Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-08-30

FAITH NOR IN DEROGATION OF
THE RIGHTS OF THE PUBLIC CRED
ITOR.
After extended and thorough discus
sion the resolution was adopted by vote
of 43 to 90 and the preamble by vote Of
~ to 20. Nearly half the affirmative
votas were republicans. Five or six dem
ocrats only were in the negative. Many
of the wisest men and truest patriots of
the country were with the majority. Nc
Kinley now characterize the propositions
in the democratic platform identical with
those so decisively sanctioned nearly
twenty years ago by senate largely re-
publican, as IAN assault upon the faith
and honor of the government, and the
welfare of the people"
But what did William Mckinley, Jr,
himself say and do about these PROPOSE
lions, soon after they were brought for
ward and passed in the senate? With
an overwhelming majority, 1879 yeas to 70
nays, composed of members of both par
ties, on January 20, 1878, he voted in the
house Of representatives to indorse and
adopt theml Himself now judging, he
them with vast majority of the two
houses of congress, and of the people
ACTING through luellii ulduS OH dSo1oiS
upon the faith and honor of the govern
ment and the welfare of the people"
Did Mckinley then do this ignorantly,
or knowingly and wilfully? If igno-
rantly-and he was then a mature man,
older than Mr.. Bryan now is-he cannot
have knowledge and sense enough now
to be fit for president. II knowingly and
wilfully then he Is altogether too bad
and dangerous to be trusted with the
chief magistracy of our people, or any
other high trust or office.
But what further does the record show
about this bankrupt would-be president?
On the 9Th of November 1877, Mr..
Bland moved to suspend the rules that
he might introduce and the house pass a
bill to authorize the free and unlimited
coinage of the standard silver dollar,
and to restore its legal tender character.
The motion was adopted. and the bill
passed by vote of 1853 to 34 nearly to
l of those voting. William Mckinley,
Jr., was one of the 1853 yeas! He was side
by side with Richard P. Bland-in good,
honest, patriotic company.
This bill, known as the Bland bill,
went to the republican senate, where,
after several months of discussion, it
was amended, mutlated and perverted,
and about January 30, 1878, passed as
what Is known as the Bland-Allison sill
yer law. Free coinage was stricken out
and the purchase and coinage of from
100000 to 100000 ounces of silver a
month substituted for it, The silver men
were not at all satisfied; but concluding
it best to take all they could get, and as
they could get it, they concurred in the
changes, but with distinct notice that
they would push at every turn in the
future for absolute free coinage, until 1t
was achieved. The vote on concurrence
was 2O9 yeas to 70 nays, William McKin-
ley, Jr., voting with Bland and other
silver leaders in the majority.
Hayes, the presidential fraud, vetoed
this bill, assigning as grounds therefor
the then depreciation of silver, that the
proposed dollar would be a dishonest
one for bondholders, and divers other
objections, which are still being echoed
by the feeble-minded agents of the gold
trust.
On the 2Sth of February, 1878, the bill
was presented to the senate with these
objections. 1t was Immediately passed
over the veto by a vote of 46 to ~, ana
on the same day sent to the house, where
it was at once passed over the veto by
vote of 1876 to 49, William Mckinley, Jr,
voted with Bland and all the other silver
men to overrule Hayes veto. This action
Of his he now denounces, as Hayes did
then in substance, as IAN assault upon
the faith and honor of the government
and the welfare of the people,
On the goth of April, 1878, William Nc
Kinley. Jr., voted in much the same good
company to prohibit the further retire
ment of United States legal tender notes
and to provide for their resistance, when
paid into it, from the treasury. His east
ern supporters, who pledged a corruption
fund of millions to secure his election, In
order to dictate and shape his partys
platform, are bent upon the retirement
of greenbacks, Sherman notes, silver dol
lars and silver certificates, leaving no
currency but gold, subsidiary silver and
national bank notes in the country.
In 1890 a bill was introduced into Reeds
billion dollar house to repeal part of the
Bland-Allison act, to authorize the pur-
chase of silver bullion and the issue of
silver notes. This was distinctly a re-
publican mea sure, and was intended by
it's designers to prevent free silver COIN
age by providing instead for larger pur-
chases and coinage of silver until July l.
1891. Nearly all free coinage men in the
house opposed 1t as being hostile to ulti-
mate free coinage, but it was voted for
by Mckinley, as an act favorable to sill
yer, and was passed. The senate substi-
tuted for it free coinage bill. The re-
publican house, including Mckinley. re-
fused to concur. A conference COMMITTEES
reported the "cowardly makeshift"
known as the Sherman act, which be-
came law by republican votes only.
McKinley's included, against solid DEM
ocratic vote.
Up to this time June, 1890, 1t thus ap-
pears that William Mckinley, Jr, stood
abreast with Bland, Jones, Teller and
Others In the advocacy of the free coinage
of silver, and diverged from them then,
as he claimed, only because he differed
from them as to the best way to pro-
mote the enlarged use of silver as stand
ard money.