The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-07-27
SOME HISTORY OF PAST.
Official Record of The Gentleman Who
Represents This District in
L0Wer HOuss.
ROCK COUNTY HERALD.

come forward since 1894, the statement
that Representative McCleary, who has
posed as chief sponsor for the gold
standard, ever voted for silver, will be
surprise But the official record shows
that in those days of doubt and nights
of despair when the great preliminary
battle for the presidential contest OF
1896 was being fought out in congress,
Representative McCleary was the only
republican member of congress from Min
nesOta who wavered in his loyalty to the
cause of honest money.
At that time-during the second SEES
sion of the fifty third congress-the adj
vocates of silver, lead by Richard p.
Bland and William j. Bryan in the
house of representatives, proposed to
show Grover Cleveland, then president
of the United States. that, notwith-
standing his success in securing the re-
peal of the purchasing clause of the
Sherman act, he was yet subject to their
control. Early in the session Mr. Bland
introduced bill for San act directing
the coinage of the silver billion held in
the treasury and for other purposes"
The bill was vigorously debated and it
has often been said that w. j. Bryan
laid the corner stone of his presiden
tial nomination during that discussion.
| When the day for a vote came, March
lst, 1904. Mr.. McCleary made pecu-
| liar record. He started to vote with
his party. under the leadership of Thorn
as b. Reed, and ended up by voting out
and out with the democratic party,
which was then in the majority. On a
motion made by Tracey of New York,
sound money Grover Cleveland dem
ocrat, to recommit the bill to the COM
mittee on coinage, weights and mea
sures. the republicans and the HANDFUL of
sound money democrats voted for Gen
eral Tracey's motion, but it was defeat.
ed. This was the first victory for the
| v.
plause which was led by "Sil,er Dick"
Bland. The next vote was on the final
passage of the bill and the name of
James T. MeCleary stands recorded
among those who voted ave. In the
same list with Richard p Band, Will
lam j. Bryan, John Sharp Williams, now
/
democratic leader of the house, and
Charles F. Crisp, then speaker, who ask
ed that his name be called. Not an
other Minnesota republican congressman
f1inched for the purpose of being on the
winning side. Tawney, Fletcher and
Kiefer stood solid by Tom Reed, Joseph
G.. Cannon, j. P. Dolliver, and other re-
publican leaders who have since that day
assembled the ladder Of fame, and are
conspicuous for party service.
The only other Minnesota member who
voted with McCleary for the seigniorage
bill was Haldor E. Boon, from the sew
enth district, rank popnlist. (See the
official Congressional Record, part 3, vol
ume 26, page 1924, second session of
March lst, lS04.)
| The extra session Of congress which
convened August Z, 1893, had repealed
the purchasing clause of the Sherman
silver act. "A om5ination of sound
money. democrats with almost the solid
L
republican strength carried the repeal
bill through after one of the most de-
termined and desperate contests ever
witnessed in the halls of congress. Nc
Cleary voted with the majority, but he
had not raised his voice in that great
debate except to come to the rescue of
Ernest Seyd, the champion of silver, who
was assailed by Congressman Sibley of
Pennsylvania. After the passage of the
repeal bill there was a marked reaction
in behalf of silver and when the bill to
Ecoin the seigniorage came up we find
'your congressman voting for it.
All of this is history. Mr.. McCleary
was then serving his first term, in a
democratic house, and his denomination
for second term was due him anyway.
But we have never heard why he voted
with the democratic party for the cause
of silver. Later ion, when the lines were
faulty drawn; when the forces in be-
half of sound money organized a great
army to do battle for the gold stand
ard, McCleary got aboard the band wag
on and came up on the winning side.
These facts, taken from the official
records, are cited as an instance of the
general fact that Mr.. McCleary has new
er struck out boldly on any given prop
osition having national Importance dur
ing all his long term at Washington.
His whole record, to which reference
will be made quite frequently hereafter,
has been practically a. blank. Has he
ever advocated railroad rate legislationa
Did he take any part whatever in the
passage of any of the great measures
As