The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-04-29
THE LATEST FLOP.

oil congress IIoIo tue eeA SAth t'istA Nv
has topped" lie announces now that
he Is for Sound money" and proclaims
himself a "bi-metallist.' This is the
wav they all start, but ii is only an
other step until Mr.. Henderson win
join Mr. Carlisle in the ranks Of the
gold bugs, without claiming to be any
thing but a gold monometallist. In
last Sundays Charlotte Observer this
new convert, with the zeal born of new
conversion, in two and a half column
article delivers himself Of the follow
ing expression:
The free coinage question is not as
important as it is believed to be BY
its most earnest advocates ! do
not know of a more worthless issue
/ or one that is less attainable, or
that promises fewer practical re-
suits, at the ratio that is proposed
| of sixteen to one"
This utterance win very greatly sur
prise Mr.. Henderson's constituents
who have kept him in Congress ten
years upon his advocacy of free coin
age and upon his record Of voting for
silver every time that the question was
up. Now he says that he was always
a "sound-money" man. We do not
question the honesty of Mr.. Hender-
son. but his constituents will be as
founded when they read his letter, and
will declare that it was his duty ten
wears ago, when first nominated, to
have told them his convictions instead
of denouncing the Republicans for
demonetizing silver and advocating
the free coinage of the white metal
WHY didn't he tell his constituents in
1892 that free coinage was worth
less issue. Has he learned ii since
his retirement from Congress? In the
last Congress, Mr. Henderson voted
with Mr.. Bland on every proposition
for free coinage, and at the special
session Of Congress in 1893 he was so
anxious to have free coinage that he
voted for it FIVE times in one day. He
was nearly as old then as now, and
had served eight years in Congress,
and ought to have voted against those
propositions if he did rot believe they
were right.
Unlike Mr.. Carlisle and other new
converts, Mr.. Henderson does not adj
nit his miraculous conversion. He
Was always" for "sound-money," but
Tie guarded the secret well
for ,.he ten long years be
was in Congress, and lat his
constituents believe an the time
that he favored opening the minis to
both metals ard he voted 70 open thelui
not only so, but on the stump he de-
tended his votes, and made clear pre-
sensations OF the good results that
would flow from free coinage.
His article, in which he lets the pub
lie, that had judged him by speeches
and public record, into the secret Of
his money views, contains nothing
new, and nothing that in many
speeches he has not himself answered
and demolished. we have none of his
1894 speeches at hand, but the follow
ing report Of his speech made in Sal
jsbury in 1892, as reported in the Sails
harv Herald, shows that If he then
thought silyer a worthless issue he
took particular pains to keep the
thought securely locked in his own
bosom. Here Is the report:
The principal question before th
pe3DIe Of the United states was the
financial question and upon this tae
Democratic party stood squarely DN
the people. lie defed any man in the
house to point out any bad financial
law upon tie statute books that was
put there BIZ Democrats @374,00O,009
Of greenbacks was in circulation to-
1aV THAT would have been retired DHt
for the vigilance Of Democrats. Only
~ 900 .Oo0 Of silver dollars the dollar
of orr daddies" were coined from
1892 10 1873. when silver was demoHe-
| tized. The characterization OF silver
was 4 sWindle and was passed without
notice to the people or to Congres.
| No man could demounce this swIndie
| more strongly than himself. The 44th
| Congress-tille first Democratic Com
| gress since the war passed free
coinage bill, but it died in the Senate.
| The 45th Congress passed similar
bill, which also passed the Senate, but
was vetoed by President Hayes. SO
strong was the sentiment of the peo-
| Die In favor of this measure that il
| was passed over the Presidents veto.
Under the operations Of this law the
| Bland act $4,000 900 has been put
| in circulation Every cent Of this is
| Democratic money and is circulated
among the common people. Not Il
dollar Of it would be in circulation to-
day but for the trength and vigilance
of the Democratic party. $800,OO0,00O
in greenbaclls and silver is in circula-
ton to-day that would have been re-