The state herald., 1898-02-04
up again to 117-S0, 100000 taken from
the pockets of the people of the United

| up again to 117-$0, 500. 900 taken from
the pockets of the people Of the United
| States.
"And, Mr.. President, it Ill becomes
men who defend that transaction to
charge us with attempting to impair
the honor and good faith of the United
States.
1.-THE people of the West may be in
trusted with the national honor. We
have never betrayed it. We have never
taken the governments money In the
hour of need. We never yet have voted,
and we never will vote, to impair Its
credit or pay its debts in any but the
best money. Whatever may have been
| the purposes for the Introduction of the
resolution to-day, it has become timely
because of the attempt Of the secre-
| tary of the treasury to commit this
government finally to the gold stand
ard. 1t should be passed without
| change and without amendment, for
provided ii fails there would be encour-
agcment to every man who is n gold
monometallist to say, and to say with
| force, that the Congress of the United
States refused to declare that the bonds
were payable in lawful money, In coin
of the standard of July. 1870. There
fore, you have enacted that these bonds
are payable In gold, and in any at
tempt that might be made, as believe
an attempt will be honestly and sue
cessfully made to bring about an inter-
national bmetallic agreement, we
would be met by the statement Of these
gold monometallists that Congress hay
Ing Indirectly declared our bonds to be
payable in gold, we cannot in honor
and In good faith enact any laws
which shall recognize silver at open
mints or seek to change the single gold
standard.
II sympathize with the appeals which
call upon us to stand by the national
honor. Those appeals are best an
swered by vote of that body that we
VIII stand by the plraseology of the
bond Itself. We have an option. We
do not propose TO yield 1t or enforce it
TO the impairment of our national hon
or, ana we Will never consent that by
any change in the dotting of an II or
the crossing of n t. the phraseology
that went upon the bonds in 1870, was
fcassertcu by Congress in 1875, after
the mints were closed, and rcasserted
ny the Matthews resolution of twenty
years ago. the rights we then reserved
snail be given away and another obsta,
Gle interposed TO the attainment of in
tcrnational bimctallism. an attainment
within our reach if we will Loyalty seek
it."
In the course of the discussion Mr..
Stewart said, referring TO the speech
OF President Mckinley in New York
last night. that he regretted to see that
the President had not studied this
question more deeply and that he was
utterly misguided. He quoted the fol-
lowing sentence from the Presidents
speech: Nothing should ever tempt us
nothing ever will tempt us-to scale
down the sacred debt of the nation
through legal technicality. Whatever
may be the language of the contract
the United States will discharge all of
lis obligations in the currency recoc-
nizcd ns the best throughout the civil.
lied world Mt the time of payment"
Mr.. Stewart thought this was n no.
markable statement, which meant sim.
ply that nothing but gold was good
enough for the bondholder. Mr.. Nc.
kinlcy said Mr.. Stewart. refers TO the
option Of the government TO nav its
obligation in either gold or silver MS n
mere technically ana he did this, too
IN the fnce OF his own vote In favor OF
me resolution we are considering. Now
'hc President calls this option OF the
government-worih thousands OF mill.
lons-a mere technicality.
What language for President TO
nseT exclaimed Mr.. Stewart. I'VE can.
not use this money In the treasury un-
less 1t Is recognized by other nations
OF the world as the best money. The
dcspo's and gold syndlcates OF Europe
are TO name the kind of money regard
less OF what the law of the United
States may be-"