dy DOCu dCtIOIlS OVcIIulItS the law. ana
giving no heed to the interests of any but
moneyed friends-1 might say his owners
and partners. While to this besotted ty-
rant coin has come to mean gold, he can
not by his mere ipse diXit' change the
law of this land and pervert the plain
meaning of the English language The
repeal of the Sherman law, it was as
serted, which was the first point of at
tack of this 'unholy alliance was only
accomplished through the aid and in con-
junction with majority of the Republi-
can senators. This Democratic president
accomplished what was not possible for
any Republican executive under the cir
cumstances to have brought about. A
change of the party in power had left
large number of offices in his gift with
which to buy votes
In discussing the "honest meaning" of
parity of gold and silver in the Sherman
law, he said:
1.-The object was to have them assist
each other, to hold silver UP by holding
the treasury. who should have resigned
his office rather than submit to the die
tation of a besotted chief, would have
paid out silver to protect the tres
from the gold gamblers, as the law and
his oath of office required. No wonder
the senator from Massachusetts feels
warranted in INVITING us with the decay
of Southern craftsmanship, and charging
us with dishonesty. He char ges it, how
ever, in another connection and as aiding
and abetting this Judas from Kentucky
who, after a brilliant career of twenty
years and more, as leader and champion
of the silver forces. has in his old age
come to this pitiful pass. And then to