Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-11-01

October II, 1898:
Mr. Chairman Ladies and Gentlemen:
In my Judgment the most lmpodan1
economic problem that ever commanded
the attention of the American people IS
still the great issue between blmetallsln
upon the one hand and the gold standaTa ti
termed. in the United States. the silver
s Not only is it in the highest degree i'm
portaM considered from an economic
point of view, but it is at the presenl
fime the great and overshadoWlng pollu-
teal question in the United states. Every
sign now marked upon the political noil.
son indicates unerringly that this great
monetary question is the chief issue IN
the Congressional campaign OF 1888 anu No.
will be the chief issue in the still greater
contest for the Presidency in 1909. mere
FORE while it is my purpose to adoress
rnysef in the main to the economic INC, nc Leg deG-
eible for me altogether to avoid trencnlng
upon the domain of politics indeed,
were it not for the fact that the question ,3a
has now become political, should
scarcely deem it necessary to ADDRESS
you upon it at all. AS some OF you, per
haps all here assembled, may know that
my political utilization was until about
-four years ago with the Republican party
AT that time that party OF which l was d, d
member assumed an attitude upon TINS
question, so radically at variance with
my ideas of political wisdom, statecra1t,
and the principles of natural justice, that
] felt onstrained to break away from the
party associations of a life time. When
an oyerwhelming majority of the Republi-
cam members of both houses of Congress
In the year 1893, utterly regardless OF their
past record, unnlindful of the gross NEON
Eistency involved, joined hands with Pres
ident Cleveland, the gold wing OF the
Democratic party and the money power
of Wall street, for the repeal of the So
called Sherman silver law, felt that my
proper place was no longer in the ranks OIL
that lAorty and that my voice ana my
vote must be given to some organization
(which should come nearer representing
the honest mass of the American people.
dence has heard of the sherman silver
law The most of you doubtless know
what that law was. Some OF you may
briefly state it. The Sherman silver law
provided for the. purchase by the govern
ment of four and a half million ounces on
silver bullion each month and the lssu-
ance of treasury notes in payment there,
for, which treasury notes We're legal
tender for all debts and demands pubic
and private, unless otherwise expressly
stipulated in the contract. That law was,
in the strietest possible sense, Republl-
can measure. Every Republican in both
houses of Congress voted for it and Re
publican President signed it, thus making
1t the law of the land. 1t was done in re-
4e92s 70 = s.re egnarq Telc Iar wei.' use a
o. silver as(money than was possible uI-
der the provisions OF the Bland law, as
the different administrations entrusted
with its enforcement. 1t was enacted in
compliance with the urgent recommenda-
tion by President Harrison that there
should be legislation upon that line, and
it was held at that time TO be long ana
Important step toward the complete res
Gmery occupied in the monetary system of
the United States. In the fail Of 1892,
president Harrison was defeated Tor re-
election and Mr.. Cleveland for the sec
ond time made President of the United
States. Early in the year 1893 President
Cleveland called Congress together for the
limo
law, claiming in his message that 1t was
the prime cause of the business and IL
nancial troubles which at that time beset
the country. In the struggle which took
place l beheld the entire power OF the
administration exerted to force Congress
into line for the repeal of that measure
q beheld the great money power of this
country in solid mass behind the admin
dstration, exerting all the potential in
fluences which wealth is ever able to
command But, my friends. TO my morti-
fcation and chagrin beheld something
more; saw the great political party in
which had once felt so much of pride and
to the fortunes of which l had so faith
fully chung, absolutely surrendering its
avOwed principles upon this question,
fore the shrine of wealth and acting the
part of servile auxiliaries to President
Cleveland in his unholy warfare upon the
constitutional money of our country, help
ing him to blot from the statute books
the very law which they themselves had
so shortly before placed there as a dis
ure which was, championed for it's wisdom
by Harrison, Sherman. Mckinley and the
Republican leaders with unanswerable ar
gument and burning eloquence. When the
Sherman bill was under discussion in 1880
Mckinley said: I'VE will get by this bill
the use of our entire silver products and
we make that product into money that is
safe for use in the hands of the people for
oil time to come whenever and by whom
D0everl traded"
MIR Speaker no man should hesitate
between $2,000000 month and &OGo,oOO
month that we will have under this law.
We get an increased volume of money
citizen. Pass this bill and what do we
. have? An increase OF $SO.0o0,O00 annually
of circulation to put out among the peo-
pie and into the avenues OF business. Mr;
Speaker, l wild not vote against TINS Din
and thus deprive my people and my coun-
try of $30,O00,000 annually of additional cir
on June "a 1880, he further said: Il am
for the largest use Of s'vrr % the e&r
rency If The country would net a's
honor Il; nm,d make n ; DISCRIMINATION;
would utilize both metals and discard
neither. 1 want a double standard o,
On Saturday evening, October Is, 1850,
Hall, Allegheny, Pa. This is what ne said
about the Sherman silver law: We pass
ed silver bill which, think is the best
silver legislation that has passed in the
American Congress. 1t utilizes every
ounce of silver in the United States, and
makes The treasury note ISSUED si,n on that
good I'M all public debts and legal tender
for all purposes. When Cleveland went
out lie was the value of the silver dollar.
After that bill passed, the value OF the
same dollar advanced Co 92c To my mind
it is the most liberal legislation passed
on this question that has ever been sane
toned in Congress. 1t gives the people
more currency and gives them more VOL
Lme of money, and puts silver more nearly
on par with gold than in Is years, and
the time is, coming when gold and silver
will be marching side by side, doing the
business of the country.
AT Miles, o.. August %, 1891, Mckinley
opened the campaign as the Republican
candidate for Governor of that State. He
again alluded to the Sherman law as be-
ing approved by the Republican, platform,
and speaks of it ''as the legislation of the
last Congress touching silver, which legis-
iation enjoins the monthly purchase of
silver UP to 100000 ounces-an amount
equal, if nor IN ~sxcess of the entire silver
product of the UNtted States: That leg
tslaton is mighty Nwark for the pro,
lection of silver. Ity1as preserved and
enlarged it's monetary%s upon a safe
basis. The legislation the last Con-
gress is the strongest ence Which can
be furnished of the pur on the Repub-
lican party TO maintai liver as money
and A,ts resxnl1Itiorr = <ep 1t, and the
Ain ,,sa :. = Il of our circu-
", 90 go, a9 gold"
o eHnai q, 1891, Sem
Stiso, a on the same
i