The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1898-02-12
HON. WILLIAM S. COWHERD.
Speech Made by Our Congressman III
the House of Representatives, oil
Monday. January 81. 1898.

ton senate concurrent resolution No
%, declaring hat all bonds of thu
United States issued or authorized Il
be issued under certain acts of congress
are payable, principal and interest, a
the option of the government, in silver
dollars, etc. Mr.. Cowherd said
r s.Mr. Speaker: This Is the second
) time the members of the fifty-ffth cor
gress have been called upon to face 4
| question of financial legislation, and il
is the second time the republican
majority have ignominiously fled from
n fair discussion of It. There are more
: thnn $50 members on the floor of this
house, every one representing n con-
stituency vitality interested in the appro-
prlation now before us, and yet but
four hours are allowed for the entire
discussion of the same-less than two
thirds of a minute for each member.
= ave can obtain days for the con-
sideratiou of an Indian appropriation
bill and spend it in bandying the
shuttlecock of prosperity between Kan
sas and New England; we can obtain
all the time requisite for the considera-
ton of the District of Columbia app:o-
priation, in which few people of the
country have any special interest," we
spent months cooling our heels in
hotel Hobbies during the spring session
while we waited upon the senate; but
let a financial proposition of any kind,
whether It come from the president or
senate, appear at yonder door like a
hooking ghost of your last years
campaign promises, and tho valiant
hosts of republication flee from It as
from a pe%stilence; the almighty COM
mittee on rules retires to its chamber,
and back they come, with the speaker
at their head, with the c%onjurer's wand
of q new-made rule to exercise this
unholy apparition and put it to sleep
before we can provide it with even a
decent burial robe.
"'Why this unseemly haste and this
fear of full, fair and free discussions
Does your conscience trouble your That
can not be, for conscience Is not a
distinguishing attribute of modern
republlcanism. Do you fear taunts of
broken faithp You have grown used
has been an humble suppliant at your
door so long that she has become a
thing to Jest and scott at. The OWL
service plank in your platform has
been made into kindlIug wood to start
the fires of partisanshIp, and no man
upon that side of the chamber dare
stand upon his record, and point with
pride to his party's platform, for fear
some member of his own party will
point to his betrayal of it.
"Do you fear discussion may develop
dissension in your W ranks? doubt
1t much. The senate may divide,
because the senate a reserved to
itself the right to deliberate aud the
power to decide the grave questions
that are presented to il; but so long as
the postofaces remain in the hands of
the president, and the position of a
member on the floor of the house In the
hands of the speaker, there will be no
detection In the ranks of the majority.
ssWhat, then, do yon fearg 1t is the
education which comes TO the people
in free and full discussion. II discus
sion on the feor of the house serves
any useful purpose, 1t Is 10 provoke
discussion In the public press, In tho
counting house and the factory, In the
store and on the farm, in the homes
aud at tbs firesides OF the people, and
thus they thrash out the grain of truth
with the fail of controversy. This is
the thing you fear. the process from
which you fee.
"No intelligent people ever willingly
adopted a gold standard, and no free
people ever knowingly perpetuated one.
You must rely upon Ignorance or you
must win by artifice. Last year you
concealed gold standard policy behind
an international agreement and loudly
proclaimed yourselves the friends of
silver.
"With the campaign speeches still
ringing In his ears, the president
appointed a bimetallIc commission, for
the maintenance of which congress had
already rillingly appropriated $780,
.ne3, and sent it abroad to negotiate
with other nations. Much to the sur
prise of the men who sent them, the
commissioners made astonishing head
way. France had practically consented
to open her mlnts, England was seri-
ously contemplating the opening of the
minis of India, the commissioners
we're already congratulating themselves
upon the SUCCESS Of their efforts, when,
like q thunderbolt from a clear sky,
fell the presidents proclamation of
July "a, 1897.
''In this proclamation the president
specifically recommends the appoint
ment of q currency commission, and
practically approves the resolutions of
the indianapolis monetary conference,
recognized the world over to have been
composed of the friends of the gold
standard and the national banks. By
this means the president dlscredited
the commissioners he himself had sent
abroad, and made absolutely hopeless
the obtainment of any practical results.
s'His conduct was the result of the
pressure brought by the moneyed inter-
ests of the ooqRtry upon the admins
tration they had so dearly purchased.
They demanded that such action be
taken in order that a stop be put to the
negotiations before they had gone too
far to be recalled. They had no chico
ton to this talk OF international agree
ment, but wanted IL distinctly under
that they did not intend to have talk
crystallized into action. They fore
their mortgage on the president
and forced him, la open qualification {
Of his own administration, while his
commissioners were successfully nego-
with foreign countries, to DIS
own them at home. {
"But that there might be no mistake
Or misunderstanding as to the position
occupied by this administration, the
secretary of the treasurT presents his
bill for a reform of the currency to
congress, and, appearing before the I
and currency committee of the t
house, explains the purpose he had in
yIew and the end he sought. to be !
obtained. ! quote his language; 1
"sMr. Chairman and gentlemen OF l
he committe, the objects | have in {
mind In the series of provisions offered !
1y me are four In number. First, 10 !
the country more thoroughly !
% the gold standard remove, so far I
Is Is possible, doubts aud fears. on that I
point, and thus strengthen the credit |
If the United States both Al home and I
|
HTo commit the country more thor
,ughly to the gold standard Is the first