Birmingham state herald., 1896-03-15
SILVER MUST
 BE RESTORED.
Evils of the Single Gold Standard Portrayed.
ADDS TO DEBTORS BURDENS.
Purchasing Power of Gold Has In. creased Fifty Per Cent Since 1872.

Congressman Charles A. Towne of Minne-
 sota Makes a Memorable Speech In Fa- vor of the Restoration of Silver-Any
 Great Commercial Nation Can Maintain
 the Parity of Gold and Silver-Burden
 of the Gold Standard Can Be Measured
 Only In Blood and Tears-A Falling
 Standard of Value Is Preferable to a Rising one-Legislation Not Overproduc-
 tion, Has Lowered the Price of Silver.
 MR CHAIRMAN-If it were not for a profound, an almost ovorpowering, sense of duty, should not on this occasion yex the ear of the house nor venture to do violence to that feeling of embarrassment which I assure you is most oppressive to myself and, fear, all too evident to my auditors, particularly when I must follow the dis tinguished and eloquent gentleman from Iowa MT. Hepburn], whom the house is always glad to hear. Under these circum- stances l am reminded of those familiar lines of Shakespeare:
 As in a theater the eyes of men,
 When well graced actor leaves the stage,
 Are idly bent on him that enters next.
 But, sir conceive that the general sub jeot which is brought before this house by the pending measure is by all odds the most important one that will engage or has engaged the attention of this body at this session of congress. The eminent gen. tleman who opened the discussion upon this measure Mr Dingley], following 0 metaphor that had its origin, believe, with Aristotle, and which has had fre- quent employment since, well likened the money of the commercial nations of the world to tho lifeblood of the physical body Sir, the comparison is most apt, for not more do the health and efficiency and happiness of tho physical organism depend upon the quantity and condition of the blood than do the welfare, the prosperity and the progress of society depend upon the volume and character of the money that flows i'll the channels of its commer- cial circulation. This it is which gives importance and special emphasis to the question now pending, because there arc hundreds of thousands of men in the Unit ed States and elsewhere in the world today who believe that there is studied effort on the part of certain interests by subtle surgery to abstract from the blood of the body politio its white corpuscles and to al- low to atrophy one of the ventricles of its great central heart whoso harmonious pull sations give power and energy and move- ment to its organization.
 The question, sir, is an imminent one. It is question that, like Banquos ghost, will not down. 'Avaunt and quit my sight, will not banish 1t. Gentlemen may cry, "Peace, peace," but there is no peace. Politicians may say, I've will mako this thing or that thing or the other thing the issue." But, sirs, it is issues that make parties, not parties that make issues. Some gentlemen say: "Let it alone. Let the question settle itself. Do not agitate it." Sir, that is not the language of brave men; that is not the language of states men; that is not tho language of the whilom and customary leadership of the grand old Republican party. Its constant reiteration shows decline in the ancient and salutary standards of self government.
 Our institutions are founded upon and presuppose the fullest investigation, the genuineness of opinions, fair, free and fearless discussion. Had men in the past neglected to exemplify these requirements and to insist upon their guarantee what would have been the history of libertyf To what unhappy condition would not mankind have been reduced had John Hampden been afraid to arraign his king for the unconstitutional exaotions of ship money had Sam Adams and Patrick Henry been obsequiously silent as to the stamp duty or hesitated to affirm the great principle of "no taxation without repre- sentation;''e ad Thomas Jefferson permit ted himself jo entertain polite doubts whether "all hen are created equal;" had Washington deemed it safer to submit to British tyranny than to defy it.; had Gar rison, Lovejoy and Phillips been frighten- ed from their high purpose by the calling of hard names and threats of personal vio- lence; had Sumner, Seward and Lincoln thought it indiscreet to denounce the treatment of Kansas as a crime, to assert that the conflict between freedom and slavery was "irrepressible," and to make a new application of the old proverb that Ia house divided against itself cannot stand"
 No, sir. Let us not abandon our duty. Let us stand to it like men. Said Daniel Webster in answer to similar argument { years ago:
 "If any evil arises to destroy or endan- ger this medium or this currency, our duty is to meet it. not to retreat from tito remedy i'd .ot to let 1t alone. We are to control afd correct the mischief, not to submit to it'
 An Era of Investigation.
 Moreover question of this magnitude and significance ought to be discussed in a spirit and manner appropriate to so high a theme. To treat it as if it were the claim of a small private interest seeking an avenue for self aggrandizement at tha expense of the general good is to show a grave incompetence to weigh and handle the momentous conoerns of the people. That so many in this house are unable to |. grasp the higher and only real issues in volyed is not complimentary to the stand ard of American statesmanship. Similar but much severer strioturee must be drawn upon a considerable part of the public press. To call one's opponent in an argu- sment "fooi," ''crank," "luDatic, :" "trsi- tor" is as unproftable as it is impolite. People arc apt to suspect one who doth protest too much." Better answer your antagonists argument than abuse him, and If he really be a fool his argument ought to be easily answered. Nor can you escape the ordeal : critical examination by merely pasting a label on your faith. Calling 1t "honest" and "sound" does not by any means make 1t 90. It only bcgs the question. NobQdy conteuda for m