Show ii t01 III1 SlrSSl S I Ttoo HOUMI on TtTedn sd y very wisely I sit dowa upon Selltor STEAVARTS silver i bill W My wisely not i n the sense that j ft 1 la w5s to oppose free coinage The bill was crude was carelessly drawn and as a lawwould have wrought incalculable mischief I chief not merely to the mining industry but to the country at large In the first I place It discredited and it believed by good lawyers demonetized the silver certificates cer-tificates which have been issued by government I govern-ment within the past twoycars in payment for the silver bullion purchased i > y the treasury department It is iruo government govern-ment Tfould hare accepted these notes In payment of customs and other dues but the paper would have been at onco withdrawn with-drawn from circulation occasioning i i an ugly financial disturbance result I ing In benefit to the very people I the silver advocates do not want to help I tho gold bugs It Is notchargod that Mr i STBWABT did this willfully His enthusiasm enthus-iasm destroyed bis judgment But the worstJeature of the bill so far as it related re-lated to the silver purchasing section of the country was that requiring the coin ago of the silver bullion now stored in tho treasury vaults There is enough of that silver to keep the mints working It their lull capacity for three years durlag which time although the law would provide for freo coinage not a dollars worth of silver would pa coined OQ private account There is now a market for four and a half million ounces of sliver per month in addi ditlon to tho amount taken by tho arts and manufactures That market would be cutoff cut-off and about half the saver pur chassd by tho country would h veto ve-to to stored three years by the owners or sold at the depressed price which an oversupply would cause We believe the bill would bare put the price of silver below any point it has over touched and closed many mines At tho present price of tho metal only the better mines can be profitably worked I However it is doubtod that anybody over intended that the bill should reach the president It was a game of politics that congressmen played The Senate passed the bill with Republican and Democratic Demo-cratic votes and thus prevented tho silver I I ites from denouncing or applauding either party whilst there were Republican and Democratic votes against the measure so the gnlaites will not be able to ay that ORe party is against and the other in favor of free coinage The same course was pursued pur-sued in the House with this exception excep-tion that caution was taken to prevent the passage of the bill as that would have been embarrassing all parties denouncing tho measure on account of its ugly and injurious features The question has now been taken out of the campaign in so far as a partisan issue is concerned No record has been hurt no candidate has anything to explain or repudiate and there is no change in the silver law We believe the election being over a free coinage bill can be passed at the next session ses-sion of Congress There is undoubtedly a silver majority in each house and there will be nothing to prevent the friends of free coinage from asserting themselves next winter Their political fate and that of their respective parties will be known and Representatives and Senators can then afford to do what they think will be for the best < |