Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-09-01
Bryan's Attitude Toward Govern
ment's Obligations.
WORDS OF AN old SPEECH RECALLED
Favored the Reaffrmation of the
Matthews Resolution.
REPLY FROM HISTORY

IF Mr. Bryan of 1900 will not answer the
direct question put to him by the repre-
sentative of New York newspaper as to
whether he would, If elected direct his
Secretary of the Treasury to meet govern
ment coin obligations by silver payments,
Mr.. Bryan Of 1895. by the record, will do SO
unequivocally," said Representative Loud
enslager, VINO is in charge Of the eastern
headquarters of the republican congress
sonal committee.
Secretary Gage. in his interview with
Star reporter last Saturday said There Is
no doubt Mr.. Bryan could order his Sec
retary of the Treasury to make payments
in silver of all the public debt payable in
COIN and for all current disbursements OF
the government, as well, which amount
from a million and half to million and
three-quarters dollars per day. That he
would give such an order, too. is very GER
tain, If he is in the same mind that he was
in 1896
Mr. Gage then quotes from one of Mr..
Bryan's speeches Of the campaign of 1890
to the effect that if he We're elected he
would get rid of the gold standard as soon
as possible. This is very strong evidence,
but there is still stronger evidence. not
given in the heat Of a campaign, but stated
deliberately and dispassionately on the floor
of the House in set speech In the last
session of the Fifty-third Congress- in 1898.
The gold per cent bond bill under
consideration. Mr.. Bryan, speaking to an
amendment offered by him, said:
To Reafirm Matthews Resolution.
81 offered amendment which reaf-
frmed the Matthews resolution declaring
all coin bonds payable in gold or silver, and
yet less than twenty q think only thirteen)
republicans voted for my amendment The
great majority Of the republicans thus de-
clared that coin bonds are gold bonds In
fact. II coin bonds are really gold bonds
there is less reason for agitation about the
use Of the word gold in the bond We who
believe that greenbacks and treasury notes
are redeemable either In gold or silver. at
the option of the gpvernment-we who be-
leve in the right Of the government to re-
deem it's coin bonds in either gold or silver
we, / say, can object to gold bonds as
violent change In monetary policy, but
those who insist that greenbacks treasury
notes or coin bonds are all payable in gold
on demand have far less reason to criticise
the President This is found in the Con-
gressional Record, page psf, appendix, 4d,
Fifty-third Congress.
1.-The Matthews resolution 10 which Mr..
Bryan referred was concurrent resolution
of the Forty-fifth Congress 0S1S), offered
in the Senate by Senator Stanley Matthews.
1t had not the force or effect of law,
but an expression Of the sense of that Con-
gress. yet it has served the purpose of plac-
ing the word coin into bond contracts and
making their payment in gold or silver at
the option of the government, and has had
its influence upon subsequent Congresses in
the enactment of currency legislation. And
now we are told by Secretary Gage that,
Notwithstanding we have the gold stand
ard, Mr.. Bryan could, II he chose, make
silver payments to meet coin obligations
and that he would do so is clearly evil
denced by his attempt to enact into law the
Matthews resolution and by his remarks
thereon which l have quoted. He could
reasonably argue that the Matthews resolu-
ton. though never placed upon the statute
books, and therefore never having been re-
pealed. expressed the sense of not only the
Congress that passed it, but of subsequent
Congresses and of numerous Secretaries Of
the Treasury, and that in the absence OF
any expressed prohibition against silver
payments he will be guided by it.
Mr.. Bryan's Amendment.
"Mr. Bryan's amendment to the gold bond
bill. both of which were defeated, is as fol-
lows:
Provided that nothing herein shall be
construed as surrendering the right of the
government of the United States to pay all
coin bonds outstanding in gold or silver
coin at the option of the government as
declared by the following joint (should be
"concurrent'D resolution, adopted in 1878
by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America, to
wit: THAT all bonds of the United States
issued, or authorized to be issued, under
said act of Congress hereinbefore recited,
are payable, principal and interest, at the
option of the government of the United
States. in silver dollars, Of the coinage Of
the United States, containing 412ta grains
each of standard silver; and that to restore
to it's coinage such silver coins as a legal
tender in payment of said bonds principal
and interest, is not in violation of the public
faith, nor In derogation Of the rights of the
public creditor
THUS does the record Of 1895 break the
silence of Mr.. Bryan at this time and con-
firm Secretary Cages statement that Mr..
Bryan has the power, and would exercise
it. to place the country a silver basis in
the event of his election