Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1898-10-21
MIR. HAYS RECORD ON TIE
FINANCIAL QUESTION.

Senate, he wrote letter the Fred
ericksburg Free Lance, under date OF
July 18th, 1895, in which he used
the following language "As to the
Sacer question, l hardly think ii can
be made an issue in this canvass. The
Legislature of Virginia certainly has
no control over financial system OF
the country. Our people are by no
means as much interested i'll this ques-
ton as certain political og'tator'
,sould hare as 6eliere."
At that time it will he seen that
Mr.. Hay was utterly opposedt to Free
Silver, and denounced as political
eitators" those who advocated 1t.
1t is said by those who knew Mr.
IIay best that it was not until Il few
months before the Democratic Con-
gressional convention of the Seventh
District, and just prior to his annomc-
ing himself as n candidate for Con-
gress, that he declared himself in
favor of Free Silver. One thing Is
certain, that Mr.. Hay saw the light,
and that scales fell from his eyes,
and that he became n convert to the
Free Silver l6 to ratio after he
wrote this letter on July 18th, 1895,
and before the summer of 1896; and
so complete, overwhelming and as
founding was his conversion, that
when the Congressional Convention
met to nominate n candidate in 1896,
he was the chefapostle ofthose whom
he, only few months before, had
denounced as "poIiticH agitdtorS. "
Just at what time the scales fell from
Mr.. Hays eyes, is matter Of great
doubt and of some interest. Some
saw that lis conversion was slow, and
bv degrees and dated as far back IS
/ August 1st., 1895, when the Free
Press, paper published in Madison,
published an extract from the above
letter Of Mr.. Hay and gave him a
sound lambasting for being a Gold
Standard man, and for dcnouncing
the true, Simon pure Free Silver peo-
pie as "pohtical ogitotors." Others
say that his conversion was Oft later
date; that it was not until he left the
Virginia Senate in FEBRUARY, 1896,
aud made a flying trip to the Seventh
Congressional District, and discover
ed that "our people" and 'the boys,
the political agitators" whom he had |
scored a few months before, were
much more 'intercsted in the Silver |
question" than he himself was, and |
that no man could get to Congress
from this District who was not n l6 |
to Ter. The date and cause Of Mr..
Hays conversion is at least matter
which deserves some explanation, ard
possibly that gentleman would do well
to explain to the simon pure free sill
yer democrats what he meant by de-
nouncing them as "Political Agita-
tors" These original Free Silver
Democrats are not likely torush con
vers to the front as STANDARD bear
ers" in preference to free silver pio-
necrs ofrecongnizcd ability, and Mr..
Hay can hardly expect those whom
he has denounced as "poIilical agita-
tors" to be falling over themselves to
give him the offices which the "agita-
tors" themselves ought to have. They
are more likely to prefer to give their
support to democrat ofthc old school
who holds to the use Of both 90 d
and silver as the standard money Of
the country, and to the coinage of
both gold and silver without discrim-
mating against either metal, and that
the dollar unit Of coinage Of both
metals must be Of equal intrinsic and
cxchangable value.
Those whom Mr. Hay styled poll
tical agitators' have not forgotten
that Mr.. Bryan, who is certainly a
consistent bimelalliSt, in his speech
in Congress delivered Wednesday,
Aug. 18th, 1893, said "Among
those in favor of Jjmetdllism and in
favor of the independent action on 6
The part of the United States, there /
is, however, all honest difference Of 7
opinion, as to the particular ratio at
which the unlimited coinage Of gold
md silver should be undertaken. t
THE principle Of 6imetodism does not +,
'tdnd upon any ccrtoin ratio, and i
nav exist nj | 10 30 as well rs TO d
l6."
True bimetalisls are not running ;
stark made over those who barter
'rinciple for popularity, and who, as
heir int rests vary, denonnce them
Is political agitator~," or coddle
hem with the cndcaring terms Of
our people" and "the boys"
NNl.t ,,., ,oo1 4.,,, mos, |