Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 January 1886 — “We Can All Swim.” [ARTICLE]

“We Can All Swim.”

Special to Cincinnati Enquirer: Senator Voorhees had a long chat with the President on Friday, with referen'e to the silver question.— The President sen. for the Senator to discuss the subject. He was an attentive listener. The Senator was frank in his expressions, and manfudy told Mr. Cleveland why he could not support his recommendation for the discontinuance of silver coinage. Said the Senator: “Mr. President, I represent a State containing an area of over thirty thousand square miles, which will produce as much, if not more, acre for acre, than any State in tyhe Union. It has an intelligent population, engaged in manufactures, commerce, banking and agriculture. I flatter myself that I am well known in the State, and that I know its reople. I have yet to hear from any quarter a hint or suggestion in favor of again demonetizing silver. I have not received a single letter favoring the suspension of coinage. On the other hand, when the bill to remonetize silver was pending before Congress my mail in favor of the bill was so large that it would have required a wheelbarrow to take it to the Capitol. The sentiment of the people in my State is in favor of the silver dollar, and I would grossly misrepresent them were I to vote to interfere with the law as it is.”

The f resident, while admitting the strength of the Senator’s claim as reflecting the voice of the people of Indiana, then made some hypothetical reflectiohs as to what may be if the law is not repealed. “Now, suppose—” said the President. “I know what you are going to say, Mr. President, “said the Senator, “and thus anticipating you let me illustrate it by an anecdote: One bright, sunshiny day three boys sat on the bridge crossing a stream fishing for trout When intensely interested in their sport a village priest passed by. ‘Boys,’ said he, “you ought to be ashamed of yonrselyes, violating the Lord’s day in fishing. Suppose you sho’d fall in and be drowned, where do you think you would go?’ ‘We ain’t going to fall in,’ said the most precocious. ‘But,’ continued the pr ; est, ‘suppose you should fall in.’ ‘But, 1 tell you,’ replied the boy, ‘we ain’t going to fall in.’ ’But, suppose you did/ continued the priest, ‘where do you think you

would go;’ ‘I tell you,’ said the youngster, ‘we ain’t going to fall in, and even if we did we can swim.’ Now, Mr. President, it would be useless for me to attempt to convince my people of any supposed dangers liable to come because of the present silver law as it was for the priest to alarm the boys on the bridge. They will wait until the ‘supposed’ comes, and then they can swim.’ The President enjoyed the illustration hugely.