The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-08-21

dali and Reed were men of force, domi-
neering, memorable. Macon was much
of the Roman. Stevenson knew the rules
thoroughly, and Winthrop was at once
graceful and dignihed.
Carlisle was great in all respects-he
was dignihed, judicial. correct patient
a great presiding officer, and great
speaker.
When Mr.. Beck died Mr.. Carlisle was
chosen his successor in the Senate, and
there he ranked with the foremost men,
bers of that body. His speech against
the Mckinley tariff was never surpassed
in either house of Congress and his
debate with Aldrich on the wool sched-
ule was remarkable, in that it showed
that he was as we'll acquainted with the
practical workings Of the subject as he
was with the constitutional and econom-
ic principles involved
But a new question became paramount
1t rent the democratic party in twain
and shook the republican party to foun-
dation stone-the coinage question Ira
ditionally, the democratic party was the
sound-money party. 1t was SO in jack
sons and Bentons day and in 1858 demo-
cratic legislation put the country on a
created not single democrat voted for
It in the House of Representatives, and
the party was nearly unanimously against
1t in the Senate; but now that the two
parties had snapped sides-the democrats
for diluted money and the republicans
pretended to be for sound money. But 1t
is fact that the only real sound money
ticket before the people when the test
came was composed of PalmeP OF Illi-
rfois and Buckner OF Kentucky. They
had to dragon the g. o. p. into it and.
IA years later, there is the enormous
amount of over half bilIioa full legal
tender. basic money in the country that
Is so per cent fiat and will bring all the
trouble the treasury can stand when 1t
plays the part of endless chain in the
next panic.
Mr.. Carlisle was appointed secretary
of the treasury in 1898. The Sherman
silver law had already played havoc
with the free" gold in the treasury
and 1t was manifest that the country
would go to the silver basis unless gold
was secured. No gold came in from
taxes, or very little. though prior to
the enactment of the Sherman silver
law, over 90 per cent Of the tariff
taxes was paid in gold. There was NJ
way to get it but to buy 1t. and the
only way to buy it was to swap bonds
for it. That was done notwithstanding
the public discomfort, public ISLANDERS.
public scurrilities. The public credit
was preserved, however, and 1t was
the greatest example Of financial
statesmanship in our history.
For four years Carlisle administered
~ w mo To oh
ity. His task was to preserve gold
payments and this he did despite the
commercial panic and despite the cow
ardice of both parties in Congress.
In 1897 he retired to private life
poor man. He was the equal of any
lawyer In the whole country, and he
returned to the practice of his profess
sion in which he has been very sue
cessful. The profession is more con-
genial to his temperament than is pol
itics, and doubtless the last years of
his life have brought him more salts
faction than he got out of the whole
20 years of political life from his entry
into Congress to his retirement from
the treasury.
few weeks after his retirement he
went to Kentucky and delivered a po-
litical speech that was his farewell to
politics. He closed with these preg
nant sentences:
'Gentlenlen, sndll Iorpedr 10 say
anything on this occasion concerning
the recent democratic administration of
national affairs, except to assure its
friends and enemies alike that, from
the President down to the humblest
who co-operated with him in the exer-
else of executive authority, every men,
Der of that administration is conIent
to submit all its acts to the severest
scrutiny and wait patiently the verdict
OF impartial history. When the pas
sion and prejudice. the personal animos-