Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-10-24
To the Editor of the Register.

We desirt to make this point, and we
wish TO emphasize it strongly and with
vigOr:-Major Mckinley, the Republic
can candidate for President, from the
first day that be entered public life on
every occasion, when expressing himself
upon the financial question, down TO the
sitting of the ST. Louis convention, was
in favor of the free and unlimited coin
age Of silver with gold at 16 to l, and eX-
pressed himself on every occasion in his
speeches and by his votes in Congress.
On the 9Th of Novembed, 1871 William
Mckinley voted voted for the free and
unlimited coinage Of silver, with I'M
limited legal tender powers, at tho ia 10
with gold Of 10 TO l, without waiting for
the consent of any other nation.
In 1873 he voted for the Stanley
Mathews resolution, which reads:
That all bonds of the United States,
issued or authorized, under said acts Of
Congress are payable, principal and in
teTest, at the option of the government
of the United States, in silver dollars Of
the. coinage Of the United States con-
tanning 4121a grains each of standard
silver, and that TO restore to its coinage
such silver coins as a legal tender in
payment of said bonds, principal and
interest, is not in violation of the public
faith, nor in derogauon 10 the public
creditor" Major Mckinley voted for
this.
Notice that the silver dollar meant is
the one coined under the law Of 1851,
which designaJes the ratio between gold
and silver TO be 16 to l.
Further along, in 1878, the Bland-Alli-
son bill was passed, and Mckinley voted
for this bill, and when il was on its
passage over the veto Of President
Hayes, he voted 10 pass it over the veto.
This bill designa,es that $2000000 to
$4,000. 600 worth of silver shall be pur-
chased monthly and coined into stand
ard dollars OF 1922 grains, as provided
under the &C, of 1897 This act pro-
vided for the coinage of gold and silver
at a ratio Of 1G to l.
He was chairman, in 1888, Of the
Committee on Resolutions of the Repub-
lican National Convention and reported
the platform, and It declared: The
party is in favor of the use of both gold
and silver as money. and condemns the
policy of the Democratic adminisJra-
ton in It's efforts to demonetize silver
Another evidence Of his support OF 10
to /.
Then again he was chairman OF the
Ways and Means Committee OF the
Fifty-first Congress and was the leader
of the House. He advocated the VIM
dom purchasing bill of 1890, "as better
bill than the Bland-Allson act and the
next best thing to free coinage. Ha
said: 1--WE cannot have free coinage
now. except in the manner provided in
the bill. To defeat this bill means TO
defeat all silver legislation and 10 leave
us with two millions a month only,
when by passing this bill we would have
four and a half millions a month or
treasury notes as good IS gold AnOth-
er Is to 1 bill.
On June a. 1890. be said: u am for
the largest use OF silver in the currency
of the country. l would not dishonor 1t;
/ would give it equal credit and honor
with gold; l would
MAKE NO DISCRIMINATION;
I would utilize both metals as money
and d.scredit neither. | WANT The
DOUBLE STANDARD"
At Carnegie Hall, October Is, 1890,
in Pittsburg. he said Eve passed a sill
YER bill which | think is the best silver
LEGISLATION that has been passed in the
American Congress. 1T UTILITIES
EVERY OUNCE OF SILVER IN THE
UNITED STATES. and makes the treas
urv note issued on that basis rede9mable
in cold and silver, and good in all public
debts and legal tender for all purposes.
When Cleveland went out, II cents was
the value of the silver dollar. After
this bill passed that same dollar ad-
vanced TO 80 cents. TO my mind, 1t is
the most liberal legislation on this
money question that has ever been sane
toned in Congress. Il gives the people
more currency aud gives them more vol
un,a of money. and puts silver more
nearly on a par with gold than in Is
wears and THE TINE IS COMING
WHEN GOLD AND SILVER WILL
RE MARCHING SIDE BY SIDE DO
nc M THE BUSINESS OF THE COUN-
TRY" ,.....o,
In 1891. at Toledo, O., he denounced
CIevelands message to Congress IN 1889,
IN which he advocated the single gold
Standard and contraction Of the currency.
He said: -
During all Of Cleyeland's years at
tho beod of the government he was DIS
L F'c one of our precious metals
one of OUR PRODUCTS, discrediting
silver and enhancing the price oil solu'
ue endeayored. even before inaugural
ion ~ SION the coinage OF silver DOL
los and afterwards. and 10 The enc OF
his administration pers.s entity useu
tis mower TO that en-. He was deter
,,,irad n contract the circulating meai-
nm and demonetize one OF the CONS Vi
commerce. limit the volume OF monty
among the people. Make MONEi
SCARCE AND THEREBY DEAR:
ne would have increased the value OF
money and diminished the value OF
evervtbi7p else. Money the master
everything else the servant. he was
nor thinking Of the poor then, ne had
left THEIR side. He was not | s,alS-
ing forth in THEIR defense I CAe5p
coats. cheap labor and DEAR MINE l.
the snonsor and promoter Of these pro-
testing 10 stand guard over the welfare
of the poor and lonely was ,AeTe ever
more
CIA2T-- INCONSISTENCY
or reckless sin7ion compared with
his presen, views.
In 1892 the Republican party IN 1neI
r.r-... foor,,o1 ssTrha American peO-