Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-12-14

of the opening day of the debate on the
currency bill in the house was the
speech of Mr.. Dolliver of Iowa. 1T
was characterized by all the wit and
eIouuence for which the Iowan is noted |
and held the members without regard
to party for more than an hour. Dol
liver declared that the last doubt IN
the republican party as to the WISDOM
of enacting the gold standard into law
had been solved by the experience OF
the business world during the past
three years He scored Bryan gener-
ally and ridiculed the alleged false
prophesies of the democrats in 1895.
Dearmond (Mo), was a heavy sun on
the democratic side. He warned the
republicans from the west that they
could not deceive their constituents
in the coming congressional elections
by claiming they had yielded to the
wisdom of their colleagues in caucus.
Overstreet Qnd), opened the debate
in support of the bill. In the course
of his speech Shafroth (silverite,
Colo.), interrupted to ask if the bill
would not result in contracting the
currency to the extent of $480,OOO, 900 in
silver impounded. ct would not" re-
piled Overstreet, because for every
silver dollar which goes into tie treas
ury gold dollar will go
into circulation" Maddox (dem.,
Ca, was the first
speaker in opposition to the bill. The
enactment of gold standard legislation,
he declared, had never been an issue
before the people. The treasury under
the bill, he predicted, would be raided.
The bill would convert every obliga-
ton Of the treasury into a gold obliga-
ton and would compel the government
to see millions of gold to the amount
of per cent of all outstanding notes
of whatever character. He assailed
the republican advocates to the objec-
ton Of the gold standard for apostacy,
particularly Messrs. Hepburn Qowa),
Dingley (Maine), and Grosvenor
(Ohio), who he said advocated silver
coinage by international agreement in
1897 Maddox summed up by decar-
ing the measure bill designed to
legalize the authority usurped by the
secretary of the treasury to put the
country on gold basis, to demonetiZe
one-half Of the nfial money of redemp
ton, to alter the obligations of the
people without their consent into gold
obligations, to contract the currency at
the will of the banks and to create
gigantic bank trust for the benefit of
few thousand people.
Mr.. Dolliver Qowa), the next speak
er, read from the speech by Governor
Altgeld to the effect that the repubn-
can congress would obey orders and
enact gold standard legislation. For
himself he said he was proud to say he
was obeying orders-the orders of the
people of his district-and trying to
put the laws of the country into har-
mony with their opinions. The pend
ing bill was compromise represent
ing the united wisdom of all This
was a bill to set at rest all doubt as to
the standard in this country 1t
should be presented to the business
men of the country as Christmas gift
Dolliver said he believed the result of
the campaign of $50 settled the silver
Issue. In 1896 the cry of Bryan, he
said, was for more money. Money
was scarce. 1t was boarded The day
after election it came out from it's hid
ing. In three years of a republican
administration $400, 900 900 have been
added to the volume of currency, more
money than could have been coined by
the minis in ten years if the minis had
been opened to silver. I'm other
Words said ne, I'VE have done for YOU
in three years more than you could
have done for yourselves Why don't
you get out of the road and let the
main procession pass on Dolliver
also called attention to Bryan's predic-
ton that wages would fall and men be
thrown out of employment, yet at the
end of three years of republican ad-
ministration under the gold standard
there was not an Industrious man in
the country without employment. IL
could not have been done two years
ago, but today the republican party is
BACKED up by the experience of the
business world. In concluding Dolli-
yer said: Here as the American peo-
pie stand up on the verge of new era
we propose to equip our business world
with the best tool of exchange known
to modern commerce. We propose to
send our ships into all parts of the
world as we have raised our flag in the
uttermost parts of the earth. And we
want 1t understood in Europe, Amer
lean, Africa, Asia, and the islands or
the sea that there is no longer a de-
bate in the United States as to what
the standard dollar of the American
people is. We are going to write in
the laws of this country what al
ready is the practice Of our government,
that every obligation of the United
states shall be paid in gold
Mcclellan On. ", opposed the bill
and appealed to the sound money
democrats in the house not to vote for
1t. Dearmond (Mo), replying to
Dolliver said the democrats had not
been overborne in 1896 in conflict of
reason but the republican party had
won by summoning to it's aid the cor
rupt and tremendous power of money
and corporations. He charged the re-
publlcans with deceiving the people in |
1896. They were bimetallists then
If they were honest then they must be
dishonest now, if honest now dishonest
then. The change of bonds he said |
would make free gift of $780, 200. 900 |
to bondholders. The bill would create |
bank trust. He predicted the meas
ure would overwhelmingly defeat the |