The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-10-01
He SPOKE THE TRUTH
Teller Told II Straight to Some Of
the Voters in Ohio.
MANY GOOD POINTS MADE
His Speech Made the Subject Clear
and Those Who Put Oues-
tlons to Him Got Plain
Answers.

night, Senator Teller made a strong
,iee-coinage speech which was printed
4 In the Cleveland Plain Dealer. from
which the following summary is made.
The senator said:
II went into the senate three years
after the demonetizatlon act OF 1873.
and l remember perfectly well the dis
cussion that took place there In 1873.
when the Bland act was up for con-
sideration. I we'll remember that Sem
ator Conkling, whom / consider the
most careful man In public life. asked
| II II was true that we hadn't the
American silver dollar. He was told
| Il was true. Then he wanted to know
when 1t was stricken from the list OF
| coins.
ain 1885, said Senator Sherman.
".No, in 1873 said Senator Jones,
and Jones was right. Blaine. Grant,
| Garfield, Beck and Voorhees, didn't
know the silver dollar was demone.
tlzed. Perhaps Mr.. Hooper. the chair
man of the house committee. may have
known 1t. Mr.. Sherman may have
known II. In fact. believe Mr.. Sher-
man knew II. He said he did. II he
didn't say that, wouldn't believe ne
knew 1t. (Applause) Yet there are
travelling political economists going up
and down the land. assuring us that
silver was demonetized In 1854. or some
say In 1858. and some have even de-
clared that 1t was never demonetized.
| That is not material, however. We
know that silver Is now demonetized
| and the question Is not when or how,
hut how to restore It. and Will Its
restoration be beneficial.
| "Then, again. there are economists
travelling up and down the land, tell
| ing you that II we had free coinage We
| would have 53-cent dollars. The mine
| owner, they say, would take silver to
the mint which would be coined into
dollars. That is true. Then they say
the miner would take these dollars
and pay a dollars worth of debt with
II. That Is also true. Then some way
or other those dollars, having paid
dollar debt, would become worth only
SO cents. What foolishness. Nobody
would be compelled to take those dol
lars for goods. unless the seller
thought them worth a dollar. The
value Of any commodity depends upon
the demand for 1t. The same Is true
of primary money.
now? Isn't il because II performs all
/
gold dollar, a paper dollar or bank
note, and you need 1t In the transac-
tion of business? II seems SO silly to
discuss such things, but there are men
urging them as objections to bimetal-
lism and they must be answered.
Every country that has gone to the
gold standard has lost commerce and
fas passed through a period Of great
distress. England got relief from her
distress when the worlds production
of gold was largely Increased by the
discoveries In America, Australia and
the Ural mountains. England. Ger
many, Austria, Portugal, Italy. Tur-
key and Egypt have suffered a decline
of prices that has brought misery ana
loss to Its producers. The silver stand
ard countries and the bimetallic stand
ard countries have had comparatively
stable prices. even II the people OF
those lands are heather. Christendom
has suffered.
NOW II Is not bad logic to say that
like conditions arise from like causes.
The distress In gold standard coun-
tries has been marked. We believe
the adoption of bad system OF
finance caused II. We have had the
gold standard for twenty-three years,
but not In full effect until three years
ago. Its rigors have been meliorated
by the Bland-Allison act OF 1878 and
the Sherman act of 1890, which l con-
demned as bad from a bimetallists
point OF view. For three years we
have been on the gold basis. For three
years we have had a panic.
II need not dwell upon the benefits
of a bimetallic standard. They are ad-
mitted by our opponents of the repub-
lican party. That organization prom
ises to restore the double standard.
not when the American people want II.
but when the nations Of Europe agree
that we ought to have II. tApplanse)
IL proposes to surrender the highest
attribute OF sovereignty. that OF hav-
irg a financial system OF our own
without the concurrence Of any other
nation. (Applause.) The only ques-
ton before the American people Is
whether this nation Is big enough to
restore the financial system we had
prior to 1873. We think IL Is. Gap
plause.
II understand, know that many
here are republicans. No one has
lyoted the republican ticket longer than
/. but / am one OF those who hold the
welfare of his country dearer than his
party. VIII the republican party. II
restored to power. afford the relief this
suffering country needs? Cries OF
Yes NO. 'Hurrah for Mckinley.
cheers for Bryan. Kisses and confusion.
which interrupted the speaker)
Perhaps I may suggest that We can
not bring the question to settlement
here" said the senator. after the dis
order had lasted fol a minute or two.
IF any of you here, claiming to be re-
publicans. deny the right OF free
speech. say to you, you never have
been republicans. The republican par
ty was founded for free speech, free
soil, free homes and for free men No
matter whether you live here nr are
noisy Yale boys. you canno: claim to
be republicans" Applause long con-
tinued)
This incident apparently aroused the
senator from his calm, displ ssionats
state. His eyes flashed and. hts whole
demeanor became like that, when in
the United States senate, he has arisen
To reply TO the misleading aud false
statements OF Senator John Sherman.
| His attitude became defiant and those
who know the senator's way knew
there would be some pretty sharp
things said.
III believed. after 30 years of serv'
ice IN the republican party that Il,
declaration for international blmetal
lism we're sincere. | would have beer