Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-12-17
LAME on THE CURRENCY BILL.
Speech of Our Representative, De
IiYered EridRY Nirht.

| speech last night on the financial bill.
said in part
| "a measure Of such great Importance
and so far-reaching In its effects as the
one now before this House should have
! been referred 10 a committee and dis
cussed section by section before such a
| body; then reported, and ample time
| given for every member on tho floor,
after consultation with his constituents,
| if he desired, to express his and their
views
This would have been in accordance
with the genius Of our institutions, and
| I'm conformity with the usages that pre-
vailed in the earlier days OF this republic.
! But the dominant party here has chosen
! 70 present this bankers bill and TO so
| limit discussion that a majority Of the
members on either side can only obtain
/ five or ten minutes. and must content
! themselves with printing in the Record.
! We take it that they feared dissension
in their own ranks for we know they
were unable TO agree to any bill in the
! Fifty-hfth Congress. AIr. Walker, the
chairman OF the Banking and Currency
! Committee. admitted on this floor that
! not one OF his colleagues ia the commit
/ tee agreed with him. What does this
/ haste IN the matter Indicate? If the
! conditions are as favorable as these
! speeches OF our friends indicate, and
! prosperity IL here 10 stay. as argued
! every hour by the Republicans on this
floor what can be the necessity for so
/ drastic measure? Why hurry It through
under caucus rule-with whip and spur?
! Do the New York bankers feel uneasy
! at their low re5erve2 Are they antici-
| pating another application to the Trea-
| sury for interest not yet matured? or
are they fully conscious Of tho fact that
! with the revival of businegs in many lines
| OF trade and commerce, there IS not
/ sufficient amount Of money in this COM
| munity 10 DO its bu5ness9 Are thoy not
| calculating that with the opportunities
/ afforded under the provisions Of this
/ bill 70 retire the greenbacks and Trea-
/ sury notes and redeem the silver dollars
/ in gold they will reap a harvest by is
] suing their own notes 20 the par value
/ Of their bonds. letting them FIJI tho
vacuum made by the impouuded green
backs and the retired silver certificates?
/ DEMOCRATIC PROTEST
II am aware. Mr.. Chairman. that we
can only enter our protest and register
l our vote against this whole scheme OF
/ banking that was foisted on this country
| during the civil war, and has been the
/ fruitful source OF loss and suffering 20
| many sections Of this country, and re-
| tarded tho growth and development OF
! the Southern States. In extending my
/ remarks I'm the Record, / shall make good
/ this declaration. ! shall speak my honest
! convictions on this question. not with a
view 10 enlightening any member on this
] floor. or changing a single vote here, but
( for the purpose Of voicing the views OF a
! large majority o., voters in my district.
/ and entering a solemn and earnest pro-
| test against such hasty and vicious and
| destructive legislation. Through the ope-
ra,ions of this BILL when enacted into
/ law the bankers propose 10 obtain absO-
! lutte control Of the currency Of the United
| States. II Is the fight OF 1881 over again,
minus a Jackson TO stand for the rights
| Of the people. We viii soon realize the
| truth OF Jefferson's declaration TO John
/ Taylor in 1851 sincerely believe with
you that banking establishments arc
| more dangerous than standing armies
| The old United States Bank was destroy
! cd by Jacksons attack, and Benton said
| in the Senate: The t.gress has been
/ driven from her lair, but she has not
| been killed; she will come forth again.
| surrounded by her whelDs. We see her
| to-day and her whelps number nearly
| 1000. They are bold, earnest, and well
! organized.
II could easily Ill whole pages with
/ their wise utterances. forecasting the fu-
! ture and drawing on their vivid imagina-
/ lions az they discerned unutterable woes
and sweeping disasters should we be
strong and wise enough TO rehabilitate
silver. while predicting only good and
I improvli- conditions from the issuance
/ by the banks of twice as much token
money as free coinage could possibly be-
stow.
"The president Of the New York State
! % "a n
J The politician, high or low, who to-day
/ flrns from the straight course OF sound
money and the gold standard stabs dead
/ once for all his every chance for poliu-
A BANK COMBINE.
'sThe charter of the old United States
Bank was a small matter, compared with
this stupendous scheme. our whole cur
renov system Is to be under the control
or the united and consolidated banks.
We are 20 be turned over body and SOUL
10 the tender mercies OF system that
has been 4 fruitful source Of trouble
from the very foundation Of this govern
! ment.
president Jackson. in his message Of
December Q 1854 used this language:
Events have satisfied my mind, and l
think the minds Of the American people,
that the nlschiefs and dangers which
flow from a national bank far .oyerbal-
ance all its advantages. The bold effort
the present bank has made TO control the
government. the distress IL has wan
tonlv produced, the violence OF which
II has been the occasion in ono OF our
cities famed for Its Observance Of law
and order. are but premonlliOns OF the
fate which awaits the American people,
should they be deluded into a perpetual
ton Of this Institution, or the establish
meut Of another Ike II. IL is fervently
honed that thus admonshed those who
have heretofore favored the establish
ment of a substitute for the present bank
will be induced TO abandon it, al It IS
evidently better 10 incur any incon-
venleuce that may be reasonably ex-
pscted than TO concentrate tho whole
money power of the republic in any form
whatsoever, or with any restrictions
Every student OF American history
knows that this banking question has
been a source OF inconvenience and mis-
chief to the people from the days OF
Alexander Hamilton, our first Secretary
of the Treasury, to the present time, and
every patriot who contemplates the pro-
posed workings OF the bill under discus
sion. knows that Il is a very Pandora's
box OF evils. and prays for the time 10
come-as IL will one day-when the out
ragged and wroneed citizens or this re-
public will rise In their might, and
through the regular channel OF legisla-
ton, right the great grong."