The record-union., 1896-08-21
A FREE SILVER MAN.
Vigorous Letter From Governor Mcconnell
Of Idaho.
kavors Free and Unlimited Coinage of
of Silver. But Not the Way
Bryan Does.

Aue following letter from Governor
Mcconnell, who has been one of the
leading champions of free silver, will
be read with interest by all:
BOISE CITY, Aug. II, 1S96.-Publish-
crs Spokesman-Revie Spokane,
Wash.-Gentlemen: l notice in your is
sue of August 10th three questions pro-
posed by c. w. Simmons of Kellogg, this
State, which you have undertaken to
answer
AS you have invited correspondence
IN your columns on the, political situa-
ton, If you will kindly grant me that
privilege, I would like to correct you in
Your answer
To the first question, Does not the
United States Government accept silver
IN payment of all customs, taxes and
public dues?" you answer that 1.-The
United States accepts silver certificates
In payment of customs, taxes and all
public dues. 1t does not so accept silver
dollars"
If this was true, it would be a sur
prising condition of affairs. A silver GER
tificate is merely promise to pay upon
presentation a certain number of silver
dollars. Under your Interpretation, the
promise to pay would be accepted by the
customs officers, but the payment itself
would be rejected.
As I presume you intend to be fair,
and give correct answers to the ques-
tions propounded to you, if you will re-
fer to the Act of February %, 1873, you
will find its title to be, "An Act to au-
thorize the coinage of the standard sill
yer dollar and to restore its legal tender
character" After stating it's weight
and fineness, the language is as follows:
They shall be legal tender at their
nominal value for all debts and dues,
public or private, except when otherwise
expressly stipulated in the contract"
1t is well enough, perhaps. to say that
without the latter clause the Act would
not be constitutional, because Congress
has no right to deprive any citizen Of
his constitutional right to enter into a
private agreement or contract which is
not in violation of law.
You wind up your answer as follows:
why juggle further with this point
The fact could not be palmer. The gold
reserve is held in the treasury exclusive
~ for the redemption of United States
and treasury notes. 1t is never paid out
in exchange for silver dollars or silver
certificates. Silver certificates are re-
deemed exclusively in silver dollars, and
silver dollars are redeemed in nothing.
These facts have been thoroughly es-
tablished in letters and kilograms from
the highest officials of the Treasury De
partment- Any one who Questions their
correctness can inquire of the treasury
for himself
This is not the first time such a state
ment has appeared in your paper. The
intent of the answer appears to be to
lead the public to believe that the pres
ent silver dollar is not a good dollar
because lit is redeemable in nothing"
OF course, a silver dollar is not re-
deemable in gold; why should it be? 1t
is a money of final redemption, the same
as a $50 gold piece. Would you pretend
to say that a $50 gold piece is redeem
able in any other money? Certainly not
Would you pretend to say, if we restored
the free and unlimited coinage of silver,
that the silver dollars would be redeem
able in gold? Please answer these ques-
tions through the medium Of some Of
your financial editors.
I think the time has arrived when
every citizen has a right to express him
self on this subject, and 1 think the pub
lie has a right to expect fair and une-
quivocal statements from the news
papers so long as they undertake to
answer questions.
In my judgment when the boilers
from the Republican party and the Pop