Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-02-01
SSH CONGRESS-.
Continued from page H.

Continued from page ID
CURED in by the House ii would iegit-
1 matelv and inevitably be regarded. not
/ only here but by the world, Us the eX-
. preston Of the deliberate Judgment OF Il
| ma jority of the American people as 70
! their standard OF honor ana good taltii IN
! the discharge. not only of national but
! also of private obligations. AT the outset
it * important to strip from the issue
| presented by The pending resolution all
| The subterfuges which have been rcSorted
| to to conceal or cloud its real character
| and to obtain Il clear understanding of It's
| meaning.
This resolution is not presented for
/ the purpose of securing an expression by
| Congress as to the power of the govern
( mont. either as to the payment of its OBJ
/ legations or as to what may he declared
! lteai tender. II is throwing dust in the
eyes nf cur own people and of the world
/ to assume that we are determining I,
! question of power or even Of Il technical
| legal right.
mo one denies that this or any other
nation has the power to pay in fun or in
part. or none of its obligations. to pay in
/ gold or silver or paper or copper accord
| ing To its pleasure. Payment cannot be
| enforced against sovereign nation. Its
| obligations are measured ny its own
| sensc OF honor and good faith.
But even If this sense of honor is a
| any time hluntcd as was ShyloCkS. by
| dwelling on n narrow view of the letter
! rather ltlHh we i'piie "i thc opiSd'ioi''
the Intelligent seliishness Of a nation,
which is to live not simply for a genera
tion but for centuries, ought to lead it
ana whenever a nation Is wisely COY
efhrd, docs l"id 1T" so sctnpuiouS'H
maintain its pledges in both letter and
| spirit as to preserve its credit I'M
furnished. and thereby not only make it
possible to borrow at the lowest rate OF
interest pu! iiso I" make II easy 10 on
tam loans IN "NiS'hcieN Whl'h are SURE
sooner on lttcr l" come 10 every nation
"A nation $ honor and credit may say
To me gentlemen on the othcF Sldt VINO
applaudrd 50 JubtlanttN when the pend
ing resolution WAS brought INTO TINS nan
are among its most priceless posses
SONS. aye us utie deed TO permahcncc
ana prosperity. t"ntielnen on the othrf
sac VINO ;" "Aultan'iy applduueu' uilar'
hatnd hnl1n, nf hnoda jss"ad hI ~. ..l'.-
crnmcnt TO fund the debt incurred in de-
Tending ana saving the Union in its years
81 aoNrrSltN anu peril Were IN iact MT
n ai'i nhi..h WYNN, fn' ,r',', 't,i,,'n
high or low rich or poor. and whose flag
is the emblem of freedom and civiliz
'tio,i. s...,... ..,..,,.,.
the nrrdn'r rcsni,tinn like thn Sim. 81
a deadly snake. is in it's tail. And tia;
2hdrr conu'liohS thtn 'Ni$lmE' IS made
d,v - '''N
The deadly tail of This resolution reads
as follows: That |" restore to its COIN
age suth StlV'f COINS as Il lIl''h lrll"ef III
nraciirallv AN the bonds of tnr I'nila6
States now outstandingl. is not in viola
ton OF the pubic fHth nor IN drr"&htinn
"!rh,. ,,!'i.,r,t;'ns nF ,b ,,",,.r, md
sluportr,S of this resolution i'm In. Sen
ate durin" its recent consideration la
'nat nouN. throws Il H""o "I ieht on
stnre tn its rnin.,ea yi,,h .if,.',. Tam, -,
phrase which i'm ISIS was with good rca-
son interpreted by many who supported
4 Si mn resolution TO mean something
nav
This brings mr." ,nocc.lad Di,,r-
lev. to the consideration of the lilat
question as TO whether the government
has the moral right. in other words
whether ii would he an act which the
moral sense of the world would regard
as in accordance. with honor and good
faith for the United States to nav it's
outstanding bonded indebtedness in
dallars of 50 materially less value than
the dollar which has been the practical
standard of value since 1894 barring
the war and reconstruction period
and which has been the legal and prar-
teal standard of value since 1874. AMI
the dollar in which our bonded indtht-
edness has been paid thus far, paid -.
every administration from Lincoln 10
Mckinley. which dollar was equal IN
~alue to 258 grains of standard gold
ApplauseD
Bearing in mind that we ai.. al,
cuSSing this question from the point
Of honor and good faith and not from
the point of power or technical legal
rights. for have already said that the
government can do as it pleases. mor,
than threc-fourths of the outstanding
bonds were as q matter of fact issued
and sold after 1878 when the silver dol
lar was dropped from the list of coins
Nov. in view of these facts would
il he good faith for Congress, now that
silver mas 50 greatly DEPRECATED. to re-
store its FREE. ana unlimited coinage a
the ratio Of Is to l. by this country
olonp when the market ratio is; 80 10
and then use such dollars to nav the
bonds which we had sold for gold undt.
such circumstances
II do not think if would fear that